Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego

San Diego --     While much of what’s found on television is loosely based on fact, some ads display absolute truth. Marine Corps ads, for example, try to give a real picture of the Corps and the obstacles that must be overcome during recruit training.
    Recruits of Company A, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, ran through a confidence course aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Nov. 26.
    The confidence course is a series of obstacles designed to challenge recruits physically and mentally, and build a sense of self-confidence when successfully completed.
    The obstacles vary in difficulty but all require effort, attention and a willingness to take on challenges. 
    Different obstacles call for a recruit to exercise different skills and abilities. The run-jump swing requires the recruit to run toward a hanging rope, jump to reach it to swing across a gap. Other obstacles call on the recruit to use strength and agility to complete.
    The wall climb involves recruits using a rope to climb over a 10-foot wall. For those have led less active lives and lack sufficient upper body strength, the exercise proves difficult. Some recruits struggled to climb the wall, but each struggling recruit intense encouragement from a supervising drill instructor. 
    “Get up there!” Yelled a drill instructor at a recruit having trouble only inches from the top of the wall. 
    “I believe this instills confidence and courage, because most of these recruits haven’t done things like the stairway to heaven,” said Sgt. Christopher B. Ramsey, Platoon 1014, Co. A, 1st RTBn. “Courage is one of the Marine Corps values’ and extremely important because they will have to use it in combat.”
    Obstacles recruits encounter on the confidence course include the cargo net climb, the arm walk and the dirty name. While some obstacles are easy to figure from their name, some need explaining. 
    The dirty name is an example. This is an obstacle in which recruits must jump from a log six feet above the ground, to another 10-feet in the air – and then slide down. 
    “I think the log climb could be the hardest obstacle because the height might throw off some of the recruits’ sense of balance,” said Recruit Austin T. Shutz, Plt. 1013, Co. A. 1st RTBn. “I’ve never done anything like this. I agree that this instills confidence because some recruits need to be pushed, and this will allow them to find their true ability.”
    For some recruits the confidence course is a challenge they had been anticipating for some time.
    “It was something I looked forward to because my cousin was a Marine and he told me all about this,” said Recruit Paul G. Smith, Plt. 1013, Co. A. 1st RTBn. “He said he loved the confidence course and it was one of his favorite parts of (recruit training). It looks difficult but not impossible.”
    Positivity surrounding the exercise was not hard to find. Many recruits were excited about the training and felt a sense of pride in their demanding exercises.
    “I know that not everyone can experience something like this and to know that this recruit can accomplish it with fellow recruits is an amazing feeling,” said Smith.