Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego -- During Fox Company’s first day of the Crucible, recruits were a little weary from the physical demands, but nevertheless fought with speed and intensity in a body sparring exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, June 2.
Before sparring, recruits warmed up with squats, jumping jacks and by throwing punches. After getting the blood flowing, recruits lined up and paired according to their size. While some were extremely nervous, some recruits showed no signs of nervousness.
“I feel pretty confident, I used to box back at home,” said Recruit Jason T. Johnson, Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. “It doesn’t matter if I win or lose. It matters if I give it my all. This whole Crucible is to better me as a person, so everything I do here I’m going to give my all.”
Johnson, a Nacogdoches, Texas, native, added he knows the exercise is meant to prepare them for fighting the enemy and therefore is extrememly important.
“The enemey won’t take it lightly on us. So I will not give my opponent any mercy at all,” said Johnson. “He’s the enemy, and I have to do whatever it takes to stop him.”
Although Johnson was pretty confident in his abilities, so was his partner Recruit David E. Rogers, Co. F, who coincidentely also grew up boxing.
“I boxed for nine years,” said Rogers, a Humboldt County, Calif., native. “I have no butterflies, I know I can beat him. You want to be confident going into a fight. If you don’t have confidence or think negatively going into a fight, then you’ve already lost. The key to success is going into the fight with the right mentality.”
When the two stepped into the ring there was no hesitation, the fight began immedietly as they exchanged a flury of punches. The punches were thrown with so much speed and power, that when they connected on their opponents Flak jacket it created a distinct thud. Their drill instructors watched on and one drill instructor remarked, “It’s always the smaller guys that give the best fights.”
As the fight continued the flurries slowed to two-punch combinations and the speed and snap began to diminish. It appeared the recruits had given their all and were extremely fatigued, and the fight emded.
“You just have to go in their remaining calm, remember why you’re here and why you’re in there,” said Rogers. “Most of these exercises are things most people would never do. I think this is pretty cool, and it’s a good expereince for all of us,” said Rogers.