Photo By Cpl. Michael Wick | Lance Cpl. Robert Foster, honor graduate for Platoon 1050, Company C, 1st Recruit...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Almost every Friday at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and MCRD Parris Island, S.C., hundreds of young Americans earn the title of United States Marine and graduate from 13 weeks of Marine Corps recruit training. The ceremony is unforgettable; some even consider it life changing. Out of the hundreds of remarkable young men and women who graduate on that proud day, there are only two who can claim company honor graduate, one Marine at each Depot, awarded for the highest rifle and fitness scores, leadership and highest level of motivation.
It’s far and few between a recruiting station has an honor graduate, given there are 50 RSs and hundreds of recruits throughout the nation each week, but it’s even more uncommon for an RS to have multiple honor graduates in one week.
RS Portland demonstrated their superior recruiting effort at recent graduations, claiming two honor graduates in the same week on each coast.
The honor graduates are chosen throughout their boot camp cycle, where every move they make is overseen and scrutinized by their drill instructors. The honor graduates, from the very beginning of training, must show they are better than the rest. This type of motivation doesn’t just start in boot camp though; it starts when they enlist with their recruiter and sign on the dotted line.
For months on end, the RS’s poolees train and learn from their recruiters to prepare for the rigors of recruit training. Their solid program, run by driven recruiters at the RSSs, paves the path towards success in recruit training.
“Our pool program is significant,” said Sgt. Zachary Scribner, canvassing recruiter at RSS Vancouver, RS Portland. “It’s not just about enlisting them into the Marine Corps; it’s about the service after the sale. We’re trying to make sure they’re prepared to be successful.”
Scribner, whose station had two honor graduates in one day, said physical training is a huge part of their delayed entry program.
“We do three to five PT sessions a week,” said Scribner. “We even set up a morning PT at 7:00 for some of our poolees who needed the extra hand.”
Lance Cpl. Robert Foster, Company C honor graduate from MCRD San Diego, and a native of Vancouver, Wash., credits much of his success in recruit training to Scribner, his recruiter, and the rest of the recruiters at the RSS.
“My recruiters are extremely professional, and the PT there was amazing,” said Foster. “My recruiter also put me into a lot of leadership positions. He made me a squad leader in the pool, and in some team PT events he would put me in charge to compete against the other teams.”
Pfc. Breanna M. Balcuns, a native of St. Helens, Ore., and honor graduate of Company O from MCRD Parris Island, also tributes her success to the DEP.
“We spent a lot of time learning our boot camp knowledge,” said Balcuns. “The recruiters were also there to answer any questions we had, as well as PT with us throughout the week.”
In the long run, Scribner believes along with a solid program, the drawdown in the Marine Corps has also given them an advantage.
“It’s all about the Marine Corps, it’s no longer about the salesmanship,” said Scribner. “We get to look for the exceptional few, and it’s what I think is changing for the better.”
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2014 16:59 |
| Story ID: | 132595 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Hometown: | ST. HELENS, OR, US |
| Hometown: | VANCOUVER, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 232 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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