Yesterday I shared with the readers of this blog information about the Specialty Training, the training given to those Marines who have completed the Recruit Training. I mentioned that during World War II, the Marines did not have the luxury of allowing time for Specialty Training. Then the graduates of the Recruit Training entered a Reserve Officers’ Class.
Today I am going to share with my readers some quotes, quotes taken from the 1942 yearbook for a Reserve Officers’ Class. I feel that these quotes provide my readers with a keener insight into the nature of Marine Corps training back in 1942. Here are the quotes:
“In the first few weeks of classroom work we were subjected to something of naval law, administration and the problems of running a mess hall. From the quantity of maps issued it looked for a while that we might all become desk generals, running the campaign with a 1:20,000 scale and a slide rule. We stared at aerial photographs through stereoptical glasses until we were cross-eyed…and studied such esoteric subjects as terrain appreciation, logistics, indirect laying and lines of resistance.
“Field problems highlighted R.O.C. training during the latter weeks. We tramped over miles of hills picking the logical sites for automatic rifles and mortar emplacements…had the thrill of actually leading troops on maneurvers.”
The 1942 class had to prepare for landing on the islands of the South Pacific. They practiced there on the shores of the Potomac River. The Corps set-up a special course for the R.O. C. class. The yearbook writer refers to that course. He writes this in the yearbook: “…ours was the first R. O. C. class to run the famed “Blitz” courses…”
The new Marines join together as they undertake their more intensive training. Still, each Marine has his or her personal memories of that experience. I will expand on that thought in my next blog entry.
