Thursday, May 03, 2007

Marine Corps to move Crucible to end of boot camp

A recruit delivers a killing blow while running the bayonet course at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot in the middle of the Crucible

Recruits from east of the Mississippi River will be the first to experience recently approved tweaks to boot camp training when Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., makes “the Crucible” its capstone event before graduation, the general in charge of Marine training and education told reporters during a Pentagon briefing Wednesday.

The Crucible is a 54-hour event involving sleep and food deprivation that physically and mentally challenges recruits to work as a team in overcoming various obstacles, Training and Education Command’s Maj. Gen. George Flynn explained in the briefing.

Training at both of the Corps’ boot camps is 12 weeks long.

Read the rest at Marine Corps Times