San Diego -- The sun shined brightly Oct. 10 aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, as recruits of Company A, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, marched toward a large sign with white lettering on it.
On that sign was the citation of Medal of Honor recipient Gunnery Sgt. Jimmie E. Howard, who received the medal for his brave actions while serving as platoon sergeant in Vietnam in the summer of 1966.
Recruits gathered around the sign and quickly went to the position of attention, while Staff Sgt. Cesar Gonzales, senior drill instructor, Platoon 1006, Co. A, began to read the citation.
“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty…” said Gonzales, as he read the citation.
Gunnery Sgt. Howard was able to man his outnumbered platoon skillfully and calmly, even though he was wounded. He dispersed his ammunition to the remaining members of his platoon, continued to give orders and soon directed his platoon to safety.
The recruits attentively listened and were then instructed to grab a flak jacket and split up into teams of four. They were about to challenge a course known as Howard’s Assault during their Crucible.
The Crucible is an exhausting, 54-hour simulated field-training exercise that tests skills recruits have learned throughout training by forcing them to hike to different team-building obstacles with very little sleep and food.
The obstacles and missions consist of real-life combat situations, such as evacuating casualties, re-supplying ammunition, an improvised explosive device detecting simulation and hand-to-hand combat.
“At every event during the Crucible, there are citations, each pertaining to the obstacle that they are about to challenge,” explained Gonzales, a 25-year-old Viejo, Calif. native. “It’s sort of like a re-enactment of the citation, allowing the recruits to relate to it and give them a different perspective.”
The course’s mission was to have recruits maneuver through as a fire team while transporting an ammunition can and setting up security.
“It forces them to work as a team,” said Gonzales. “They get to practice their communication skills and movement through an urban environment.”
Trenches, barbed-wire, tunnels and walls were some of the obstacles that the recruits had to face while one member of their fire team carried the ammo can.
Recruits used verbal commands as well as hand and arm signals to communicate to their fellow fire team members. If a recruit went ahead or was left behind, the whole fire team had to start the course over.
Even though the course teaches how to move through a combat environment, an important lesson learned is moving together as a team, explained Pfc. Austin Adams, Plt. 1006.
“It always makes you more aware of your surroundings when you have to look out for someone else,” said Adams. “You have to make sure everyone gets through.”
Throughout training, recruits are taught that no Marine ever gets left behind. The Crucible is the chance for recruits to build up the brotherhood and allow them to complete each mission successfully through teamwork, without any instruction from their drill instructors.
“They’ve done a pretty good job keeping each other motivated through this (Crucible),” said Gonzales. “The recruits push each other through.”
Completing Howard’s Assault allowed Co. A to move on with the Crucible to the dreaded 10-mile Reaper Hike, Oct. 11. In the early hours of that morning, the recruits held out their hands and received their Eagle, Globe and Anchor and finally earned the title Marine.