San Diego -- Fatigue can attack the body as well as the mind. The recruits of Mike Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion were challenged by both forms of duress as they pushed themselves to their limits during a recruit training exercise.
Recruits of Company M finished their final Combat Fitness Test on Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif., Aug. 7.
The CFT is a training requirement for all recruits, as well as an annual requirement for Marines. The test includes a maneuver under fire, ammunition can lifts and a half-mile run. All the exercises are performed in the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform and the results are placed on recruit’s record for promotion purposes when they get to the Fleet Marine Force.
Moments prior to the run, Recruit Harry Willard, Platoon 3267, said although he was sick, he would overcome this mental obstacle by singing a song.
“You have to put your mind off it and don’t think about being sick,” said Willard, a Las Vegas native. “One of the songs I use to take my mind off the fatigue is ‘1, 2, 3, Marine Corps’.”
Willard explained he would rather fight through the sickness than miss training and have the possibility of being set back.
Illnesses or not, many recruits had goals of beating their mock CFT scores performed earlier in training.
Recruit Jacob R. Troxell, Platoon 3267, said he believed it is important to always give maximum effort in order to continue to get better.
After performing 91 ammunition can lifts for a perfect score, Traxel performed an additional 19.
“You always have to do as much as you can, because if you don’t, then you don’t know what your 100 percent effort is,” said the Highlands, Ill., native. “And if you don’t know what your 100 percent effort is, how can you truly expect to get better. If you put forth 90 percent, then next time you might do 95 percent and think you’re getting better when you’re not.”
Drill instructors echoed the importance of the CFT moments prior to each event. “Maximum effort, this score may be with you for a while!” said a drill instructor. “You better not finish last!” said another.
Whether the recruits came in first, last, received low scores or high scores, the mission was completed, and now the recruits of Company M have a score to work toward beating when they get to the Fleet Marine Force.