Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego -- Sitting on a bus, late at night aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, waiting to step onto the yellow footprints, Recruit Mark D. Crum could hear the footsteps of a drill instructor. He had only one thought on his mind.
“This is going to suck,” said Crum.
Crum, Platoon 1015, Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, overcame personal and physical challenges to earn the title United States Marine.
He was born in Honolulu when his father was serving in the Marine Corps. After his father completed his four-year contract as an M60 Machine Gun infantryman, they moved back to Michigan to be closer to family.
As a child, he was interested in playing football. By 6th grade, he got his chance to play at the position of offensive tight end. He thought he was good at catching the ball and he was fast, but his coaches decided to move him to offensive tackle. Instead of catching the football, he necessary to catch defensive rushers. He realized a change was needed if he was going to play his new position successfully.
“In tenth-grade I realized I needed to start getting bigger,” said 19-year-old Crum. “I only weighed 175 pounds and was going up against guys over 200 pounds.”
He hit the gym and dinner table hard. Through any food source he could get, he managed to gain the weight he needed.
“I got bigger and was able to play my position better,” said Crum, who was recruited out of Recruiting Substation Grand Rapids South, Mich. “A lot of those guys started getting easier to throw around.”
Toward the end of high school, Crum seriously considered the possibility of joining the military. He explained he always had a general interest in joining since he was a little kid, thinking it was cool, but wasn’t sure which branch. His father, however, didn’t want him to go into the military, but instead, go to college.
“I was good in school, I got all ‘As’ and ‘Bs’, but I thought it would be boring and wanted to do something else,” said Crum. “Online videos and television advertisements all helped play a role of influencing me on which service I should join.”
The history and legacy of the Marine Corps caught Crum’s interest, and ultimately solidified his decision.
“I looked around and picked the Marine Corps because I thought they were the best trained,” said Crum. “It looked like a challenge and wanted to see if I could do it.”
At his first poolee exercise function, Crum had a familiar realization another change was needed if he wanted to reach his goal of becoming a Marine.
“My heart was racing so fast during the first running exercise that I had to stop,” said Crum. “It made me re-evaluate my life because I was eating a lot of junk food at the time. I decided it was time to make a change.”
Crum weighed 213 pounds and got himself as low as 167 pounds. He battled with weight fluctuation, but overall lost 60 pounds after having to lose weight he regained. By the time he shipped to recruit training he was 197 pounds.
Crum was not only challenged with his weight, but with the fitness standards he needed to meet, which were drastically different than what he was expected while playing football.
“My physical training when I shipped (to recruit training) wasn’t that great,” said Crum. “I could only do five pull-ups, 80 crunches and run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes 30 seconds, which was the absolute slowest time one could get in order to ship to recruit training.”
Crum recalled being extremely nervous the first night at the depot.
“My heart was racing and adrenaline was pumping,” said Crum. “I was one of the people who were holding everyone’s papers, so when they told the people holding the papers to stand up, I stood up so fast that I hit my head on the ceiling. Overall though, I think I mentally made it worse than what it really was.”
Over the course of recruit training, Crum lost another 30 pounds. He explained that he made sure he pushed himself and simply followed the advice the drill instructors gave them. His physical abilities also drastically improved as well. By graduation, Crum could do 20 pull-ups, more than 100 crunches and run three miles in less than 21 minutes.
Drill instructors of his platoon recognized the drastic transformation in Crum, naming him the platoon’s ‘Most Improved Recruit.’ At the start of the training cycle though, drill instructors weren’t sure he was ready for the challenge.
“When I first saw him, I thought he wasn’t going to make it,” said Staff Sgt. John L. Walker, senior drill instructor, Plt. 1015. “He had that look of defeat before he even started. I just think his mind wasn’t here.”
Walker stated that when they performed physical training, he saw Crum was giving it his all and put forth 100 percent effort. He noticed Crum was struggling more during the second phase of training and decided to have a more in-depth talk with him and found out about personal issues.
“I realized his mind wasn’t in recruit training anymore, so I helped him re-adjust,” said Walker, a Kenbridge, Va., native. “(Crum) didn’t quit and kept pushing forward. Around the third phase, we could really see how much he had improved both physically and mentally.”
Now a private in the Marine Corps, Crum reflects on his journey and the obstacles he overcame.
“I’m really proud of myself,” said Crum. “Before I joined I wasn’t happy, and thought there was no way I’d be able to complete the training. Just to have the physical evidence and knowing that I can do it; it’s a real boost to my confidence and abilities.”
Crum continues his journey to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he will take on Marine Combat Training before going to his military occupational specialty school as an avionics technician.