A brutal start to becoming a Marine

In this video we explain the harsh start to Marine Corps training.

Transcript

00:00Ever wondered what the first weeks of the Marine Corps basic training program are like?

00:04First the recruits arrive in the middle of the night at Parris Island, South Carolina,

00:08where they will begin a week of processing that includes medical and initial strength

00:11tests.

00:12They are given uniforms and their heads are shaved, so they all look the same as their

00:15individual personalities take a back seat to them learning to act as a unit.

00:18The real training known as phase one begins in the next week.

00:21The typical wake-up call is at 4 am, and their day is full of gear inspections demanding

00:25physical exercise, hand-to-hand combat training, but they also have lessons on military history

00:29first aid and customs and courtesies such as how to properly salute and address superiors.

00:35Drill instructors will push recruits physically and psychologically over and over again to

00:38make them go beyond their limits, and they will be under extreme pressure to make sure

00:42that they get the discipline needed to be a Marine.

00:44Phase one completes at the end of the third week with an eight-kilometer hike, and while

00:48it's going to be painful, those future Marines will one day look back at these first weeks

00:51as a walk in the park compared to the very real combat situations they may face in the

00:55future.