thedrifter
05-13-07, 06:36 AM
May 13, 2007
'Yes, sir!'
Early recruits get taste of Marine training
By James I. Davison
Staff writer
Click to watch slideshow
media.cnpapers.com/marines/
OAK HILL — Standing in front of about 200 future Marines, a drill sergeant in green fatigues and a broad-brimmed hat barked a stream of barely-intelligible commands.
The group of recruits, made up mostly of high school seniors, came from all over West Virginia on Saturday to the Oak Hill High School football field for the Marine Corps’ annual Delayed Entry Program Field Meet.
Sometimes called “poolees,” many of them enlisted in the Marines as a high school junior. The event was meant to give them a small taste of what life in boot camp will be like.
Drill instructors rely on repetition, and with a hoarse voice, drill Sgt. Derek Moore had the teenagers yell in agreement with everything he said.
“Do you understand that?” he screamed after explaining that a recruit never speaks to a Marine without first asking permission.
“Yes sir!” they replied in unison.
“Do you understand that?” Moore asked again.
“Yes sir!”
“Scream at the top of your doggone lungs!”
“Yes sir!”
Later, during a question-and-answer period, the drill sergeant explained (in a normal speaking voice) what recruit training is like. Most delayed entry recruits will leave home to start training within weeks of graduating from high school.
“It’s all hell once you get off the bus ... all the way up until you graduate,” said Moore who came to the event from Parris Island, S.C. “If I don’t have recruits screaming in pain, I ain’t doing my job.”
Some competitive events of the day were strenuous and tiring: chin-ups, crunches, a one-mile run. Other contests were more in the spirit of fun: dizzy run, egg toss, “fireman carry.”
All of the day’s events, said Gunnery Sgt. Darren Scott McKeone, were meant to build camaraderie and spirit for the poolees.
“We get them prepared for the mental and physical rigors [of recruit training],” said McKeone, a recruiter in Charleston.
Poca High School senior Adam Morris, 17, said he joined the Marines as a junior because he wanted the discipline and career opportunities that come with enlistment.
“[Training will] probably be the hardest thing I’m ever going to do in my life,” he said. “I think it will be worth it in the end.”
Greg Radcliff, 18, went to the Saturday field meet with his father and little brother to show them that joining the Marines was the right decision.
“My dad said he couldn’t be any prouder of me,” Radcliff said.
The Herbert Hoover High School senior from Clendenin added he had a great time competing against other future Marines.
“It’s a good time. Definitely builds camaraderie,” he said. “You always feel exhausted, but you just have to give it your all.”
Recruiters of the delayed entry poolees attended the event and some participated in the competition.
Sgt. Michael C. Tipton, a Teays Valley recruiter, said his job is tough these days because, “there’s a negativity out there. It’s a constant battle.”
“Sometimes we’re the only positive influence in these kids’ lives,” he said. Regardless of a recruit’s background, “We all end up in the same spot in the end. That’s what it’s all about.”
To contact staff writer James I. Davison, use e-mail or call 348-5119.
Ellie
'Yes, sir!'
Early recruits get taste of Marine training
By James I. Davison
Staff writer
Click to watch slideshow
media.cnpapers.com/marines/
OAK HILL — Standing in front of about 200 future Marines, a drill sergeant in green fatigues and a broad-brimmed hat barked a stream of barely-intelligible commands.
The group of recruits, made up mostly of high school seniors, came from all over West Virginia on Saturday to the Oak Hill High School football field for the Marine Corps’ annual Delayed Entry Program Field Meet.
Sometimes called “poolees,” many of them enlisted in the Marines as a high school junior. The event was meant to give them a small taste of what life in boot camp will be like.
Drill instructors rely on repetition, and with a hoarse voice, drill Sgt. Derek Moore had the teenagers yell in agreement with everything he said.
“Do you understand that?” he screamed after explaining that a recruit never speaks to a Marine without first asking permission.
“Yes sir!” they replied in unison.
“Do you understand that?” Moore asked again.
“Yes sir!”
“Scream at the top of your doggone lungs!”
“Yes sir!”
Later, during a question-and-answer period, the drill sergeant explained (in a normal speaking voice) what recruit training is like. Most delayed entry recruits will leave home to start training within weeks of graduating from high school.
“It’s all hell once you get off the bus ... all the way up until you graduate,” said Moore who came to the event from Parris Island, S.C. “If I don’t have recruits screaming in pain, I ain’t doing my job.”
Some competitive events of the day were strenuous and tiring: chin-ups, crunches, a one-mile run. Other contests were more in the spirit of fun: dizzy run, egg toss, “fireman carry.”
All of the day’s events, said Gunnery Sgt. Darren Scott McKeone, were meant to build camaraderie and spirit for the poolees.
“We get them prepared for the mental and physical rigors [of recruit training],” said McKeone, a recruiter in Charleston.
Poca High School senior Adam Morris, 17, said he joined the Marines as a junior because he wanted the discipline and career opportunities that come with enlistment.
“[Training will] probably be the hardest thing I’m ever going to do in my life,” he said. “I think it will be worth it in the end.”
Greg Radcliff, 18, went to the Saturday field meet with his father and little brother to show them that joining the Marines was the right decision.
“My dad said he couldn’t be any prouder of me,” Radcliff said.
The Herbert Hoover High School senior from Clendenin added he had a great time competing against other future Marines.
“It’s a good time. Definitely builds camaraderie,” he said. “You always feel exhausted, but you just have to give it your all.”
Recruiters of the delayed entry poolees attended the event and some participated in the competition.
Sgt. Michael C. Tipton, a Teays Valley recruiter, said his job is tough these days because, “there’s a negativity out there. It’s a constant battle.”
“Sometimes we’re the only positive influence in these kids’ lives,” he said. Regardless of a recruit’s background, “We all end up in the same spot in the end. That’s what it’s all about.”
To contact staff writer James I. Davison, use e-mail or call 348-5119.
Ellie