Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego --
Marine Corps
recruit training is difficult and many times recruits are put through
situations that are unfamiliar to them. However, by completing exercises
throughout training, they learn to push themselves to limits never thought
possible.
Testing their
limits, recruits of Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, conducted
their first Combat Fitness Test at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Dec.
2. The event consists of an 880-yard run, timed ammunition can lifts and a
maneuver-under-fire drill.
The CFT is a
training requirement for all recruits, as well as an annual requirement for all
Marines. It is conducted in the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform and boots
to simulate combat environments. All three events are worth a maximum of 100
points each, adding up to a perfect score of 300.
The first
event of the CFT began with recruits running the 880-yard timed run. Wearing
combat boots makes the sprint around the track difficult for some recruits. The
purpose of the run is to simulate moving quickly through a combat situation. In
order to gain maximum points on this event, recruits must complete the run in 2
minutes and 45 seconds or less.
The second
event was the ammunition can lifts. Each can weighed 30 pounds and was used to
conduct overhead presses. Each recruit performed as many presses as he could in
two minutes, attempting to reach 91 repetitions to achieve a perfect score.
The final
event of the CFT was the maneuver-under-fire. The course for this portion
covers 75 yards and requires recruits to perform exercises such as sprints,
ammunition can carries, fireman’s carry and throwing a simulated grenade at a
marked target. Recruits were timed as they ran through the course and needed to
finish it in less than 2 minutes and 14 seconds for maximum points.
“The CFT requires you to push both body and mind to limits some of
never felt before,” said Recruit John T. Cook, Lima Company, 3rd Recruit
Training Battalion. “Marines have to be able to get the job done under
stressful and physically demanding conditions. If the Marine to your left or
right gets injured, then it is your responsibility to carry that Marine to
safety.”
The initial
CFT is taken in first phase of training, but it is just to familiarize the
recruits with the course. The final CFT is taken toward the end of training and
is recorded in their basic training record.
“The
initial CFT sets us up for success to be better prepared for the final CFT
toward the end of training,” said Recruit Lane A. Wolfe, Lima Company, 3rd
Recruit Training Battalion. “The CFT is more than just a graduation
requirement. It gives us a small taste of what fog of war could feel like in a
combat scenario.”
Before
recruits experience the CFT, they are put through several physical training
sessions to get their bodies ready.
“Every day we
are training,” said Cook. “We are not here to take breaks. We are here to earn
the title Marine.”
The CFT was a
test of grit and strength for recruits of Lima Company, but it will help them
prepare for their last challenge, the Crucible, a 54-hour training event where
all recruits must endure in order to earn the title Marine.