Marine Corps Stories: Training Forever

The din of computers and typewriters in the shop was impossible to ignore. Seething beneath was the sound of a sergeant’s annoyance.

“Goddamnit!” Sergeant Angela Dexter said.

“What’s up, Angela?” Corporal Darren Bosworth said.

“I keep on getting videos of Boot Camp, Parris Island especially. What happened to Recruit Depot, San Diego? What about the officer Candidate School in Quantico? I know that there have been documentaries covering the OCS, but there needs to be more,” Angela said.

She looked around for her superior, then said “Gunny?”

“What is it, Dexter?” Gunnery Sergeant James Bekins asked.

“Can I make a move to Combat Camera to shoot and edit my own video showing parts of recruit training other than Paradise Island?”

“What’s your PFT score?”

“275.”

“How’s your rifle score?”

“281.”

“And what’s your GT score?”

“110.”

“Jesus what are you doing here? You should qualify for that move. I’ll help you.” Belkins said.

The gunny kept his word. He went through channels above him to ensure Angela found a proper place within the Combat Camera MOS. Angela then set to get to the business once she arrived at the training facility. She studied the various cameras, shooting techniques, editing equipment, and post production skills.

At last she covered the training of the “Hollywood Marines.” These recruits crushed the Reaper, and she captured those who couldn’t make it as well. Then she traveled across the country to Virginia, and viewed the officer candidates being put through the mental and physical rigors of Marine Corps training.

One of these candidates passed by her camera when she was with some junior Marines, and flipped them off. A major who trained the class saw it.

“Ericsson!”

“Yes, sir!”

“I think you meant to walk by the Marines without any off-putting hand gestures! Let’s try that again!”

“Aye, sir!”

Candidate Loki Ericsson doubled back, and walked past Angela’s camera, Lance Corporal Zion Dante, and Corporal Gideon Griffey once again, sans flipping of the bird.

Major Felix Finley approached Angela. He looked at the other Marines and said “He’s just a hothead. He probably won’t last the land navigation portion. Feel comfortable getting as much footage as you’d like.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Angela felt a sense of protection from the officer.

“We’re going to have to put up with much more,” Sergeant Dexter said.

“Sergeant?”

“What do you want, Dante?”

“We’ve got to get the course where their mouth gets full of mud.” Dante replied.

“That’s something that’s been covered before, but I appreciate your initiative.”

Angela grabbed her gear and readied all of her crew to leave when Ericsson came up to them.

“In a few weeks, you’ll be calling me sir. So snap your little shots while you can, because soon you’ll be looking at a commissioned officer in the United States Marines. How do you like that?”

“I know you’re not a Marine right now, so you should be addressing me as sergeant, candidate.”

“Aye, Sergeant,” Ericsson said through clenched teeth.

Angela continued on her mission with the idea of capturing the goings on at Quantico. She interviewed Colonel Davis Prettyman.

“Sir, what’s the most difficult part for the candidates?”

“I think the indoctrination phase. Much like enlisted recruits, they have to be dropped right into the middle of it, and have to adjust to a totally new environment.”

Ashley wrapped up the interview, and took her crew to a scene where a candidate was struggling to go underwater. The team recorded a colonel going with the candidate underwater, thereby capturing the solidarity and commitment running through the Corps.

“We’ve got enough footage to submit for editing. I want to make sure you both know the reason officers wear their insignia on their collars and their shoulders; They’re willing to shoulder up the burden, and see to it the next Marine gets the extra push to keep going.”

Dante and Griffey nodded their heads in agreement.