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Picture yourself.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re 18-years-old. It\u2019s Monday morning, December 8, 1941, the day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and you\u2019re furious.<\/p>\n
You and your friends are standing in a long recruiting line along with every other able-bodied young man in your hometown, and you\u2019ve got a huge goal ahead of you\u2014you want your family and all those you love to be free.<\/p>\n
So you sign up for the Marines, arguably the roughest, most savage group of the military.<\/p>\n
Boot Camp is normally 12 weeks, but after Pearl Harbor everything is intensified into 6 weeks of hard training. They send you by train to South Carolina, to the Marine Corps base at Parris Island. You don\u2019t know exactly what to expect at boot camp, other than your life will become hell.<\/p>\n
Do you have what it takes?<\/p>\n
I recently completed a new book called Voices of the Pacific<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, along with coauthor Adam Makos. We talked to WWII Marines who fought in the Pacific and asked them what it was like. Following boot camp, these same men went on to battle the enemy on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa and returned home triumphant after V-J Day. But before they did remarkable things, first came hard training.<\/p>\n Listen now to these living legends talk about the first part of their journey. You and I won\u2019t go through exactly what they did (although boot camp for the Marines remains the same tough crucible it’s always been!), but the lessons learned in a season of intense training can be applied to overcoming difficult experiences and achieving goals no matter the era.<\/p>\n According to these men, the biggest tips for successfully completing boot camp are as follows:<\/p>\n Sterling Mace <\/i><\/b>encountered instant culture shock in boot camp\u2014partly physical, partly mental. Immediately after coming through the front gate, Mace had his head shaved. The next morning he was woken up at 4 a.m. for a 5-mile run. Then it was over to the mess hall where \u201cnone of the food tasted like it did at home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Right away, \u201cwe trained how to handle tear gas, both with our mask on and without,\u201d Mace said. \u201cWe went over to the pool and swam 50 yards with our hands behind our back. Then we had the obstacle course\u2014climb this, do that\u2014which you don\u2019t do in combat, but it\u2019s all to get you in shape.\u201d<\/p>\n Life lesson for today:<\/b> Accomplishing your goal will require your current situation to change, and it won\u2019t be easy. In fact, it shouldn\u2019t <\/i>be easy, otherwise everybody would do it.<\/p>\n Boot camp was \u201crugged\u201d for Sid Phillips.<\/p>\n He remembers arriving dressed in civilian clothes, and having a group of trainees who\u2019d arrived before him yell, \u201cYou\u2019ll be sorr-ee!\u201d as he walked in the front gate. It meant you\u2019d be sorry that you ever joined the outfit, Phillips explained.<\/p>\n Within the first few hours of arriving, he was sorry indeed. He arrived in wintertime and it was cold. The recruits weren\u2019t allowed to wear warm clothes, only khaki pants and a sweatshirt. If a man complained about being cold, then that only brought about more pushups or running.<\/p>\n \u201cThere wasn\u2019t anything you could do except endure it,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cParris Island was rough, and still is, and should be. I\u2019m glad it was. It teaches discipline to young men, and you need that to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n Life lesson for today: <\/b>When training for your goal, don\u2019t grumble, whine, or find fault. Enduring the difficulty will produce strength, and you will need that in the days ahead.<\/p>\n On the first day of boot camp at Parris Island, the new recruits were told to come to the assembly area wearing pants, shoes, and a sweater only. But Dan Lawler remembers another new recruit standing in formation defiantly wearing a huge overcoat.<\/p>\n Rumor had it that the other recruit was the leader of a New York City gang. He brought two young henchmen with him, and all three of them showed the rest of the recruits pistols they wore.<\/p>\n Lawler recounts the story:<\/p>\n When the drill instructor came to the kid with the overcoat he reached down, grabbed the kid\u2019s pistol, and held it to the kid\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t dare,\u201d said the gang leader.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to try me,\u201d said the DI.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you weren\u2019t holding my pistol right now, I\u2019d kick the shit out of you,\u201d said the kid.<\/p>\n The DI threw the pistol to one side. \u201cCome on and try.\u201d<\/p>\n The gang leader toke a poke at the DI, but the kid swung wide.<\/p>\n When the DI got through with him, the kid bled for two days.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what the Marine Corps did,\u201d Lawler said. \u201cThey broke you down so they could build you back up. They knew what it was going to be like once you got into combat. It paid off, that\u2019s what I say. All that training. It paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n Life lesson for today<\/b>: Approach your training with humility, a willingness to follow directives, and an immediate respect for your leaders. One day when you\u2019re in charge, you can do things your way. Until then, do things their way.<\/p>\n Harry Bender soon learned it didn\u2019t pay to strut your stuff.<\/p>\n Before breakfast, one of the first days, the men ran through an obstacle course. The first time Bender went through, he went as fast and hard as he could and came in third. He stood around at the finish line with his chest puffed out, expecting to be congratulated.<\/p>\n The DI took one look at Bender and grunted, \u201cDo it again.\u201d<\/p>\n What Bender learned was that, \u201cif you got time on your hands, you better not stand around feeling good about your accomplishments.\u201d<\/p>\n The next time Bender ran the obstacle course, he came in tenth.<\/p>\n Life lesson for today<\/b>: Beware of entering any new season of life with an attitude of superiority. If you quickly do well, don\u2019t seek reward. Pace yourself and rise to the top at an appropriate time, when it won\u2019t be considered brash.<\/p>\n Chuck Tatum explained the slang term \u201cgrab-ass.\u201d It\u2019s when you \u201cgoof off when you\u2019re supposed to be working,\u201d and it tends to happen whenever \u201ca bunch of young guys get together and there\u2019s no radio, TV, or newspapers around\u2014they make their own fun.\u201d For instance, suppose you\u2019re in line and you poke the guy in front of you so he jumps\u2014that\u2019s a grab-ass thing.<\/p>\n One time Tatum was at the rifle range. The recruits all wore pith helmets. While standing in line, one guy took off his pith helmet and lightly hit his buddy over the head with it. The force drove the helmet down so the inner band scrunched the guy\u2019s ears. The second guy turned around, took his helmet off, and smacked the first guy back.<\/p>\n The DI saw it, brought the two guys out, stood them an arm\u2019s length apart, and ordered them to take turns hitting each other over the head. The two recruits smashed their helmets over each other until their helmets were wrecked and their heads were sore. They needed to go buy new helmets.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was extremely funny.\u201d Tatum cleared his throat. \u201cAs long as it didn\u2019t happen to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Life lesson for today: <\/b>Discern when to use humor on the job. Even if you\u2019re just standing in line, apply yourself to the task and maintain your focus.<\/p>\n James Young went through boot camp when the weather was warmer. One Sunday afternoon during a lull in training, Young was sitting on the barracks steps. He noticed another Marine walk by eating ice cream. Young asked him where he got it. He pointed across the drill field to the PX.<\/p>\n Young got a pint of ice cream, came back, and began to eat it. Just then his drill sergeant came out of the barracks.<\/p>\n \u201cPrivate Young,\u201d the DI said, \u201cthat looks real good, can I have a bite?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir,\u201d Young said, and handed him the ice cream.<\/p>\n The DI took a large bite and said, \u201cWow, that\u2019s really good. Take off your hat.\u201d<\/p>\n Young did. The DI upended the carton, set it with a splat on Young\u2019s head, and mashed Young\u2019s hat down hard on top.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t move until it\u2019s all melted,\u201d the DI said.<\/p>\n By this time, all the guys in the barracks were laughing. The sergeant informed Young that permission had not been granted to go anywhere, even if it was Sunday afternoon and they weren\u2019t training.<\/p>\n Life lesson for today:<\/b> The expectations of a particular subculture are often not clearly communicated at first or may appear arbitrary. Nevertheless, your job is to learn a subculture\u2019s specific practices so you can function within it.<\/p>\n Before R.V. Burgin went to boot camp, he worked at the docks and had a supervisor who\u2019d \u201choller and yell and cuss you out, call you names. If you wanted your job, you\u2019d take the abuse. If not, there were ten other men who\u2019d want your job.”<\/p>\n When Burgin was in boot camp, he had two drill instructors. \u201cYou knew not to mess with these guys,\u201d Burgin said. \u201cOne of the guys, if he ever chewed you out, he\u2019d never holler or yell, but he\u2019d get right in your face, and speak with this real intense low voice. I though, boy, that\u2019s real effective.\u201d<\/p>\n Later in life Burgin worked as a post office supervisor and successfully applied the leadership techniques to his job there.<\/p>\n \u201cTo lead men,\u201d Burgin said, \u201cyou don\u2019t need to holler and yell and cuss.\u201d<\/p>\n Life lesson for today:<\/b> True respect is earned, not demanded. If you find a mentor who keeps his cool, learn all you can from him. Watch how he speaks under pressure\u2014confidently, directly, and to the point.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going through a season of intense training<\/b> right now, it helps to remember that boot camp is a season of metamorphosis. You enter one way, then exit another. What result do you hope ultimately happens? Keep that end goal always in mind.<\/p>\n For Clint Watters, \u201cBoot Camp was rough, sure. You had a lot of running, a lot of exercise, a lot of work. They get you in shape, no question about it. They start by tearing you down and making you feel like nothing. But then they build you back up.\u201d<\/p>\n What was the real reason the men were there?<\/p>\n \u201cThey wanted me to emerge as a Marine,\u201d Watters said. \u201cWe were going to war, and we needed to be ready to fight hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Which lesson do you most resonate with and why?<\/i><\/b> Read his blog, <\/i>Men Who Lead Well, at: <\/i>www.marcusbrotherton.com<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n1. Expect immediate, difficult change.<\/b><\/h3>\n
2. Never complain.<\/b><\/h3>\n
3. Never fight the man who trains you. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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4. Pace yourself.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Don\u2019t be a \u201cgrab-ass.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. Learn rules quickly, follow them explicitly.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7. Respect the leader with the low voice.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n____________________<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n![\"voices\"](\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/\/2013\/03\/voices.jpg\")
Marcus Brotherton is a regular contributor to Art of Manliness. <\/i><\/p>\n