Still Sinking In

Motivation

"When a warrior fights not for himself, but for his brothers, when his most passionately sought goal is neither glory nor his own life's preservation, but to spend his substance for them, his comrades, not to abandon them, not to prove unworthy of them, then his heart truly has achieved contempt for death, and with that he transcends himself and his actions touch the sublime."

- Excerpt from Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

My Path

When I last left you the Marine Corps had just turned 237 years old, I was the Platoon Sergeant, and we had just finished FEX II. Thanksgiving has come and gone. Thankfully, I was able to spend some time with friends and family over the holiday and my travels were safe. As soon as we returned from leave, it was back into the field. We went straight into FEX III as though we had never left. We conducted more platoon level operations such as Platoon in the Defense, Platoon Day Attacks, Platoon Night Attacks, and Movement to Contact. As are most FEXs, FEX III drained each of us. There was little time for sleep and we were constantly operating. 6th Platoon struggled with some of the day and night attacks and the movement to contact, but our platoon defense was done extremely well. Regardless of how good or bad we performed, what I took away from FEX III was something a Sergeant shared with the platoon. "Good decisions are made with experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions." Sometimes you have to do something wrong in order to figure out how to do it correctly.

Last week, as I had alluded to in my last post, Echo Company conducted MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). This was a four day exercise that took place in MOUT Town and the UTC (Urban Training Center), where we learned about the three dimensional threats present in urban operations. Topics that were covered ranged from IED Indicator recognition to room/building clearing and urban patrolling to COC (Combat Operations Center) Coordination. We conducted squad and platoon level attacks, as well as squad level defenses. As was warned, urban operations is extremely daunting. While operating you are constantly moving and looking around, trying your best to avoid making yourself an easy, soft target. You may not have as much weight as when humping a pack, but the mental stress exponentially increases the physical stresses you encounter. At the end of MOUT we returned to R-15 to conduct the Platoon Fire and Maneuver Live Fire Exercise we had to reschedule from FEX III. It was an awesome experience seeing the effects of live rounds in front of you and your Marines, providing you the cover by fire needed to maneuver, close with and destroy the enemy. I was not given any rounds to fire as I held a Squad Leader billet for the range, but it was still a great learning experience as I had to fight and drive my squad into the proper positions. All-in-all, you couldn't ask for a better week of training.

Being that Echo Co is winding down in the POI, we have had the privilege of listening to a couple amazing guest speakers. We were first visited by the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps SgtMaj Barrett. He addressed many of the concerns he and the Commandant of the Marine Corps have pertaining to issues within the Corps. Many of which we have had for decades, not just as a Corps, but as a Country. He conveyed to us the responsibilities we will have and the expectations our Marines and the American People hold for us and Marine Corps Officers. He gave a couple platitudes such as, "There's never a wrong time to do the right thing" and "It's not about what you know, but what you do." But what really resounded for me, and I believe for many of the Marines who were present, was when he said, "Every single Marine deserves to be in a good unit led morally, ethically, and professionally." I believe this statement clearly defines what is expected of us as Marine Corps Officers.

The second guest speaker we had the pleasure of listening to was LtGen Christmas. LtGen Christmas came in to speak to us about urban operations. He was the Company Commander or Hotel Co during the Vietnam War and led his company through the Battle of Hue City and received the Navy Cross for actions of "extraordinary heroism." Earlier in the week in which LtGen Christmas spoke to us, we had worked on a Tactical Decision Game (TDG) to help us understand the difficulties of urban operations. TDGs are not always about coming to the right answer, but more about learning how to make decisions in a timely manner when given minimal information. Little did we know the TDG we had completed earlier in the week as a scenario LtGen Christmas had faced during the Battle of Hue City. He shared his story of Hue City and also told us what he believed was expected of us as Marine Officers: confidence, candidness, courage, compassion, commitment, and consistency. Between the General and the Sergeant Major, there isn't much more a student at TBS could ask for in regards to speakers on leadership. These men have been there and done things others could never imagine and have learned hard lessons from decisions they have made. But, fortunately, they are still here today to share with us what they have learned so that we do not repeat their mistakes and we can be more successful leaders.

I want to close this post with what its title pertains to. I'm not sure if I will be able to express my feelings on the subject very well as I am still trying to figure out what exactly I am feeling, but I will do my best to articulate them here. Maybe in a few months I will be better able to share my thoughts, or maybe a few years. Regardless, this is where I stand now.

Between the weeks of FEX III and MOUT the students of TBS Class 5-12 received their MOSs. Keep in mind that Echo Co consists of about 280 students, 45% of which are aviation contracts and about seven Marines have law contracts. That leaves about 120 students that are ground contracts. To my knowledge, that is a low number of ground contracts for any TBS class. The great part about this fact was that no one received an MOS outside of their top seven of twenty-two (for males) and seventeen (for females, I believe) MOS preferences. With that being said, I received the MOS of 0302, Infantry Officer (technically 0301, Basically Trained Infantry Officer, until I graduate from the Infantry Officer Course, or IOC). What I find interesting about this situation was that our class originally received thirty-three infantry slots, was bumped up to fifty-one, and on the night of MOS selection was slated sixty-one Infantry Officers. Much of this, I believe, is due to the high attrition rate of IOC (about 50% per class). The Marine Corps is making an effort to reduce the attrition rate by not only sending more lieutenants through the course, but by sending those who really want to be there. We received word about a month ago that those who had infantry as their number one preference were exempt from the 1/3 rule of how officers are placed into their MOS (each third broken down into another third, receiving X number of slots per MOS, in efforts to fill each MOS with a wide variety of officers). This isn't to say that those who received an 0302 designation did not earn their spot. Each SPC was asked, "Can he make it?" It came down to the word of each SPC and their judgement of each lieutenant. I'm extremely honored to have the backing of Captain Yurkovich and Major Warfield, that they have the confidence that I will succeed at IOC.

The reason it's all still sinking in for me is due to the circumstances that led up to this moment. The day that I decided to pursue a career in the Marine Corps, almost three years ago, before I ever contacted an OSO to begin the screening process, I wanted to be in the infantry. As I have shared before, when I hear the word "Marine," the image of a grunt under fighting load fills my mind. That is not to say that a Marine is only an infantryman, but simply that that is what I think envision. It's what I have wanted from the start and there have been so many changes to my route to where I am now that, I believe, have allowed me opportunity to accomplish my goal. I may not have mentioned this before, but I was originally supposed to check in with Charlie Co, class 3-12, in February. Charlie Co had substantially fewer infantry slots for their class, and I was pushed into Echo Co in order to allow Marines approaching ineligibility to attend TBS. Next came the increase in infantry slots for Echo Co. But even then, had the 1/3 rule still been in play for my class, I may not have received infantry, regardless of my performance, due to my lineal standing. With all the twists and turns along my path, I believe that I was ment to be in this position. I'm one step closer to having my goal come to fruition. I haven't gotten there yet as I still have to succeed at IOC, and there is not a single doubt in my mind that I will not only succeed, but excel. My brain is still trying to wrap itself around how I got here and what it means for my future. I'm truly blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love and serve my country in the way I think I will be best suited, and I will never take that for granted.

Semper Fidelis

WODs

It's been difficult to get WODs in regularly with the training schedule. Most PT has consisted of basic weight lifting, olympic lifts, runs, hikes, and body weight exercises. Hopefully I will be able to get back into a regular routine in the next couple of months.

My Billet and the Ball

Motivation

A response from John Glenn when asked by Howard Metzenbaum, "How can you run for Senate when you never held a job?"

Quoted by GySgt. Wallgreen

My Path

There's been a lot going on, as usual. This last week we finished up FEX II. FEX II consists of a week long evolution in the field were we conduct platoon size operations in the offense and defense. It gave us a small glimpse of what we can expect to do as provisional rifle platoon commanders. It ranged from a platoon attacking a squad, a platoon attacking a platoon (during the day and during the night), and a platoon defending against a platoon. In my opinion, it's been one of the best FEXs we've had so far. It was cold, it was long, and it brought the platoon together as a cohesive unit. We attempted to finish the FEX with a live fire range, but unfortunately some pyrotechniques set the range on fire during rehearsals. Regardless, we spent a lot of time working together and will have the opportunity to make up the live fire range at the end of MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain).

The last week I have held the billet of Platoon Sergeant. Basically I'm responsible for carrying out the plan of the day, ensuring that my platoon is where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there, and maintaining accountability of gear and personnel. It was a rough transition of the billet holders as we received our billets as we rolled directly into FEX II, but it should get smoothed out throughout the next week and a half in garrison. This is my first garrison billet and the first real opportunity for the platoon to make an accurate assessment of who I am as a leader, which will be reflected in my peer evaluations. It's pretty exciting for me and couldn't be happier with having this billet.

Yesterday was the 237th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. As a tradition, we hold a Birthday Ceremony and, for most units, a Birthday Ball. TBS held a ball for the entire training command and students. It was a pretty motivating experience. I estimated more than 2000 in attendance. The speaker, Capt. Jack Hoban, gave an amazing speech about warrior ethos and the ethical warrior. While some may not agree with everything he said, I would say that it made me proud to be fighting for our country. I hope that Americans see our service men and women the way that Capt. Hoban described us and the direction in which our armed forces are heading. The ball was another opportunity for our platoon to come together as a unit, both during and after. There aren't a lot of opportunities built into the POI for unit interaction beyond the squad level and our schedule makes it difficult to make time outside of it. 6th Platoon is definitely growing closer and will hopefully be the most study platoon in our company by graduation.

2012 Marine Corps Birthday Message: "For Honor, For Country"

WODs

Max Outs on Lifts (All PRs in the last couple of weeks)

Bench Press: 280#

Back Squat: 335#

Deadlift: 425#

Successes and Failures

Motivation

"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others and their views, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people...

...When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

- Tecumseh

As featured in Act of Valor

My Path

So it's been a long while since I've posted anything here. I apologize for my absence, but things have been high tempo the last few weeks. With this tempo has come some highs and lows in my experience at TBS. I left off back in September after we had completed the Night Land Nav PracApp and the Initial E-Course run. Land Nav had gone well for me, but the E-Course wasn't so good. Since then we have spent a lot of time in the field for Field Exercise (FEX) I and Patrol FEX, and have been tested on the Final E-Course and several written tests.

I've performed well on each written test, almost maxed the E-Course, and conducted a patrol exercise as the Patrol Leader (PL) above average to the standards expected of lieutenants at this stage of our training. All these accomplishments would fall under my highs/successes, but there are several lows/failures I've experienced throughout the same period. During FEX I (squad level attacks) and Patrol FEX we conducted more Land Navigation PracApps. What I thought was one of my strengths turned out to be one of my weaknesses. I failed both PracApps during the FEXs and one remedial event. Much of it was due to poor time management and overconfidence in terrain association. I've been learning a lot of things the hard way. One of which proper nutrition in the field. On the hike back to our barracks from FEX I I fell out as a heat casualty. The hike was only 4 miles and should have been easy, but throughout the FEX I failed to eat enough and utilize electrolyte tablets in my water sources. I fixed myself for a similar hike back from Patrol FEX and felt like I still had some fuel in the tank when we dropped our packs at the barracks.

While my failures have felt like setbacks, I have to constantly remind myself that they are simply wakeup calls. If you let the failures keep you down and in a negative mindset, you're setting yourself up to fail the next time. The hole is only as deep as you dig it, keep it shallow. If you take care of yourself and those around you, everything will fall into place. I've been trying to keep this mindset lately, especially with things that aren't under my control. The most recent event that I can relate to this is the passing of my grandfather, Edward Beatty.

I never intended for this blog to get very personal, but this is something I think would be beneficial to those pursuing a career in the military or anyone who finds themselves in the a situation where they lose a loved one and cannot be there for their family while they deal with the difficult time. My grandfather was an extraordinary man who was accomplished in so many areas and touched so many people's lives. I didn't know him as well as I had hoped, but that's just another thing out of my control. All that matters to me is that I was able to spend some time with him in the last year of his life and it meant the world to me. You can read more about him in his obituary, which my mom wrote for him. I'm proud to be his grandson and I hope that everything I'm doing makes him proud. The hardest part of this experience, which I'm sure would be for anyone in a similar situation, is the inability to be there to support my family. While I want to be there for my family, I keep telling myself that the best thing I can do is to continue kicking ass here and giving my all in everything I do. I guess this is some new motivation for everything I'm doing here.

Edward Eugene Beatty

July 5, 1928 - October 7, 2012

Do not mourn the life that has been taken, celebrate the life that has been lived.

WOD

20121011

TBS Endurance Course

1:00:47 (47 Seconds Shy of Maxing)

20121013

Obstacle Course Practice

Prep for Final Double O-Course this Week

I'll post more workouts as I get back into a garrison routine.

A Humbling Week

Motivation

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."

- Marcus Aurelius

My Path

I can't take credit for the title of this post. This was a phrase said by many students throughout the week. I don't believe there is a statement that can more accurately describe last week. The two main events of the week, the E-Course and Night Land Navigation, were both on Tuesday, which made for an extremely long day. It was nice to have a three day weekend with the Labor Day holiday, but I think it led many Marines to rest become complacent. And anyone who has been in or around the Marines Corps has heard the phrase, "Complacency kills." I cannot speak for other students, but this is the assumption I am making from what I heard. Many spent the weekend with friends and family and not worrying about what they ate or their personal PT. The week prior was stressful due exams and a large volume of information being thrown our way. This is to be expected when you're told that the six months of TBS is the equivalent to three college semesters, but it is no reason to take a break. While taking some time off may have been the downfall of many Marines, I don't believe it was mine.

Over the holiday I spent time reading and PTing, just as I had stated in my last post I anticipated on doing. But perhaps I trained a little too hard. It has been a while since I have trained at high volume, which is what I was used to before reporting to TBS. While it was good training leading into TBS, when you're schedule does not allow you to continue your previous training habits you have to ease yourself back into it as you ramp up the volume. This is definitely something I need to learn how to do. Thankfully I have a couple training partners here that keep me in check. But I cannot and will not make the excuse that I pushed myself too hard in the days leading up to the E-Course, which led to my failing score. Only a mile into the five miles of running and negotiating obstacles under a, what I would consider, light combat load I mentally gave up on myself. I succumbed to fatigue in my legs and stress on my respiratory system. This wasn't the first time I had run the E-Course, granted I hadn't run it with a Plate Carrier before, but I knew I was physically strong enough to accomplish the task. I failed myself in not being mentally tough that day.

Other factors that may have attributed to our company performing poorly on the E-Course may have been the heat and humidity. We received a good amount of rain over the long weekend and Tuesday was a clear day, rising into the high 80's by mid morning. The thick vegetation surrounding the course is not conducive to air circulation either. This most likely caused the two heat casualties in our company during the event, one of which was a Lt from my platoon who went down about twenty meters from the finish about 56 minutes into the course. This event tired the entire company out for the rest of the day, but we still had to conduct our Land Navigation Practical Application that evening. It was still muggy in the tree line when we stepped off from our first checkpoint at 2030. Not only did the dense canopy hold in the humidity, but it also blocked any ambient light from the moon. I don't know how many times I fell over or walked into a tree. I managed to slip down a hill for about 30 meters, stopping myself just before falling into a river. The good news was that the river indicated that I had made it to the other side of the training area. Now I just had to determine which direction my checkpoint was along the river, hoping it was the correct coordinate.

Thankfully I passed the Night Land Navigation PracApp without too much of a problem. What wasn't fun was making up for all the walking I did on the E-Course by having about twenty minutes to make it out of the training area and back to the classroom to have my card graded. It was about a mile and a half to get back, but I made it with just a couple minutes to spare. But that wasn't the end of our night. We didn't secure until about 0200 the next training day. Due to the long day and casualties sustained during both of the previous day's events, our Company Commander made the decision to cancel the morning Combat Conditioning. We were briefed on the events of the E-Course and how we were only the second company to run it with Plate Carriers. The results proved that the new equipment was hindering students and actually being a detriment to training, therefore we will be running the E-Course with the more breathable Load Bearing Vests. I'm glad that we are training smarter than at OCS. It was explained to us that it is because they are no longer "screening" us, but actually training us.

Just when I began talking about having been successful in so many physical events, sure enough, I fall on my face. Quite literally a couple times during the E-Course and Night Land Nav. I guess that we all need a lesson in being humble from time to time. Now, bear with me on this one, but I think it's a good quote even if it's from Batman Begins. "And why do we fall...? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

WODs

20120902

Application Train Run

2 Miles Out - 13:32

2 Miles Back - 13:25

20120903

"Tabata Something Else"

8 Rounds of 20 Seconds of Max Effort, 10 Seconds Rest per Exercise

Pullups - 18/17/16/9/6/7/8/7 = 88 Reps

Pushups - 24/25/15/12/11/9/11/11 = 118 Reps

Situps - 15/14/13/13/12/12/12/12 = 103 Reps

Squats - 20/20/19/19/18/19/19/19 = 153 Reps

Total Reps - 462

20120904

TBS Endurance Course

1:22:20 (Failing)

Passing Range 1:00:00 - 1:20:00

20120908

Weighted Pullups

5 Reps @ 44#, 3 @ 79#, 10 @ 44#, 1 @ 100#, 5 @ 44#

Clean & Split Jerk Work

3 @ 95#, 3 @ 135#, 1 @ 185#, 1 @ 195#, 2 Failed Attempts @ 205#

5 Rounds for Time - 2:51

3 Thrusters @ 135# (From the Ground)

5 Ring Dips

20120910

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 1 (65%x5, 75%x5, 85%x5 or More)

Deadlift: 225#, 295#, 335# (5 Reps)

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 1 (65%x5, 75%x5, 85%x5 or More)
Bench Press: 165#, 195#, 215# (10 Reps)

Tabata Body Weight Deadlift & Burpees (Alternating Exercises)
Deadlift @ 175# (Rounded Up) - 10/10/9/10/7/7/7/11
Burpees - 9/9/9/8/8/8/8/8

Land Nav, Double O, End of Phase I

Motivation

"The general who wins battles makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand."

- Sun Tzu

My Path

It's only been about a month and a half of training and we're done with Phase I. It's kind of crazy to think about. Quarter of the way through! Time has been flying, to be honest. I don't know if it's from having a blast, getting to know new people, or just always being busy. Just a short recap of what we've done: MCMAP, Rifle and Pistol Qual, Endurance Course, Double Obstacle Course, Land Navigation, Classes that run the gamete from USMC Organization and Customs and Courtesies to Law of War/Rules of Engagement and Tactical Fundamentals. Phase I is meant to teach and build the individual skills and organizational understandings an Officer must have in order to be competent, but a very bare-bones competency. Just like anywhere else in the Marine Corps, TBS adheres to the crawl-walk-run training mentality. While I have no doubt that the majority of the Marines here could perform well with a quicker training regiment, the tempo allows the student to become confident as they become more competent in each skill.

This last week we were introduced to Land Navigation and the Double Obstacle Course. I've run the O-Course before, only at OCS, but never back to back. I'll go into that later in the WODs section. I was also introduced to Land Nav at OCS, but not like this. At OCS we started at a point, typically an ammo can on a stick, given an azimuth for direction, and a distance which we converted to a pace count. Pace count wasn't a big deal as long as you could walk in a straight line because the points were on opposite sides of the training area. At TBS we were actually given a map. This made it much easier for me as I was able to hone my skills in terrain association. It's a pretty cool feeling being able to look at a map and have a good idea where you are based on elevation and terrain features. I hope I can perform just as well during the night course this coming week and in final Land Nav, which is in a training area about six times larger than this week.

So far my plan of coming into TBS at the peak of my physical condition has paid off. My thought was that if I came in physically prepared it would be one less thing to worry about when I was here and I could utilize my time to focus on studies and mentally preparing for billet responsibilities. I can say it's worked so far as I have been able to max each of the graded/evaluated physical events so far, but that's not to say that everything has come easily because that has not been the case whatsoever. I don't say this to boast as I am very grateful for my abilities, especially after sustaining a pretty serious injury a couple months prior to reporting, and I hope that my performance is able to motivate others in my platoon. I know I'm in a competitive environment, but I honestly want everyone here to do well and I'm here to give whatever assistance I can to whoever wants it. I know I'll need help in certain areas and hope there will be someone there willing to assist me.

This weekend has been kind of dead as far as activities. With the extra day of Labor Day most of the Marines have gone home or are out visiting friends. Many made a trip back to the Naval Academy. I opted to stay here in hopes of PTing and working on belting up in MCMAP. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to train with either of our platoon's Martial Arts Instructors (MAIs), but the weekend is still young. Something tells me I'll be doing more running for PT or maybe another fartlek as the gym is closed, but it's nice to switch it up a bit. And the time to unwind and take my mind off of TBS training is nice. Maybe I'll finish On Infantry and start another book for my personal professional development reading.

I don't know what it is, whether it's the end of Phase I or maybe receiving some feedback from my peers, but I am very thankful for being here and having the opportunity of working with the staff and students. I think I'm realizing what an amazing chapter of my life I'm in currently. And all of the support I've received from my friends and family has made it that much more of a blessing. Thank you to everyone for reading my posts and following me through this awesome journey I'm embarking in. I hope that I can repay each of you in some way. It means the world to me.

WODs

20120827

Uniform: Boots and Utes

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Bench Press: 100#, 125#, 145# (Extra Set: 225# x 8 Reps)

2 Rounds for Reps (Max Effort for 1 Minute/Exercise) - 169 Reps

135# Power Clean - 15/9

20# Wallball Shots - 20/15

Pullups - 30/25

Ring Dips - 30/20

20120828

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Back Squat: 125#, 155#, 185#

Overhead Squat and Flexibility/Range of Motion Work

20120831
USMC Double-O Course - 2:38 (3:00 is Maxing)
The link above shows the TBS O-Course being run once. We would run to the end of the second O-Course on the other side of the ropes and do it all over again. Techniques to negotiate obstacles varied.

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Military Press: 60#, 80#, 95#

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Deadlift: 160#, 200#, 240#

7 Rounds for Time - 5:34
10 95# Sumo Deadlift High Pull
10 Ring Dips

20120901
(Gym Closed)
Functional Fitness Full Body Work in "Strong Man" Area 

8th & I Trip

Motivation

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

- Mahatma Gandhi

My Path

Friday night was a pretty cool experience. A Marine in my platoon spent the majority of his prior enlisted time in the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps, also known as the "Commandant's Own," playing the soprano bugle. His prior service provided our platoon with the opportunity to see the second to last performance of the Evening Parade at Marine Corps Barracks 8th & I. The platoon dressed up in our Dress Blue "D" uniforms and made our way to Washington, D.C. for the parade.

I have see the Marine Corps Band, also known as the "President's Own," along with the Silent Drill Platoon twice at the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial for the sunset parade twice. This is a very cool experience with the monument and nation's capital in the background, but there was a stronger historical presence at 8th and I. We sat on the south end of the parade deck, directly across from the Commandant's house. Like I said, the Iwo Jima memorial is cool as a background, but not as cool as the oldest building in our nation's capital. The sun had already set before the parade began, providing a near pitch black entrance for the 8th & I Battalion.

The history that was shared by the Marines of the 8th & I Barracks was interesting to hear and gave me a new appreciation for the landmark. We heard stories from the Revolutionary War, to the different Generals' houses, to the six Body Bearers that that are members of Bravo Company. All of the information was reiterated by the different performances throughout the parade. At one point the Marine Corps Band put down their instruments and sang. The night was closed with the playing of taps by a soprano bugler from the roof of the barracks. It was a pretty moving performance.

At the end I had the privilege of meeting a few Marines that participated in the parade, such as the Drum and Bugle Corps Drum Major. I was also introduced to the Arlington Cemetery Funeral Director, whom the Marine in my platoon worked with closely during his enlisted service. The evening was amazing and a great opportunity to be exposed to a great tradition in the Marine Corps. I'm thankful to have had the pleasure of witnessing one of the last performances of the summer. It's something I won't forget.

WOD

20120825

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 3 (75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1 or More)

Deadlift: 295#, 335#, 375# (5 Reps)

3 Rounds for Time - 8:41
 5 Reps 135# Push-Press
5 Strict Pullups
 4 Reps 135# Push-Press
4 Strict Pullups

 3 Reps 135# Push-Press
3 Strict Pullups

 2 Reps 135# Push-Press
2 Strict Pullups

 1 Reps 135# Push-Press
1 Strict Pullups

Camp Barrett Fartlek Run - 16:27
Total Distance Ran: 1.5 Miles
Every 1-2 Minutes I would stop to perform an Exercise
15 Strict Pullups
15 Dips
15 Air Squats
15 Pushups
15 Situps
15 Tire Jumps (18")
15 Burpees
15 Mountain Climbers (Per Leg)
15 Hanging Leg Raises

A Year as a Marine

Motivation

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Six Secrets to Success

1) Trust in Yourself

2) Break the Rules

3) Don't be Afraid to Fail

4) Don't Listen to the Naysayers

5) Work Your Ass Off

6) Give Something Back

My Path

I'm a day off due to some personal commitments and work around here, but yesterday marked my first complete year as a Marine Officer. I spent most of it waiting to begin my career, but everything happens for a reason. Had I started sooner I wouldn't have met the great Marines I have so far, I wouldn't have been around for my family during difficult times, and I wouldn't be the same person with the same experiences. I'm grateful to be in the position I'm in today and look forward to where I will be a year from now. For those who aren't familiar, which I wasn't until recently, Marine Officers are promoted to 1st Lt after exactly two years of active duty. What brought this fact to my attention was what I witnessed during Range Week.

At the tail end of Range Week four 2nd Lts received promotions to 1st Lt. I wasn't sure, at first, what was happening when the whole company was called to attention. I wasn't sure if something had gone wrong, which tended to happen during Range Week, and we were being spoken to by the Company Commander. But once the four Marines were called to the front and center and the Orders were read, it clicked. I would have expected the promotion ceremony to be more formal, but since we were in the field that day, it was in cammies. Typically it would be the Marine's choice of how the ceremony would be done and what attire, but as students we don't always get that luxury.

For being in for a year, I don't feel that I have done much. But people are always quick to thank me for my service. I try to remain humble and acknowledge that I haven't really done anything. I don't have any deployment experience and minimal training. After completing TBS I can say that I have been well trained, but will have more training in a specific field. I know I've taken on a responsibility, but it hasn't yet been given to me yet. Maybe in another year I can feel and say that I've actually done something, but even then I feel that I will have much more to live up to with all of the Marine Corps' history and the experience of those I will some day lead.

This week has been relatively relaxed. We ran the CFT as a platoon on Monday, made a trip to Brandy Station on Tuesday to visit the Civil War battlegrounds and play a large scale Tactical Decision Game (TDG), had classes all day Wednesday, and then had our platoon Obstacle/Endurance Course (O/E Course - 5 Mile Run in Boots and Utes with Gear Over Obstacles) Orientation. It's been nice to have a slower week after Range Week, but once you get used to the fast pace the days go by slower in garrison. My body definitely needs the rest, but I'm looking forward to Field Exercise I (FEX I). I put in a request through my Student Chain of Command to carry an auxiliary weapon, the M249 Squad Automatic Rifle (SAW). I'm hoping I don't regret the additional weight during our FEXs, but I don't think I will. It will be a good experience and provide the opportunity to learn a new weapon system and gain insight into what some junior Marines have to carry and go through with auxiliary weapons.

WOD

20120820

Platoon CFT

Movement to Contact - 2:28 (100/100)

Ammo Can Presses - 111 Reps (100/100)

Maneuver Under Fire - 2:05 w/ Grenade Hit = 2:00 (100/100)

Total Score: 300/300

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 3 (75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1 or More)

Bench Press: 185#, 205#, 235# (3 Reps)

3 Rounds for Time - 21:43
Uniform - Boots and Utes
20' Rope Ascents (3 First Round, 2 Second, 1)
Ring Pushups (30 First Round, 20 Second, 10)
Toes to Bar (30 First Round, 20 Second, 10)
1.5 Pood/53# Kettlebell Swings (30 First Round, 20 Second, 10)

20120821

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 3 (75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1 or More)

Back Squat: 235#, 265#, 295# (Failed)

Clean & Split Jerk Work
3 Reps @ 95#
3 Reps @ 135#
1 Rep @ 185#
1 Rep @ 195# (PR)

20120823
Uniform - Boots and Utes
Platoon O/E Course

Uniform - Boots and Utes

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 3 (75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1 or More)

Military Press: 115#, 130#, 150# (3 Reps)

EMOTM for 10 Minutes
3 Times
95# Snatch Pull
95# Power Snatch
Then
3 Burpees

A Platoon to be Proud Of

Motivation

Accepting help isn't always a sign of weakness, but a utilization of all your resources.

My Path

So maybe I lied when I said I have gained weight. I weighed myself today and I'm still 165 pounds. Maybe I've lost some muscle and put on some fat. Damn MREs. I just don't look the same, but now that we will be back in garrison for a few weeks and I can hit the gym regularly, maybe I'll get back to my usual physique. Today wasn't a bad start with a full body "Wake Up the Muscles" weight workout and then a nice MetCon (Metabolic Conditioning). We'll see how I feel in the morning and then I'll make a decision on what kind of workout to get in tomorrow. I need to keep in mind that we have a couple days of Company PT scheduled. Nothing like being introduced the the Combat Fitness Test (CFT) again and, what I've really been waiting for, introduction to the Endurance Course. Hopefully I won't be too tired to get back into my Wendler 5-3-1 strength cycle.

Now for the subject of this post's title and the meat of what I wanted to talk about. I couldn't be more proud to be a Marine of Echo Company 6th Platoon, TBS Class 5-12. There were jokes being made early in the POI that we were the meetheads of the company. We had the best scores on the initial PFT across the company, but when we took the first exam, we had the lowest average score. We did a little bit better on the second exam. Where exactly we fell I'm not sure, but I know we weren't last. We're getting it turned around academically, but that was before the last couple of weeks. Throughout Range Week we have really come together, doing things that no other platoon in our company has done and things that have been unheard of from platoon at TBS.

If I remember correctly, I mentioned that we were the only platoon to have every Marine qualify on both the pistol and rifle. This was on the whole pistol course of fire and Table 1 of the rifle course of fire, but this was something that no other platoon in recent knowledge has done. I don't want to say that we are the first ever, because I wouldn't doubt that there have been a platoon or two before us do accomplish such a feat, but it is a rare achievement. We held this accomplishment all the way through Table 2 of the rifle course of fire, sealing the deal. As outstanding as this achievement may be as a platoon, this was all individual effort. No Marine could rely on another to qualify on each weapon system. It was pass or fail on your own skill. What is really amazing is what the Marines of 6th Platoon can do when they come together as a cohesive unit.

Throughout Range Week we spent every waking moment as a platoon, but not as an entire company. There were times when the company would suffer the same, such as the morning/afternoon hikes out to the range, but once we got out to the range platoons would be on their own schedule and conducting their own training. Some platoons would be in the Pits while others were on the rifle firing line, others would be at the pistol range; Some platoons would get to sit in the shade after shooting while others were police calling the range. I won't say who did what, but each platoon had their own tasks to complete, serving their own purposes. These situations facilitated an environment for platoons to grow closer, should they choose to take advantage of it. In my opinion, 6th platoon became extremely close.

We may have been close as fire teams and squads before Range Week, but after our platoon became a family. We all conducted the same training, suffered through the same pains, and dealt with each other at our lowest points. It's through these situations that unit cohesion is developed. The culminating event of Range Week is the a 6 mile hike after two straight days out at the range on little sleep. Like the 9 mile hike at OCS, this hike was a graded event. Either you completed it and you passed, or you fell out and you failed and would have to make it up in the future or get rolled into Mike Company to await another TBS class. Now 6 miles isn't very far, but after all the moving we do at the range each day for two weeks, gradually increasing the weight, and finally humping about 100 pounds of gear in the middle of the night, it's both physically and mentally daunting. With that being said, we also had Marines who had suffered sprained ankles and severe foot blisters throughout the week that mustered the courage to participate in this event.

About a half hour before stepping off for the hike our SPC called us together and gave us a quick talk. The most important take away from this meeting was that, "No one falls out of this hike." While some may have taken that as an order or demand, one Marine made it clear that it was to be taken as Commander's Intent. What that means is that it is the endstate desired by the commander and that it was up to us how it would get accomplished. While it was a graded event, and walking 6 miles sounds like individual effort, physically and mentally it requires a team effort for everyone to make it. We were willing to do everything it took to make get every Marine through the next 6 miles. I witnessed several Marines falling in the pitch black night to be helped up by members of the platoon, Marines holding up the pack of the Marine in front of them to decrease the load of those struggling, and Marines act as tugboats for others who could not march as fast as the rest of the company. We did everything we could think of to make sure every Marine of 6th platoon made it through the 6 miles, and in doing so we were able to say we did something no other platoon in the company could. We were the only platoon that did not have a "Hike Drop."

Now you might say, "But that's another physical event and your platoon was already demonstrating superior physical performance." My response would be that it isn't about accomplishing a physical task, but how we accomplished it. The team effort demonstrated on the 6 mile hike is what is important. To say that our platoon was the only platoon in the company to have all of its Marines hike all 6 miles is not saying that we are all PT studs, but that we are a cohesive unit willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that we rise to the occasion as a platoon. It may have been in a physical event, but I guarantee that it will care over into our below average scholastic performance. I anticipate seeing those who excel at the academics helping those that struggle, just as I saw the physically strong helping the weak. Individually we are all above average, but as a platoon we are extraordinary.

I'm proud to be a member of such a strong platoon. I'm proud to be able to say that we had no "UNQs" on the range and that we had no hike drops. Not only that we accomplished those things, but that we were the only platoon in the company to do so. I think you'll see many more great things coming from the 6th Platoon of Echo Company, TBS Class 5-12. It's been a little over a month and we've already accomplished so much. With five more months left, I feel like the potential is endless. We'll be able to accomplish anything as long as we work as a cohesive unit.

Extra Feature - Qualification Scores

Pistol: 272/300 - Expert Qualification

Rifle - Expert Qualification

Table 1: 221/250

Table 2: 97/100

Total: 318/350

WOD

3 Rounds for Time - 9:01

5 95# Clusters (Squat Clean Thrusters)

10 Burpees

15 Pullups

20 Pushups

30 Double Unders

Range Report and Update

Motivation

Find something you want, go all out to achieve it, and once you have it, never let go of it. Don't just be willing to kill for it, be willing to die for it.

My Path

It's been one hell of a week, and there's still another one quite a bit like it ahead. The week was the beginning of "Range Week." Very similar to "Zero Week," it's not just a single week, but closer to two weeks. This last week focused on marksmanship with the M16A4 rifle and M9 pistol. We would march out to the range every morning with the rising sun, stage our gear, and make our way to the pistol range. The pistol course of fire is brand new and is focused more on combat marksmanship than competition marksmanship. From what I've heard, it's easier than before, but it's hard to compare the new and old because they are so different. Our platoon would run through dry-fire exercises that were identical to the qualification course and then live-fire the same drills on the range. This was good preparation for qualification, but for those who had never handled a pistol before or weren't familiar with the M9 it wasn't a lot of rounds to establish good fundamentals with live-fire. It's not too bad from the seven yard line, but the fifteen and twenty-five yard line requires a lot of practice. And those are the yard lines we shoot the fewest rounds from.

After the pistol range, my platoon and 5th platoon headed to Range 2 to pull targets in the pits. One Marine from each platoon would man a target, so two per target, and after receiving rounds would drop the target below the berm, repair, mark, and score the target, and run it back up above the berm. We did this while 3rd and 4th platoon were on the firing lines. Yard line took approximately an hour, and we shoot from three different yard lines. It wasn't too bad of a gig in "the pits," the name for the target area. I was able to each chow and air out my feet, put on fresh socks, and make head and water calls. One day were in the pits for an extra hour as we waited for a bad thunderstorm to pass. The storms out here are amazing. The only downside to the storms is the humidity afterward.

Once we finished up in the pits it was our turn to shoot on the range. For the rifle course of fire, as I mentioned before, we fire from three different yard lines. We fire twenty-five rounds at the two hundred, fifteen from the three hundred, and ten from the five hundred. The two hundred yard line consists of a slow fire in 20 minutes from three positions: sitting, kneeling, and standing, firing five rounds in each position. Then there is a ten round rapid fire in the sitting, to be completed in 60 seconds. At the three hundred yard line is a five round slow fire from the sitting to be completed in 5 minutes, and another ten round rapid fire in 60 seconds. This rapid fire is in the prone position. All the way back at the five hundred yard line is a ten round slow fire in the prone position, to be completed in 10 minutes. None of these are overly difficult if you observe the wind and utilize the RCO properly.

Friday was supposed to be our qualification day, but the anticipation of another nasty storm pushed the rifle qualification to Saturday. We were able to get the whole company qualified on the pistol Friday and were released relatively early. At the pistol range I had shot my best on Tuesday, our first day with rounds, and progressively shot worse as I began to mess with my stance and grip. Prequal-day I shot a low Sharpshooter ranking. I was not happy and knew I could do better. There was talk that they might take our prequal scores if the storm hit us hard this weekend. Thankfully it didn't and I was able to shoot a 272/300 on pistol, earning an Expert ranking (264 was the lowest you could shoot and still achieve expert). That same day, we prequalled on rifle as well. I shot a low Expert ranking with a 222/250 (220 is the lowest to earn Expert). I had a rough day on the two hundred yard line that day and anticipated much better for Saturday.

Coming off the two hundred yard line on the actually qual day for rifle I had improved my score by 9 points, much better. But some how I managed to screw up the three hundred yard line, which is usually my bread and butter. I had a 4 point cushion and ten rounds left at the five hundred. I bettered by prequal five hundred yard line score by one point, finishing with a score of 221/250 and an Expert ranking. Technically I have yet to officially earn that ranking, as we still have Table 2 of the rifle course of fire to complete on Tuesday. It is focused on more combat oriented marksmanship and close quarters. Marines have been able to finish Table 1 with a 205/250 score and come off Table 2 perfect (100/100) and earn Expert ranking overall. I have a bit of a cushion here as well. It's said to be a much easier course of fire than Table 1, but I will not take it for granted.

This next week will be very busy again with more time at the range, including an overnight. We will be conducting night live-fire exercises, utilizing night vision, and shooting with a full combat loadout on. I'm more than excited. We'll conclude the week with a company 6 mile hike and then it will be time for some well deserved R&R. You probably won't hear from me until next weekend, but I should have a lot to report!

WOD

Resting Until in Garrison

My Marine/Career Goals

Motivation

Have tough skin and a soft heart, a quick wit and a slow tongue. Be stern, but fair.

My Path

I have been assigned to a Fire Team Leader billet by my squad leader. Not too much responsibility, just have to keep accountability of four other Marines and their gear. Not too much to ask.

Where do I begin? I have told my SPC that my first MOS choice is Infantry. Why? When I think of a Marine, the first image that comes to mind is a grunt. To have an 03 MOS designation (Infantry) would not only make me into what I have always thought a Marine was, but also offer loads of challenges and responsibilities. I look forward to the physical and mental challenges. The challenges of dealing with salty Marines; Marines that came from homes where they didn't feel loved and joined the Corps to be a part of something bigger than themselves. That desire to be in a brotherhood, a group of individuals serving for a common purpose is exactly why I wanted to join the Marine Corps. I want to be a mentor to whoever would have me. This means I have to be very knowledgable in not just my MOS, but of other resources that would benefit my Marines. The drive for continuously expanding knowledge and proficiency is what motivates me and inspires me every day.

While combat can be glorified in movies and video games, I have a profound respect for everything that takes place in combat. I'm not looking for glamour or glory that some might associate with war-hardened veterans, I simply want to lead those who need leadership the most. Some might as why I want to be in the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) as an operator. It simply comes down to being the best of the best. There is plenty of argument as to which special forces team is the most elite, but it is the general consensus that the Marine Corps is the elite of all the American fighting forces. If MARSOC is the best of the Marines, then that makes them the best of the best. I respect operators in SEALs, Rangers, PJs, and other Spec Ops. I hope that I get to work with them somewhere in my career, but MARSOC is where I want to be.

With those short term goals stated, I can now address my long term goals. I know a lot can change in a short amount of time, but at this moment I would like to spend at least twenty years in the Corps. This goal has two sides. I want to make a difference in many people's lives and help the Corps out as much as I can for as long as I can. On the other hand I want to be able to collect retirement benefits and a pension while starting another career. I'm not one to care about money, but in order to provide for my family I will need to have it. The more financial security I can establish the better. Working toward collecting two pensions will have me and my family set into the foreseeable future. I didn't have a rough upbringing, but I have the same desire that my parents had as they began their family. I want to provide a better life for my children than I had for myself. That's a pretty lofty goal considering everything my parents provided for me. But because they provided such a great life in my early years, they set me up to provide an even better life for my future family.

In summary my goals consist of attaining an 0302, Infantry Officer, MOS, attend the Infantry Officers Course (IOC) here on Camp Barrett, lead Marines through deployments, become a MARSOC operator, rise through the ranks of the Corps, and retire after twenty years of service and begin another career in a related field where I will retire after twenty more years and collect two pensions. Is that too much to ask? Hahaha. As I said earlier, a lot can change in a short amount of time. It never hurts to have goals and to write them down. It gives you something to shoot for. And as cliché as it might sounds, there is something to be said about "if you shoot for the moon and miss you'll land amongst the stars."

WOD

Rest Day

Long Overdue

Motivation

"Obstacles are often times stepping stones."

- Prescott

My Path

So it's been a while since I lost posted. I apologize for the delay. We've had some pretty long days this week. The days have blurred together, so I will just fill you in on what all we have been doing.

This last week has been dedicated to preparing us for "Range Week." We have had classes in the morning that describes our weapon systems, how qualification is run, marksmanship fundamentals, and proper weapons handling. After receiving the M16A4 and the M9 (we only have them during the day as they would be too easy to carry off base) we do what is called "snapping in." It consists of dry firing our weapons at a barrel with targets, similar to what we will be shooting at on the range, from each of the different firing positions. The firing positions for the rifle will be prone, sitting, kneeling, and standing while we will only be standing with the pistol. This is good practice to establish good sight picture, trigger control, and target acquisition.

Friday we finally made our way out to the range to zero our rifles and do some more snapping in with both the rifle and pistol. We had our smaller assault packs on for the 2.5 mile hike out to the range. It took our company about forty minutes to get out there. I was able to zero my iron sights at 100 yards in about 9 rounds with the aid of the Primary Marksmanship Instructors (PMIs) and Marine Combat Trainers (CMTs). Once that was established we mounted our Rifle Combat Optics (RCOs) and zeroed those. I kept tight groups at 100 yards with the RCO, but it took about 12 rounds to get them onto the target, right where we wanted them. Then we broke for some chow and "lined out" (a process of ensure that know live ammunition is taken off the range). Then it was time to grab our M9s and head to the pistol range. It's probably about a half mile from the rifle range. Twas a quick pace we took, in order to "correct" some leadership mistakes within our platoon...or so I think.

I felt extremely confident with the pistol while we snapped in. The trigger isn't as heavy, or at least it doesn't feel as heavy, as my Sig Saur P229. Both pistols being double to single action weapons, I felt very confortable with the M9 and had good trigger control. Then it was off to the "Tiers" for some more snapping in. The Tiers is a shorter range with multiple levels of different heights for Marines to snap in on without  flagging (pointing their weapons at each other) one another. Friday wrapped up with a a hike back to the SOQ by platoon. Having an Infantry Officer for an SPC is awesome when it comes to being evaluated and receiving training, but when we hump...it's no joke. We made the same 2.5 mile trip back in thirty minutes. It was a smoke check for many, and some Marines fell back. I haven't felt that awful since the 9 mile at OCS. I don't care if I've put on five pounds since I've been here, while everyone else is losing weight...I am going to be eating as much food and drinking as much water and electrolyte replenishers as I can get my hands on. I don't want to fall out of any humps or field events due to heat. That won't bode well for my getting my desired MOS. I'll cover that topic tomorrow.

With that being said it's time to get some sleep. I stayed up just to get this out and I'm using tomorrow to rest and eat. I'm looking forward to range week, but that means you probably won't hear from me until next weekend, after my post tomorrow, of course. Early mornings and late evenings. I will survive! And yes, I meant for you to sing that. Good night everyone! 

WODs

20120802

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 2 (70%x3, 80%x3, 90%x3 or More)

Back Squat: 215#, 250#, 280# (3 Reps)

Skill Work, Not Timed
5 Rounds
Muscle Up to 5 Ring Dips (5 First Round, 4 Second, 3, 2, 1)
Toes to Bars (15 First Round, 12 Second, 9, 6, 3)

20120804

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 2 (70%x3, 80%x3, 90%x3 or More)

Deadlift: 275#, 315#, 355# (4 Reps - Lost Grip)

Single Attempt at Unbroken Double Unders - 118 Reps (PR)
8 Minutes to Establish 1RM Weighted Strict Pullups
5 Reps @ 35#
5 Reps @ 53#
5 Reps @ 63#
2 Reps @ 90#
1 Rep @ 100# (Time Expired - Could have done more.)
Max Reps Weighted Strict Pullups @53# x 3 approx. 2 Minutes Rest Between Sets
10 Reps (Grip Gave)
7 Reps (Muscle Fatigue)
6 Reps (Muscle Fatigue)
Single Attempt at Unbroken Double Unders - 120 Reps (PR)

Strong Man Buddy Circuit
(Each Buddy Completed the Same Amount of Work)
Uniform: Butes and Utes
5 Rounds for Time - 13:10
Hinged Log Press to Fingertip Walk (50# - 10 First Round, 8 Second, 6, 4, 2)
30m Farmer's Carry (100#/Hand)
30m Sled Drag/Sprint (150#)
325# Tire Flip (5 First Round, 4 Second, 3, 2, 1)

Weapons Familiarization

Motivation

"Greatness is a lot of small things done well."

- Ray Lewis

My Path

I FINALLY GOT PAID! I just wanted to put that out there. I could get used to it, but something tells me I should hold onto some of that money. Looks like I might have gotten over-paid. We'll see though. Now to pay off student loans with the USAA Career Starter Loan I'm about to receive. Much lower interest rate than my private loans. That's one thing that my SPC pushed hard in my initial interview, and a good piece of advice I would give to new Lieutenants. Get rid of the high interest debt, even if it means making a larger payment each month. You won't pay as much in the long run, and your new officer pay will allow you to make more than the monthly pay. You should be able to pay off your Career Starter in less than the five years they give you. Just make it a priority.

So today consisted of weapons handling, nomenclature, and a practical application test. I've done this each summer of OCS, so twice there, and now once at TBS. Something tells me that this is SOP for anytime that you receive a weapon for the first time at a new unit, just for safety reasons. It's nice to have a weapon back in my hands though. I didn't get to go to the range as often as I had wanted before TBS, but we will have plenty of range time before qualification next Friday. After we qualify, the next three days will be combat and night live fire exercises. Things will be a bit stressful and pressed for time the next couple of weeks. Just giving everyone a heads up that I won't be able to make many, if any, posts during that time. I anticipate that the next couple of days will be uneventful, so I plan to write about my goals in the Marine Corps in my next post. This is in response to a letter I received from one of my Fraternity Brothers. If there's anything that anyone wants to know, don't hesitate to write me an email or letter and I'll do my best to answer it here or in a personal response. But during times like these I'm running out of material. All we do is sit through classes, essentially, and then I go PT after we are secure. Please ask questions.

Thanks again to everyone for the support and views. Still blown away by how many people are taking the time to read this stuff. Let me know what you think or what you want to hear about. OORAH!

WOD

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 2 (70%x3, 80%x3, 90%x3 or More)

Bench Press: 170#, 195#, 220# (7 Reps)

Weighted Cindy
20 Minute AMRAP - 28 Rounds + 5 Reps
Boots and Utes w/ 16.5# PC & Pouches
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Air Squats

A Hike and M16A4

Motivation

All good things come through effort, patience, struggle, and pain. Nothing worth having is easy to attain.

My Path

Today turned out to be much better than expected. We started with a three mile hike to set the pace standard expected throughout the POI. Our load was probably the lightest it will be the entire time we are here. I mentioned that may have concerns and that I would talk about them in this post. Most of my concerns stem from being a Heat Casualty last summer at OCS. On our graded, nine mile hike, I fell out of the event with less than a quarter mile left. When I went down I had a body temperature of 106.7 degrees fahrenheit. It wasn't until TBS, during one of our safety briefs, that I realized that I had heat stroke, based on the list of symptoms and temperatures. I was always told that I had heat exhaustion. During OCS it was just an occurrence of events that led to my heat stroke: lack of sleep, little chow, dehydration. It was a perfect storm, really. But I've learned from it and have trained in such a way to try to prevent it from happening again. But once you have a heat illness you are more susceptible to suffering from another one. I've found that it is very much a mental game you play with yourself.

After the hike we had an Armory brief. We were told what was expected of us when receiving and returning weapons. Then it was off to the Armory. We were issued an M16A4 Service Rifle, a Rifle Combat Scope (RCO), an Infrared (IR) Laser aiming device, and a Night Vision Goggle (NVG)/Monocle. Basically, if I lose any of this gear I will be using a couple pay checks in order to replace it. Doesn't sound like a good time to me. We finally got the chance to grab a shower and put on clean uniforms during chow. Then the last thing was the Phase 1 Exam 1. If I counted correctly, I should have scored a 92%. Not too shabby. Definitely room for improvement, but I'm not upset. We were secured very early today, around 1430. Not going to expect that ever again, unfortunately.

A couple of people have asked me about mailing packages to me. The address I gave in an earlier post is only good for standard mail (i.e. things that don't require a tracking number/express mail or are larger than a standard envelope). The below address can be used for anything larger:

Ross Allen

P.O. Box 207

Dumfries, VA 22026

I feel like I'm still trying to catch up on sleep for some reason. I guess this would be the week to do it as we don't have any strenuous events, really. Friday is our first time out to the range, which is where we will be for all of next week, as well. These days will start with a 0430 ODT and an unexpected arrival time to the SOQ in the evenings. It's about a three mile hike out and back. I wouldn't be expecting many posts from me throughout next week. I'll be spending most of my energy trying to qualify "Expert" on the M16A4 Rifle and M9 Pistol. Only shooting for the best badges to be on my uniform!

Bed Time....

WOD

3 Mile Hike - 49:05

USMC Field Pack & Plate Carrier ~ 65#

Update of the Last Few Days

Motivation

You can never be blamed for trying when things fall apart due to circumstances you have no control over.

My Path

It's been a long few days, to say the least. We wrapped up our MCMAP training, and I have my tan belt now. They say we know just enough to go out into town and get our asses beat. Haha! Some of the stories of Marines going out, getting into bar fights, taking their "Basic Warrior Stance" and yelling, "Marine Corps!" are hilarious. I'll wait until I get my grey or green belt before I try anything stupid. Kidding! But I do want to move up in belts while I'm here. One Marine in my platoon is a Martial Arts Instructor (MAI) and will probably hold classes for a couple hours each weekend so that we can work up to higher belts. The Martial Arts Center of Excellence (MACE) is also open during lunch for those who want to move up as well. I might head over there a few times a week, depending on our schedule.

Part of what made my week so long was being the Company Duty Officer (CDO) on Thursday night. I had to report to my post at 1900 for a brief on my duties, and then another Marine and I got to split the rest of the shift how we wanted from 2100 to 0630. The post is a glorified Fire Watch. Throughout the night we make our rounds about the SOQ and report any unusual activity. My shift was from 0130 to 0630. It made Friday extremely long as we had our Warmup, Exercise, and Flexibility (WEF) circuit. It consisted of Pugil Sticks, Body Sparing, and a Landing Zone (LZ) Drill. It wasn't too awful, just exhausting. I held my own in the Body Sparing and Pugil Sticks. The bayonet techniques we learned throughout the week really work!

Needless to say, I spent Friday night and Saturday recovering. I went to bed by 2100 Friday night and woke up around 0800 Saturday. I wanted to go to church this morning, but my body wasn't having it. I was able to get back into the gym Saturday and today though. It's nice to get back into a PT schedule. Tomorrow morning we have a three mile hike. I'm not too concerned about this hike as it's basically an introductory hike at a three mile per hour pace. I may share in my next post why hikes/humps may concern me. Some of you already know about my experience with them at OCS, but I will share with those of you who don't later. In the afternoon we have our Phase 1 Exam 1. There's a good amount of information being covered, some of which I know pretty well from OCS and some that I need to keep studying for. I studied for a couple hours this morning, then hit the gym. I'm going to study some more after posting this, get some dinner, and study some more. It's going to be an early night with a 0515 On Deck Time (ODT) and a 0700 step for the hump. The rest of the week is in preparation for "Range Week!" Excited! OORRAH!

WODs

20120727

MCMAP WEF

Pugil Sticks

Body Sparing

LZ Drils:

Squad Pushups, Buddy Side Carry, Buddy Squats, Buddy Drag, MCMAP Striking Combos, Bear Crawl, Buddy Vertical Situps, Buddy Flack Drags, Buddy Deadlifts, Crab Walks, MCMAP Knee Stricks, Broad Star Jumps, MCMAP Leg Sweeps, Squad Lunges

20120728

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 1 (65%x5, 75%x5, 85%x5 or More)

Military Press: 100#, 115#, 130# (8 Reps)
Deadlift: 255#, 295#, 335# (8 Reps)

3 Rounds for Time - 7:29
1 Muscle Up into
5 Ring Dips
10 GHD Situps
15 24" Box Jumps
20 1.5 Pood/53# Kettlebell Swings
25 Double Unders

20120729
15 Minute AMRAP - 8 Rounds 8 Reps
1 20' Rope Climb
5 Burpees
10 20# Wallball Shots

MCMAP and Sunburn

Motivation

Take achievements and failures with identical strides.

My Path

It was a welcomed change to be outside for a change. The welcome went away after about three hours though. I could feel my forehead starting to burn. Surprising I wasn't affected by the heat very much, even in full utilities and sleeves down. It was just the sun taking a toll on the skin that started to get bothersome. Of course no one utilized "forward thinking" to bring sunscreen. Although it may be a little late, having some on hand never helps. Sunscreen, along with some aloe, made it onto my shopping list for tonight. We were outside learning MCMAP techniques for at least eight hours straight today.

Today started with the "basic warrior stance," foot movements, punches, leg sweeps, and lower body strikes. Apparently, these basics will be covered each time we begin to "belt up," or increase our belt rank up through to green (the third belt). I understand the importance of being brilliant in the basics, so this doesn't both me a bit. But I wish we got into some more advanced techniques. Much of what we worked on today I had a basic understanding of from my years of Kenpo training. After lunch we got to "box" for a one minute round, body shots only. It was a pretty good way of getting some frustration out. Looking at the schedule, we won't get to do anymore hitting until Friday, which is the newly scheduled day for receiving our tan belts. This opens up our Saturday, thank God. But tomorrow has some interesting techniques scheduled: bayonet fighting, armed manipulations, unarmed restraints, and defensive skills/counters to attacks.

What's cool about the MCMAP training is how instructors conduct "tie-ins." After working each technique, everyone gathers around as the instructor goes into further depth of explaining the technique and then addressing important issues within the Corps. When talking about falls, the tie-in was about suicide. Other subjects were addressed after subsequent techniques, with some personal stories being told. Everything related back to what we can do when we have to lead Marines.

I may not be able to get a post out tomorrow as I assume the Company Duty Officer (CDO) duty right at the end of the training day. I won't be relieved until thirty minutes prior to the start of the next training day. It is a two-man post and I will have the opportunity to sleep, so that won't be a concern. I just want to use my time to perform well during our MCMAP testing. Rest is Key. I'll talk more about my SPC interview on the next post.

WOD

Punching

Kicking

Getting Punched

Getting Kicked

Throwing

Getting Thrown

Falling...A lot!

Company PT and Company Commander

Motivation

"Talent you have naturally. Skill is developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft." 

- Will Smith

My Path

There's no better way to start the day than with some Co. PT. I've been looking forward to stuff like this. It wasn't your typical PT. This was more of a training PT to give us an idea of how we could train our Marines when we become a Platoon Commander. They called it a "Combat Conditioning Skills Demo." The thought is, "You train how you fight," so we were in Boots and Utes, performing movements that one might expect to perform while in combat. It's a lot of body weight and buddy weight exercises. It wasn't too difficult, but was educational nonetheless.

The rest of the day consisted of more classes. But tomorrow we begin Marine Corps Martial Arts Program training (MCMAP). This is the fundamental combat skills taught to every Marine. By Saturday, I will earn my tan belt. Over the next four days we will learn punches, falls, bayonet fighting, armed manipulations, unarmed restraints, counters, and falls and participate in pugil sticks. It sounds like it will be a long four days, but a fun and educational four days, to say the least. I'm just looking forward to finally getting out of the classroom environment and do something hands-on.

I finished the day with some more PT. It was said by a uniform shop representative in one of our briefs last week, that all we would have time for would be "PT....And Studyin'!" This seems to be the case thus far. I'm not sure how I'm going to meet my goal of reading twelve professional development books every year with all of the reading they have been assigning us. But what can you expect with 1600 hours of training in six months. That's more than you get in your four years of college. And this is just the beginning of our careers.

WOD

Company PT

4 Minutes/Station

Station 1: 5 Squad Pushups, 5 Buddy Squats, 5 Buddy Situps

Station 2: 30 Seconds/Plank Position - Front, Left, Right

Station 3: 5 Lunges/Leg, 5 Dive Bombers, 5 Burpees

Station 4: 5 Vertical Situps, 5 Buddy Deadlift, 5 Buddy Leg Throw/Raises

Station 5: 5 Situps, 5 Back-Bridge Leg Extension, 5 Slide Side Reach

Station 6: 25m Fireman's Carry, 25m Buddy Drag, 25m Crab Walk, 25m Bear Walk

3 x Tabata (20 Seconds Max Effort + 10 Seconds Rest x 8 = 4 Minutes Total)

Pushup Tabata: 140 Reps

Air Squat Tabata: 160 Reps

Flutter Kick Tabata: 215 Reps

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 1 (65%x5, 75%x5, 85%x5 or More)

Back Squat: 200#, 230#, 265# (6 Reps)

EMOTM for 15 Minutes
3 Reps 135# Power Clean
5 Pullups


Echo Company, Company Commander Maj. Warfield

Major Warfield enlisted in the Marine Corps in November 1990. During his time as an enlisted Marine, Major Warfield was stationed in Okinawa, Marine Corps Security Force Company Banger, 2nd Marine Division and 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company.  In 1997, Major Warfield was commission through the enlisted commissioning program and subsequently graduated from the Basic Officer Course in July 1998. 

In August 1998, Major Warfield reported to the 2nd Landing Support Battalion / 2nd Transportation Support Battalion for duty.  During this period, Major Warfield held the billets of Air Delivery platoon commander,  Landing Support platoon commander, operations officer-Company A, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion  and the Transportation Support Detachment Commander for MEU Service Support Group-22 for 22nd MEU deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (2002) .

In November 2002, Major Warfield reported to the 7th Marine Regiment for duty as the Assistant Regimental Logistics Officer and Regimental Motor Transport platoon commander.  From January 2003-July 2003, Major Warfield deployed with 7th Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Major Warfield again deployed with 7th Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from January 2004 through July 2004.  In July 2004, Major Warfield was selected to attend the Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) in Quantico, VA.  After completing EWS, Major Warfield reported for duty in Frankfurt, Germany as the operations officer for Region 7 (2005/06) and subsequently as the executive officer for Region 1 (2006-08).  While assigned to this duty, Major Warfield advised the Department of State officials on the employment, training and morale of Marines assigned to the embassy Marine Security Detachments.

In 2008, Major Warfield reported for duty as the logistics officer for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.  During this period, Major Warfield coordinated logistics throughout the Western Pacific for numerous exercises and contingency missions.  In August of 2010, Major Warfield reported to the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) G4 for duty as a logistics operations officer.  During his time with III MEF, Major Warfield was the III MEF implantation officer for the new logistics management system, Global Combat Support System, and the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3rd MEB) logistics operations officer.  While with 3rd MEB, Major Warfield participated in exercise Cobra Gold and coordinated logistics in support of Operation TOMODACHI from Sendi, Japan.

In June of 2011, Major Warfield reported to The Basic School for duty as the schools logistics officer.  In June of 2012, Major Warfield assumed command of Company E.

Major Warfield is married to the former Leah Cann of Bellingham, Wa.  He is also the proud parent of 2 great kids Blue (17 yrs) and Makena (14 yrs).