I have written a good bit about Marine Training. I have used information that I had about training back in 1942. That information applies to some aspects of present-day recruit training. Other aspects of training are now quite different.
David Zucchino, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times has been doing a series of articles about Marines training in southern California. In the article that appeared in the paper on Sunday, April 27, 2008, Zucchino wrote about the boredom that the young Marines experience, as they train in the stark terrain of the California desert.
The young recruits must learn quickly how do deal with being away from home. They have to sleep on the ground, to be cold and damp and to go for many days without access to a shower.
Those recruits who will be sent to Afghanistan must learn the importance of using a Duke. A Duke is a device that can jam radio signals. Jammed radio signals can not be used to set-off an IED. Recruits going to Afghanistan must also learn how to channel their aggression.
The instructors praise recruits who show aggression against “insurgents” during a training exercise. The instructors yell at the recruits if they fail to show respect towards “civilians” during a training exercise. By the same token, the instructors do not want any Marines to show compasssion towards the civilians in an Afghan village.
