MCRD San Diego -- The value Marines have in their military history starts at recruit training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Recruits are given multiple courses on Marine values and history and later tested on the material training day 55.
Recruits with Platoon 3202, India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion gathered inside a classroom to learn about Marine Corps history July 6th. Sgt. Luis A. Arteaga, academic instructor, Instructional Training Company, Support Battalion, stood in front of approximately 80 recruits and used a slide show to teach important dates and events in Marine history.
Arteaga has deployed four times to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. He often uses his deployment experiences as real life examples that are easier for recruits to relate to, he explained.
“I like to try and relate to them because they’re more interested in real life scenarios,” said Arteaga, a Los Angeles native. “It opens them up and makes them think, ‘if he can do it I can do it.’”
During Arteaga’s class, the recruits learned about Marine events from 1954 – 1975 such as the 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh, the Battle of Da Nang and the evolution of the Marine Sniper Program.
After each topic was reviewed, Arteaga would periodically ask recruits questions to make sure they were all on the same page.
Recruit Miguel A. Gonzalez, Plt. 3202, said, “I think it’s important to educate us on our Marine Corps History so that we can possibly become even better Marines than the ones before us and also so that we keep the traditions of the Marine Corps going.”
At the back of the class, a Co. I drill instructor oversaw the recruits and kept an eye out for any recruits not attentive to the teacher. If a recruit didn’t look like he was paying attention, he was either told to wake up or stand up behind the class.
“They need to know our Marine traditions, they need to know who we are so that they can carry on our Marine traditions,” said Sgt. Javier Salguero, drill instructor, Platoon 3202.
The training day 55 test is given in order to ensure the recruits retained the majority of knowledge taught throughout training. Drill instructors explained, that if the any recruit should not pass the test they would not see training day 56 and advised recruits to use their free time to review their notes and historical dates.
Arteaga says, he enjoys teaching recruits because he too believes it helps keep the Marine Corps traditions alive.
“When you’re an instructor you can help them learn from the past and be better Marines all the time,” said Arteaga. “I love teaching them about the Marine Corps and especially about the rules and regulations.”