[1964 U.S. MARINE CORPS RECRUITMENT FILM]

[Music] these are United States Marines their professional F men dedicated to the defense of their country and fiercely proud of their core and its Traditions the unique position and reputation in the push of arms one of their own Colonel John W Thomasson Jr wrote them you could find every sort of man from every sort of calling there were large bone fellas from Pacific Coast Lumber camps and Tall lean southerners who swore amazingly in gentle drawling voices husky Farmers from the Corn Belt and youngsters who would sprung to Arms from the necktie counter furiously to tight with drilled shoulders and a bone deep Sunburn and a tolerant scorn of nearly everything on Earth the old breed of American regular regarding the service today this old breed of American regular has to function in terms of a many new techniques in addition to his skill at amphibious assault he is now mastering the method of attack known as vertical envelopment the helicopter gives him the ability to move swiftly ashore regardless of Beach conditions and to come in where his enemy is not to open the attack on terms and at the place of his own choosing the Marine of today must be ready for any kind of fight from a brush fire War II fulls scale nuclear combat how a Marine Corp en listy comes to be one of these professionals ready and able to take his place in America's defensive Armory how he comes to be a marine this is the story we want to tell [Music] today there are two Marine Corps Recruit Depot one at San Diego in California and a larger one at Paris Island South Carolina training at both installations is the same and the objective the same the making of Marines the setting for our story is Paris Island a bus load of new recruits is arriving for training your first look at Paris Island is a quick one you move directly from the bus into the reception building it's like the Corporal said from now on there's no such thing as wasting time processing starts right off with another batch of questionnaires to fill out but the paperwork is just about [Music] over this is a campaign hat it is the badge of the drill instructor all right you people look up here Feast your eyeballs on me I'm your drill instructor so take a good look at me for the next 12 weeks are going to see me morning noon and night I'm going to be your mother father sister and brother I'm going to spend every minute making you and the Marines you make any mistakes and I'll be right on your back make too many and you won't be around as tune very long when I tell you to move you'd better jump you're going to learn courtesy and discipline as well as you know your own name whenever you speak to me the first word out of your mouth that better be sir I get those eyeballs straight to the front you there boy I said straight to the front I don't want to see one eyeball quiver you learn right here and now to keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut all right face to the right follow me [Music] so far all you've been given is the towel around your neck now you move off in formation if you can call it a formation passing by the eoa statue you can't help wondering if those guys were as full of butterflies when they started training as you are the next thing is to shed your civilian clothes this is where you kiss them goodbye you can send them home or give them to the Salvation Army or burn them but you can't keep them that's where the towel comes [Music] [Music] [Applause] in all Marine recruits will be uniform in appearance trim and clean the recruit haircut does make for cleanliness and uniformity no doubt about that every recruit will take a thorough shower following the haircut session now you're ready for a uniform when you get that first issue of clothing you begin to really believe you're in the Marine Corps and you are but you're not a marine not yet they take a lot of time and care to make sure that every man's shoes fit his feet exactly and for a good reason a lame Marine's no good to anybody your gear is issued by the Numbers the sergeant explains it this way don't move till I say move and when I say move [Music] move that's the way it's done by the numbers by the time you get settled down get your barracks cleaned up two or three times it's time for lights out when a DI comes into the room you will be on your feet you can take your time stowing your gear as long as it's not over 5 seconds in the morning training will start in Earnest but right now you learn another Marine Corp tradition evening prayer it's silent each man to his own once again and from now on in everything as you find out a recruit does things by the Numbers stand by at youra out of your [Music] shoes on your ax move move all right get inside him you people will be quiet you people will go to sleep for 12 weeks you'll eat sleep and dream Marine Corps you'll attain a physical fitness you've probably never known and you'll make friendships that will last as long as you live you'll gain the same pride self-respect and love of the core that marks your di as you earn your place in the company of an elite body of men [Music] right now however all that's ahead of you and today you begin in [Music] Earnest the coure takes first things first as you've been told once or twice you're all fat sloppy civilians the physical training sessions are calculated to correct that situation and to teach you to work [Music] together your best seasoning and teamwork comes with close order drill you start from scratch and there's a lot to remember if you don't remember your di will take time to remind you boy you are outstanding you know that yes sir I can't hear you yes sir the confidence course is rightly named as with the rest of the recruit training it starts with easier obstacles and works gradually up through the tougher ones [Music] some of the final ones you don't get to until late in the training cycle which is all right by the recruit there's plenty to do in any one day without trying to do everything at once calisthenics underarms is part of the training which brings you to feel that your rifle is is as much a part of you as your hands and your feet the relationship between a marine and his rifle is a special thing and the recruit finds it out early now as time passes and the DI stay on your back something begins to happen one day you can feel that you and the others are working together smoothly knowing what to do doing it with Precision this is the moment or at least one of the moments when Pride takes root and starts to grow it's simple enough really there's a basic satisf in doing a thing [Music] well don't get the idea a recruit ever gets a chance to start feeling smug though if there's any way to satisfy a drill instructor short of absolute perfection nobody's found it yet every recruit learns the Rifle Creed it starts like this this is my rifle there are many like it but this one is mine my rifle is my best friend it is my life I must Master it as I must Master my life my rifle without me is useless without my rifle I am useless the Marine Corps as a whole has to be ready for amphibious operations that goes for recruits too you'd be surprised how many guys don't know how to swim when they start training but they learn before they're through by by the [Music] numbers on Sunday a recruit can go to the church of his choice and he's encourag to do it it's a simple fact that a basic part of America's strength lies in its faith in God and who's got so much strength he couldn't use a little [Music] more there Comes A Time finally when you start learning to fire the weapon you've been taking such tend care of all this time as with everything in recruit training this go step by step initial firing with the M1 is done at close range one round at a [Music] time this is serious business and every man has in mind to become an expert there's another part of the Rifle Creed which says my rifle and myself know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire the noise of our burst nor the smoke that we make we know that it is the hits that count we will [Music] hit meantime and always the physical conditioning goes on the fat comes off and working muscle takes its place the instructors do what you do and a lot more since they do it with several groups a day recruit training isn't easy but along the way you learn something very important you learn that you can go until you can't go anymore and then go some [Music] more don't get the idea recruit training is all muscle work though you spend PL PL of time in the classroom too busting your skull over subjects like Marine Corps history map Reading nuclear biological chemical warfare personal hygiene American democracy the mechanics of weapons one high point in the training comes when the recruits take part in a field meet the various events are familiar some of them others have a more uniquely military flavor as you'll see all of them are gone into with plenty of yelling and laughing and enthusiasm [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] something new in the training program is bucket drill remember how you used to play with sand in a bucket when you were little forget it here you start off with a little sand and it feels like a ton but before long you can handle it okay whenever this happens they add more [Music] sand bucket drill has all the advantages of working out with weights plus one more you can't wash your underwear in a barbell [Music] to a marine the bayonet is part of the rifle he learns to use it and use it aggressively one of the tools you have to work with is a rifle length bar padded at both ends it's called a pugil stick in the first sessions you work against a dummy but you keep in mind what you've been taught that's what I like to see a little man get out here and do something that's all it takes it's not how big you you are it's how good and aggressive you [Music] are lose control of that weapon son you're long gone next you put on gloves in a football helmet and pair off Dro down the Pitchfork blow and you'll have your head knocked off Bo all you doing is head Your Head Down Swinging swing that got bled blade you like you want to cut somebody's head right off his shoulder come at this stage you're working with the final and roughest section of the confidence course and every time you successfully do something you never thought you could do just that much more confidence and Assurance as a result something you've been learning in stages from the beginning you'll usually have too much trouble even with this tough [Music] one the man who completes his training over the Paris Island confidence Course May someday run into a physical obstacle for which he's not prepared but it's not likely if he's called on to climb scale swing crawl or slide it won't be anything new of course not everybody makes it the first time around they learn and that's what it's for finally the big day comes almost but not quite before you're prepared for it the final review marks the end of recruit training and the end of being a recruit for you from this time on you'll be a Marine hey Dad h the honor men from the various recruit platoon receive a personal letter from the general and will take their place in the reviewing area while the rest of the men pass in review it's been a tough and demanding 12 weeks but the feeling of achievement is worth it and you know that whatever happens and wh [Applause] [Music] he