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Family night gives recruits, parents taste of Marine Corps boot camp drill instructors

By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
Potential Marine Corps recruits and their families had a chance to meet drill instructors Monday during a family night held by local Marine Corps recruiters.

About 60 to 70 applicants "all the way from Wautoma to Ashland" were scheduled to attend the family night held in Wausau, said Gunnery Sgt. David Miller of the Stevens Point Marine Corps recruiting station.

"It's just an opportunity for all the applicants and their families to ask anything that is on their minds," Miller said.

Two of the drill instructors came from the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot at San Diego, while the third, Staff Sgt. Jackie Peru, is a drill instructor at Paris Island, S.C. Paris Island is the only depot that offers boot camp to female recruits.

Peru volunteered to be a drill instructor and has been a drill instructor for eight months. Her previous duty was a radio chief in Okinawa.

Becoming a drill instructor has fulfilled a desire she had since completing boot camp after joining the Marine Corps eight years ago.

"When I was in boot camp, I admired my drill instructor very much," Peru said. "I wanted to be just like my drill instructor."

Along with answering questions, Peru and her fellow drill instructors were to clear up any misconceptions applicants might have about boot camp. They also planned to give applicants a brief look at what drill instructors do.

Drill instructor recruiting station visits are conducted once a year, usually in April, before the summer peak at training stations that follows the end of the school year, she said. The platoon she is training now has 40 recruits, but when she gets her new platoon for the summer training cycle, it will probably have more than 60 recruits.

Marine Corps boot camp lasts 12 weeks and is broken into three phases, she said. The first face is an introduction into the military and includes classroom time and "swim week." The second phase is basic rifleman marksmanship.

"They get introduced to the M-16 and they qualify with their weapon," Peru said.

After a brief break, the third phase begins and includes field training, plus "The Crucible," a multiple-day and physically demanding event added to boot camp in the late 1990s, and then graduation.

"The Crucible is very intense training," Peru said. "It makes recruits work as a team and apply what they've learned."

Boot camp is also demanding on drill sergeants, who are essentially on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, leaving them little time to see their families, she said.

"We're there from the time recruits wake up until they hit the rack," Peru said. "You've got to have dedication to what you do. You've got to be committed."



	Family night gives recruits, parents taste of Marine Corps boot camp drill instructors By BRIAN LEAHY of The Gazette Potential Marine Corps recruits and their families had a chance to meet drill instructors Monday during a family night held by local Marine Corps recruiters. About 60 to 70 applicants "all the way from Wautoma to Ashland" were scheduled to attend the family night held in Wausau, said Gunnery Sgt. David Miller of the Stevens Point Marine Corps recruiting station. "It's just an opportunity for all the applicants and their families to ask anything that is on their minds," Miller said. Two of the drill instructors came from the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot at San Diego, while the third, Staff Sgt. Jackie Peru, is a drill instructor at Paris Island, S.C. Paris Island is the only depot that offers boot camp to female recruits. Peru volunteered to be a drill instructor and has been a drill instructor for eight months. Her previous duty was a radio chief in Okinawa. Becoming a drill instructor has fulfilled a desire she had since completing boot camp after joining the Marine Corps eight years ago. "When I was in boot camp, I admired my drill instructor very much," Peru said. "I wanted to be just like my drill instructor." Along with answering questions, Peru and her fellow drill instructors were to clear up any misconceptions applicants might have about boot camp. They also planned to give applicants a brief look at what drill instructors do. Drill instructor recruiting station visits are conducted once a year, usually in April, before the summer peak at training stations that follows the end of the school year, she said. The platoon she is training now has 40 recruits, but when she gets her new platoon for the summer training cycle, it will probably have more than 60 recruits. Marine Corps boot camp lasts 12 weeks and is broken into three phases, she said. The first face is an introduction into the military and includes classroom time and "swim week." The second phase is basic rifleman marksmanship. "They get introduced to the M-16 and they qualify with their weapon," Peru said. After a brief break, the third phase begins and includes field training, plus "The Crucible," a multiple-day and physically demanding event added to boot camp in the late 1990s, and then graduation. "The Crucible is very intense training," Peru said. "It makes recruits work as a team and apply what they've learned." Boot camp is also demanding on drill sergeants, who are essentially on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, leaving them little time to see their families, she said. "We're there from the time recruits wake up until they hit the rack," Peru said. "You've got to have dedication to what you do. You've got to be committed."