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View Full Version : Sacramento poolees hit the mountain



Shaffer
10-17-02, 12:49 PM
MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.(Aug 15, 2002) -- Recruiting Station Sacramento headed for the mountains with 273 of their future Marines for a taste of rock climbing at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. Aug 8 to 11.

The purpose of the event was to give the poolees a taste of what kind of training the Marine Corps conducts with its units prior to their deployment overseas, according to Maj. Roger B. Turner jr., RS Sacramento?s Commanding Officer.

The Mountain Warfare Training Center is a unique facility used to prepare units for deployment where they may have to perform at high altitudes and in mountainous terrain. Disciplines like rappelling, climbing rock faces, and traversing rivers and gorges by means of a single rope, are taught over the course of a four-week training package. For the poolees, their education was jam-packed into only a few days.

?What they learned today is basically how to rappel,? said GySgt. William Grigsby, Training Team Leader, during a break in the first training day. ?We taught them how to take care of rope, how not to damage rope, what to look for on damaged ropes. Then we went and taught them knots to incorporate the ?Swiss Seat?, which is what they?re going to rappel with, then we taught them how to rappel.?

The group of Marines and future Marines were split in two, Company A and Company B. Each company was commanded by poolees and overseen by Marines. Not only was this a physically demanding event, but also a learning experience about how to lead and be a part of a unit.

The two days of training were full of activities. Classes on safety, equipment, knot tying, animal packing and a few others took place at Leavitt Training Area, a four-mile hike from the barracks. With their days spent at the outdoor classes, constant hands-on leadership training, and movement between, there was little free time for the poolees.

?It?s different in that we go into more detail with a regular unit,? Grigsby explained about training the poolees. ?Pretty much today was just an orientation for these guys. ?Here?s a rock face. Here?s how you set up a seat. Here?s how you get to the bottom of a cliff.?

?I think they learned that and I think a lot of them are going to walk away a little more confident than they were when they arrived,? he said.

The hikes, the classes, even living in an open squad-bay were all memorable for the poolees. However, for most, overcoming their personal fear and placing their safety in the hands of a stranger with just a length of rope and a self-tied harness to navigate a 45-foot natural cliff was the high point. It may not sound like a life-changing experience, but according to many of these young men, overcoming their personal fear and conquering this challenge was unlike anything they experienced before.

?The coolest part was the rappelling, because when I looked down I was so scared,? said poolee Anthony Enriquez from Exeter, Calif. Enriquez traveled nearly seven hours with his fellow poolees from RS Sacramento?s southernmost substation for this unique function. ?I was scared out of my whits, but I did it anyway. After I finished the rappelling though, I felt real confident.

?When I came back from the pool function, my motivation was up 200 percent,? he said. ?I felt so proud of what I?m about to do. I was just so motivated to become a Marine.?

The confidence and motivation boost this single event gave to these recent high school seniors and graduates may sound like a short story out of a book on camping and climbing. In many ways, those who pursue this sort of recreation may understand the feeling of accomplishment that comes with testing personal limits. Make no mistake, however, this taste of Marine training was specifically geared to acquaint the uninitiated with their physical and mental limits and introduce them to the feeling that comes with discovering they are farther out than expected, according to Turner.

?Marine Corps training is geared to create physical and mental challenges,? he said. ?Once a Marine is able to overcome increasingly difficult challenges, their confidence builds to the point where they know they can?t be stopped.

?The challenges presented to the poolees at MWTC gave them a sample of what they will become after completion of Marine Corps boot camp,? Turner said.