Test of Courage
On the night of September 30th 1999, I was about to begin what would seem to be the longest night of my life. Weeks of physical, mental, and emotional training would climax and end after this final test. A test of endurance, teamwork, mental focus, and most of all courage was about to begin. Thoughts raced through my head as I anxiously prepared myself. Will I remember everything I have been trained? Will my shipmates let me down? Some had dreaded this night for weeks; others awaited its arrival like children on Christmas morning. I had a mixture of feelings, as I was about to begin what the Navy calls Battle Stations.
Battle Stations is a fourteen-hour test of everything that had been taught in the previous thirteen weeks of boot camp. The most difficult part of Battle Stations is dealing with the sleep depravation accumulated over the previous weeks. We were allowed two hours of sleep before the challenge that would "make or break" us. I can remember the dark barracks, lit only by red lights representing emergency procedures in a ship setting. The room seemed to have a very still, quiet feel like a storm was creeping near. My bunkmate Johnson and I polished our boots as we agreed that neither of us would sleep for the two hours we are given. Johnson and I had developed a close friendship over time and we motivated each other in every obstacle we faced. He was slightly taller than I, had a stalky frame and spoke with a thick East Coast accent that I often humorously imitated.
I laid in my bunk focusing on my body, and what will be expected from it tonight. By that time, I had been awake for several hours and lack of food caused fatigue to set in. Piercing alarm sirens and bright flashing lights interrupted my concentration; our excitingly eventful night had just begun. Within seven minutes my entire division was in full gear with tight seals on our gas masks and standing at attention in front of our bunks. Then something unexpected happened. A team of Ex-Navy Seal's rushed into the barracks like a stampede of wild horses. Their presence motivated us all as we began chanting Navy songs. Before I knew it we were barreling down the stairs of the barracks, or "Ship" as it is called in the Navy.
For many officer cadets at RMC the First Year Orientation Programme (FYOP), is often the greatest challenge they will face both in their lives at the college and in their military careers in general. For First Years, the challenge comes from having to function in a stressful environment marked by daily inspections, demanding physical activity, frequent punishments, and limited time to connect with loved ones through either phone calls or email. Meanwhile, for the third and fourth years in charge of them, the challenge comes from making sure that their assigned ‘flights’, which range in size from eighteen to twenty individuals, successfully learn, often through the use of strict discipline, the skills they will need to effectively integrate
By the second torpedo, all the men on The USS Indianapolis were wide awake. Things were starting to go wrong on the USS “Indy.” Flames were venting and all the power h...
Two weeks earlier in the darkness of an early April morning, I stand surrounded by close to three hundred other soldiers, filled with excitement and uncertainty. The air is heavy with the promise of another scorching day with the humidity reaching hundred percent. This day is called Zero Day. This is the day that determines which of the close to three hundred potential candidates get to make up the next class of two hundred Air Assault Students. The day begins early, 0330 to be exact, and with a lot of yelling. Immediately we are instructed to form one mass formation, the yelling continues. The Air Assault Sergeants, otherwise know as Black-shirts because of their distinctive uniform, take command. This is their yard and they make sure each and every one of us understands that. One by one soldiers are called out of ranks to receive their roster number. From this point on I am no longer be known as SGT Nealand, now I am Roster Number 442 or simply 442.
Frustrated by the commissioning programs of the time, Sledge begins his journey by resigning from the officer candidate program in an effort to more quickly reach combat. He subsequently volunteers to be a sixty millimeter mortar-man and joins Company K, Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment (K/3/5) of the First Marine Division. It is within this command framework that Sledge experiences two of the bloodiest campaigns of the Second World War...
Have you ever wondered who invented bubble gum, or why it’s pink? How do you go about getting the answers to these questions? Easy. Think way, way back, not to prehistoric times but close, 1928.
The Marines’ survival struggles during their first century and a half were mere skirmishes compared with what was to commence following the Second World War. Even as America was still trying to see through the smoke of Pearl Harbor, there were problems which were seen that were far more serious. A carefully designed plan which, if implemented, would destroy the Marine Corps as a fighting force. The scene was set according to Krulak by three events. In early October 1942 Krulak was a member of a team of four Marine officers assigned to the Army’s 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii to conduct instruction for the divisi...
Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, through dedication to his mission and the welfare of his marines, was a visionary leader even by today’s standards. In his youth, Chesty attempted to join World War I before he had reached the required age. He attended Virginia Military Institute, but dropped out after one year to satisfy his urge to experience combat. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a private and remained enlisted for only a year before his commissioning as a lieutenant. Unfortunately, the war ended before he was able to experience combat. When a force reduction ensued after the end of the war, Lt Puller was sent to the reserves and given the ...
This book substantially explains the vigorous training platoon 3086 went through in order to earn the title of being a Marine.
The United States of America has been involved in many different conflicts, foreign and domestic, popular and unpopular, spanning across four centuries and all corners of the globe. From the warm coastal waters of the American homeland to the atolls of the Pacific, from the winding inland rivers of Vietnam to the chokepoint at the Strait of Hormuz, American sailors have valiantly stood up to defend America’s interests at home and abroad. The Navy has had to continuously update its vessels and technologies in order to keep up with the rapidly changing times, and ensure we not only stay competitive with but surpass the foreign competition. No other period in history has undergone the swift technological evolution that our troops experience today, and outfitting our soldiers with the best equipment money can buy and the most up-to-date training must remain a top priority. As sequestration and budget cuts slash $487 billion from the Department of the Navy’s budget over the next 10 years, it is more evident than ever how detrimental these budget cuts can be on the sailors of today and tomorrow alike. Significant cuts to the Naval budget will jeopardize the readiness of our ships and sailors, impair our ability to maintain strategic assets ready for forward deployment in critical areas, and constrict our ability to acquire new and improved technology.
In the literary work, Speaking of Courage, Tim O’Brien highlights the trying struggle of a post-war solider attempting desperately to integrate himself back into American society. Paul Berlin’s trials and tribulations exemplify the “dominance of a citizen culture in the United States,” as mentioned by Dr. Decker in class. American society does not allow for the soldiers we have sent off to fight to return as warriors.
Waking up to be told to either survive or die is a hard pill to swallow. In the movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, she captured how post-apocalyptic life was in the nation of Panem. Not only in catching fire but throughout the entire series, Collins uses an image of a Mockingjay. Is the Mocking Jay a sign of rebellion or does the significance of the image run deeper? Upon, research you find that Collins idea of the Hunger games evolved from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Collins describes the Hunger Games an “an updated version of the Roman gladiator games, which entails a ruthless government forcing people to fight to the death as popular entertainment”.
As Marines, we have a well-known motto “One Team, One Fight” that creates an image of strong unity that everyone regardless of rank or size plays an important role. Everyone is necessary to complete the mission. In this book, one particular Marine, (then) Captain Bill Barber, has a story that since has become a crucial tool used as teaching material today for multi-level Marines everywhere. This book serves as a testimony to Captain Barber’s will in the midst of extreme opposition and sets the example of the for mentioned mindset
It was near the end of a typical long day at sea onboard the USS MAHAN, which had started for me nearly twenty hours earlier. I was exhausted and heading to my bunk to retire for the evening, or so I though. As I neared the ladder leading to my berthing area the ships Command Master Chief came over the general announcing system, or 1MC, with an announcement that would change my
This case study will introduce the events leading up to the largest surrender of US forces in history and examine the most daring rescue attempt of WWII. The paper follows the planning and execution of the 6th Ranger Battalion’s Great Raid on the Japanese prison camp of Cabanatuan. Lastly, the events of that raid will be examined in order to discover and evaluate the repercussions and lessons learned.
Moral courage, as defined in ADRP 6-22, is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables all leaders to stand up for what they believe is right, regardless of the consequences. Leaders, who take full responsibility for their decisions and actions even when things go wrong, display moral courage. In most cases, one who displays moral courage is usually taking a stand against something that they know is wrong. Normally, it is not the popular decision. With physical courage, the fear factor is usually physical where with moral courage it is psychological. Often, a display of physical courage makes you the hero, while the same display with moral courage sometimes makes you appear to be the villain.