Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego --
The Rifleman’s Creed, a basic part of
the Marine Corps doctrine, outlines the important relationship between a Marine
and his rifle. That relationship begins during the first training day of
recruit training.
Once recruits of Alpha Company, 1st
Recruit Training Battalion, met their drill instructors, they were marched to
the armory to have weapons issued at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego,
Sept. 28.
Recruits receive rifles at the beginning
of training and keep them close until the end of training. They embrace
the motto that without their rifles, they are nothing, and without them, their
rifles are nothing. Regardless of their military occupation specialty,
they will become fluent, knowledgeable and blindfoldedly familiar with their
weapon. They will realize their proficiency as marksmen is a key attribute to
being a Marine.
During the first phase of training, the
recruits primarily focus on using their rifles for close order drill. The
purpose of this kind of drill is to instill discipline, instant obedience to
orders and unit cohesion as recruits begin to learn how to work together to
perform as a single unit. They will learn more advanced drill techniques as they
progress through training.
“Every Marine is expected to be a
rifleman first and foremost,” said Recruit Remington Heishman. “We will
learn to be disciplined with our rifle, learn every part and function to it and
become combat effective with the weapon.”
Drill instructors have 17 training days
to prepare their platoons for Initial Drill, which is their first test of
conducting precise and smooth drill movements. Toward the end of training,
recruits will undergo Final Drill, which is the overall evaluation of how the
platoon has progressed as a unit since their initial competition.
While the recruits concentrate efforts
on drill during Phase I, it’s during the second phase of training when recruits
learn the techniques and fundamentals of firing the rifle and how to
successfully qualify as a rifleman. At this point, the theory begins to come to
life.
During Grass Week, recruits are taught
the basics of handling the weapon, fundamentals and shooting positions they
will use the following week. They will then put what they learn to the test
during Firing Week, when they are undergoing the challenge of the qualification
course.
“The drill instructors are going to
teach us everything we need to know about the M16 rifle,” said Recruit Omar
Aeracillo. “The Marine Corps has their own way of handling the weapon. I can’t
wait to become efficient with the weapon system.”
From the beginning of training, recruits
familiarize themselves with the weapon and will progressively learn more and
more as they graduate recruit training and move on with their careers. The
focus in recruit training is to make them as comfortable and familiar with the
weapon as they can be so they can first and foremost be riflemen.