Recruit Training

AN INTENSITY OF PURPOSE REQUIRED

There are few reputations more storied and none more deserving than that of Marine Corps Recruit Training. The difficulties this process presents to every recruit are as deliberate as they are legendary, as physical, mental and moral toughness are prerequisites to fight among our ranks. During these 13 weeks of intense battles, it is not enough to simply endure, you must prevail. Pushing through surrender’s pull. Pulling together to prevent all from falling apart. Tapping into the purpose that brought you here, to win for the Nation you fight for.

WE MAKE MARINES

No recruit earns the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor alone. Becoming a Marine will be only be accomplished with those in your platoon you fight alongside, with the torch that's passed to you by many generations of Marines who built this legacy with willingness and determination, and with the fighting spirit inside you that will stop at nothing to win for our Nation.

THE BATTLES AHEAD DEMAND THE FIGHT WITHIN

There is no room in our ranks for those who fall behind. Because of this, we constantly and continually take recruits to the brink of exhaustion in ways that test their toughness physically, mentally, and even ethically. To earn our title is to prove you belong alongside our Nation’s elite fighters. Imminent battles that must be won within, and together, include:

Food rationing and sleep deprivation
Rigorous day and nighttime humps (marches)
Low- and no-light infiltration movements
Combat resupply and casualty evacuation scenarios
Leadership screening maneuvers
Values-based training and assessments
Team-dependent negotiation of obstacles
Team field firing combat scenarios

THE FOUR PHASES OF MARINE CORPS RECRUIT TRAINING

Recruits learn quickly in Marine Corps Recruit Training that what doesn't stop them only makes them more purposeful. And that hardships they overcome together only makes them more resilient. Tough training day after day makes tough Marines who can fight tonight, defending our Nation's ideals at home and abroad. Recruiting Training is a demanding process, but also an exacting one, as this is the training that has made Marines our entire country has counted on for nearly two-and-a-half centuries. Thirteen weeks of trial and triumph are divided into four phases:

PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3 PHASE 4

In the first phase of training, recruits fight their first battles. As they step on the yellow footprints, each new recruit accepts the challenge of changing his or her life forever in an effort to rise to the title of United States Marine. We push them to their physical and mental limits to test their resilience and enable growth. We present them with the values of the Marine Corps and teach them the foundational knowledge they will build on throughout their training.

During this phase recruits can expect the following:

Receiving

Bucket Issue (standard equipment)

Rifle Issue

Initial Strength Test

Introduction to MCMAP

Weapons Safety

Close Order Drill

Once recruits have completed the first phase of training, they are pushed further. In the second phase, they face challenges that require more commitment and more endurance as the intensity of their training increases. It is during this time that recruits begin to develop their resolve and gain the confidence to overcome every obstacle and defeat every internal and external enemy.

Phase 2 consists of the following:

Combat water survival

Physical and combat conditioning

Martial arts

Academic instruction

With the fighting spirit that has propelled them thus far, recruits move on to the final challenges they must face to become Marines in Phase 3. This phase includes the most difficult part of recruit training: the Crucible, which is the ultimate test of all they’ve learned before earning the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.

Recruits will encounter these challenges during Phase 3:

Fundamentals of marksmanship

Basic warrior training

Field skills

The Crucible

Phase 4 is the culmination of training after recruits have endured and overcome mental and physical battles for 13 long weeks. After completion of the Crucible, they have succeeded in earning one of our Nation’s greatest honors: the title of United States Marine. This final phase prepares the Corps’ newest Marines to serve in the uniforms they’ve earned and introduces them to the Nation they’ll soon serve on Graduation Day.

In Phase 4, these Marines will end their training with the following:

Final uniform issue

Final physical and academic examinations

Guided leadership discussions

Standardized training requirements

Graduation

THE CRUCIBLE

This is a 54-hour day and night test of endurance. It will challenge you both mentally and physically. You will be asked to perform on little sleep and little food. The Crucible is a test to see how you will react and respond to conditions of stress and simulated combat. You will learn how to rely on your fellow recruits and develop deeply personal bonds in doing so. You will work as a close-knit team, connected by a common cause and refusal to quit. Once you pass this demanding phase of recruit training, you will feel immense purpose and unmistakable pride that you have what it takes to win the battle in front of you and within you—as a United States Marine.

THE EAGLE, GLOBE AND ANCHOR CEREMONY

The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem represents the culmination of every hardship endured and every battle won during recruit training. Earn it, and it will forever serve as a testament to true purpose found coming together for a common cause, pointing to your place among the few who fight and win for our Nation as United States Marines.