How Parris Island makes Marines and changes lives

[thedrifter]

How Parris Island makes Marines and changes lives
By DAVID LAUDERDALE
dlauderdale@islandpacket.com
843-706-8115
Published Saturday, August 8, 2009

Here in Beaufort County, we make Marines.

We're better known for making memorable vacations, houses, food, art and golf courses. But the most important thing we make by far are Marines.

More than 1 million Americans have come to Beaufort County as wide-eyed kids and left as Marines.

They come to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, an intriguing place rich with history and open to the public. Locals joke that it was Beaufort County's first gated community. The Marine Corps says it's "where the difference begins." Call it what you will, but what takes place on a Lowcountry island that's half marsh and half sand gnats changes forever all who encounter it. It also has been known to change families, cities -- and world history.

All female Marine Corps recruits are sent here for 12 weeks of basic training, and all the men east of the Mississippi River -- about 25,000 a year in all.

Almost every Friday morning, brand new United States Marines march crisply across the parade deck, an astounding, heart-pumping sight for parents who thought they couldn't even clean up their rooms. They're cheered for finishing the difficult training. And they're challenged point blank to honor America's high expectations of "The few. The proud."

This Friday, we made 376 Marines -- five platoons from Company K of the 3rd Battalion and two platoons of women from Company P of the 4th Battalion.

More than 1,400 people signed in as guests to witness the graduation.

They came in wheelchairs and strollers. They came with broken arms and tattoos. A baby cried into his little T-shirt with "Ooorah" on the back. A toddler bawled because an ant got between his toes. And a mother wept because a lost son had found a purpose in life.

Some nibbled Froot Loops while others held up posters, swished hand fans, or waved to their stoic family members.

Cars were decorated for the occasion. And no one left without a group shot in front of the Iwo Jima Monument -- the coated plaster version that was used to raise money for the larger bronze monument in the nation's capital.

Everybody also wanted a picture with Hummer, the white and brown bulldog that looks more cuddly than a "devil dog," but does a fine job as the Parris Island mascot.

Teenagers held aloft cell phone cameras, and parents squinted to record every distant move on video recorders.

The crowd cheered loudest when the Parris Island Marine Band played "God Bless America," but they also liked the band's sassy slow march to "Carolina in the Morning."

Col. Charles W. Stockell of Beaufort was honored as reviewing officer for the hour-long ceremony. He and his wife, Lee, sat with new base commander Brig. Gen. (Sel.) Frederick M. Padilla in the covered bleachers with ceiling fans. Stockell wheeled onto the parade deck in a walker to salute the troops.

'HE CHANGED'

Out in the warm morning sun of the open-air bleachers, Daniel Hill of St. Augustine, Fla., stood erect in his U.S. Army uniform. It fits like it did when the old paratrooper retired as a captain in 1975. Under one arm was his 9-year-old granddaughter, Nicole Packo.

On the parade deck in olive slacks and a tan blouse stood another granddaughter, Pfc. Eva Reganess. At 25, she's almost a senior citizen among the new Marines.

"No direction, no motivation, no big goals," Hill said. "She never got enthused about anything. She's sure as hell enthused now."

He said she's going to be an aviation electronics specialist. She's carrying on a family military tradition that reaches back to the lantern-in-the-steeple days of the Revolutionary War.

"This is one of the proudest days of my life," said the spit-shined grandfather.

Most of the crowd wore a different type of uniform. It was either a blue 3rd Battalion T-shirt or a maroon 4th Battalion T-shirt. They craned to see loved ones step to the goose-bump meter of "This Is My Country," "Stars And Stripes Forever," "Anchors Aweigh" and "The Marines' Hymn." The37-piece band had four engagements to fulfill on this day.

Ronald and Angelika Chiasson of Westwego, La., had on blue T-shirts and matching blue caps. They came to cheer their grandson, Marc L. Chiasson Jr. "He's changed," Ronald said. "He's on time. Make that early. He shows up 15 minutes early now. He may come out of this a drill instructor."

Robert and Linda Leathers came all the way from Okinawa, Japan, to see their 19-year-old son Brandon become a Marine, like his father. Master Gunnery Sgt. Robert Leathers is stationed in Okinawa.

"Brandon always said he was not going to be a Marine," the father said. He smiled. When Brandon decided to join, they requested Parris Island so he could experience the Lowcountry like his father did. "Before he left, we watched 'The DI' with Jack Webb," Robert said. He laughed.

THE CRUCIBLE


The recruits did more than battle the sand gnats made famous in that old movie.

They got 200 hours of academic instruction to go with steamy outdoor challenges like the 3-mile run, the rappel tower, weeks of work on the firing range, hand-to-hand combat, and exercises like this:

"The Maneuver Under Fire is a timed 300-yard event which incorporates sprinting, a low crawl, quick direction changes, two casualty evacuation techniques, carrying two 30-pound ammunition cans and a grenade throw."

They tackled martial arts and swimming. And then came the Crucible, a rite of passage for all Marines. Recruits must pass it to graduate. It lasts 54 hours, and it involves food and sleep deprivation. It includes 29 problem-solving exercises. Recruits travel 48 miles on foot during the event. They are required to carry 45 pounds, in addition to the weight of their gear, uniform and M16 A2 service rifle.

On Friday, they hugged each other when they finally heard that magic word from a drill instructor: "Dismissed!"

They had accomplished things they thought were beyond them. They persevered when they wanted to quit. They sacrificed themselves to become part of something larger. They learned about consequences. In a selfish world, they had been self-less.

They were hammered with Marine Corps values -- honor, courage and commitment -- that are expected to last a lifetime.

When the masses were finally allowed to pour onto the parade deck, Debi Siddall of Charlotte beamed through tears at her 19-year-old son, Greg. The new private posed for snapshots, his boyish face squeezed between his mother and stepmother, Edie Siddall, as each kissed one cheek.

"This is my baby," Debi said. Her baby was wearing a steady smile and a ribbon for sharpshooting.

"This boy tried everything he could, but the economy kept failing him," she said. "He kept trying to find a way to stand on his own two feet. And now he's standing proud as a Marine."

Marines are a wonderful thing to make.

Ellie

[JZfs720]

oorah! That was my grad day...20090807. PFC Reganess is a hard charger, and never had any attitude about listening to me, her squadleader 5 years her junior.

[Zulu 36]

Parris Island makes Marines by depriving them of chocolate.

[Mac3043]

They were hammered with Marine Corps values -- honor, courage and commitment -- that are expected to last a lifetime.

The punks these days who spend time in jail for drugs, are arrested for theft, avoid a job because they want to "party", they who have no respect for others. The worthless ones of society who care for nothing but what they can get for themselves. These people cannot understand this belief. Off the many things I took from Parris Island those three words, and that wonderful way of life are the most important. Yes, it is a life time commitment to our brotherhood. An honor one must earn. An honor we are proud of.

[redman1]

Ooh Rah!!!
Semper Fi

[Lisa 23]

Oorah & Semper Fi Marines!

[MarshRunner]

OOOOHHH-RAHHH!!!! Plt 3034, 1975 ... Semper Fi

[NCOPOWER]

OORAH!! PLT 3074 L CO. 20070914 Man does time fly!

[Rocky C]

Semper Fidelis is not just a Phrase, It's A Way Of LIFE!!!!!!!!!!

Parris Island Plt. 1072 June, July and August 1977. One HOT Summer.

OOOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAH !!!

Semper Fi,
Rocky