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thedrifter
04-15-09, 11:11 AM
Marine Enlistees, Families Get Taste of Boot Camp
By Erin Toner
April 15, 2009 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI

Last month, the U.S. military reported meeting or exceeding its recruiting goals. Some of the success is attributed to the troubled economy – the military offers a paycheck and money for college. About 150 Marine Corps recruits and their families gathered recently in Milwaukee. WUWM’s Erin Toner went to find out how they’re preparing for life in the Marines.


It’s just before 10 on a Saturday morning, and hundreds of people are streaming into Serb Hall. This is Marine Corps Family Day for about 150 young men and women who’ve enlisted recently, and their families. It’s sort of a combination open house and sneak peek at basic training. Before it starts, people are snapping up Marine Corps pins, bumper stickers, T-shirts, even women’s underwear with the words “Marine’s Booty” printed, well…you know.

Inside the hall, I find the Janzen family eating cookies and drinking soda. Mary says her 19-year-old son Matt told them at Christmas about his decision to enlist in the Marines.

“I was upset at first. He asked me what my biggest concern was, and I said, ‘I’m afraid you’re going to get killed somewhere,’ But I’m coming to grips with things,” Mary says.

Mary says her son told her he didn’t want to grow old and regret things he didn’t do.

“And that was a more adult tone than I’ve heard from him in awhile,” Janzen says.

Her son Matt leaves for boot camp in California next month.

“I’ve always thought about it since I was a kid. And it just looked cool and if I was going to do boot camp I was going to do the hardest one,” Matt says.

The program begins and Matt and the other “poolees” get their first orders. They’re called that because they’re a pool of new enlistees.

“You are going to exit the building. You are going to move to the back corner of this room…,” officer says.

I follow the poolees to the parking lot, where they’re told to line up in rows and space themselves evenly. Then, the drill instructors take over. The idea here is to teach some basic commands and responses, but also to feel the intensity of boot camp. The drill instructors say in combat, when bombs are dropping and bullets are flying, Marines have to be able to focus and instantly respond to orders.

Now, if I were in this line, I’d be terrified. But these young men and women are tough. A lot of them get chewed out, but no one breaks down and no one quits.

After nearly a half hour, a few poolees get picked to go back inside and show their families what they’ve learned. Some parents watching this are smiling and some look shocked.

When it’s over, the drill instructors take questions and explain more about what to expect at boot camp. One parent wants to know what happens if a recruit refuses to do what you say. Another wonders whether recruits have any free time, does hazing occur, can recruits date each other?

One of the drill instructors, Sgt. Matthew Leverett, says parents usually have the same questions.

“About if their son gets injured, are they going to get enough sleep at night? Are they going to get enough food? Are we actually going to take care of them?” Leverett says.

Leverett says yes, they make sure your kids are safe and healthy, but their main job is to train them be mentally and physically strong.

After the Q&A session, I find Anthony Hagge sitting with his parents and sister. The 21-year-old from Twin Lakes signed up in February. His mother is Francis Hagge.

“I wish he would have gone Navy, cause I’m retired Navy, but Marines is the second best. I’m not worried about him handling the physical part of it or the yelling part of it. And he’s serious about it, so what can I do?” Francis says.

In a corner of the hall, 19-year-old poolee Nicole Clark is looking at a Marine display.

REPORTER: I saw you out there with the drill instruction, how do you think that went?
NICOLE CLARK: It was fun, actually.
REPORTER: It doesn’t look fun, it looks scary.
NICOLE CLARK: It’s a lot more fun than you think, I guess, cause it’s something you expect, so.
REPORTER: Tell me why you decided to enlist in the Marines.
NICOLE CLARK: Cause school wasn’t for me. Like I went to college, like I did well, but it just wasn’t for me and I always wanted to join the service.

Nicole says one reason she wanted to join the service is because her mom wanted to, but couldn’t because she’s deaf. Nicole says her mom is psyched about her decision, but her dad is worried. She'll go to boot camp in South Carolina. After that, she wants to specialize in aviation mechanics, working on helicopters and airplanes.

Ellie