Recruits of India Company conduct a final PFT

Photo By Sgt. Angelica Annastas | Recruits of India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, record their run time during a final physical fitness test at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Oct. 22. Recruits took an initial PFT during week five of training and used that score as a baseline to gauge their improvement. Today, all males recruited from west of the Mississippi are trained at MCRD San Diego. The depot is responsible for training more than 16,000 recruits annually. India Company graduates Nov. 6.  

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

10.22.2015

Story by Lance Cpl. Angelica Annastas 

Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego     

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO - To ensure Marines stay in peak physical condition, they must conduct two annual tests, a physical fitness test and a combat fitness test. Recruits conduct the PFT at least twice during recruit training, and their final scores will go on their record, which will go toward promotions later in their careers.

Recruits of India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, conducted their final PFT at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Oct. 22.

To prepare for the event, recruits spent 10 weeks conducting constant physical training for the final test.

“Part of the reason we have this final test is to make sure that all the training they’ve been through has paid off,” said Sgt. Narciso Rodriguez, drill instructor, India Company. “We want them to be able to achieve the success they’ve been working toward.”

Recruits took an initial PFT during week five of training and used that score as a baseline to gauge their improvement.

“Our drill instructors wanted us to show how much we could put out and push ourselves since this is the last one we’d be taking here,” said Recruit Brayden T. Bisaillon, India Company. “We can also see for ourselves how much better we did since taking the first one.”

The recruits’ scores were recorded after they conducted a max set of pull-ups, a timed three-mile run and timed crunches. To achieve a perfect score of 300, recruits must run the three miles in 18 minutes, complete 100 crunches in two minutes and conduct 20 dead hang pull-ups.

Some of the recruits still faced challenges.

“I saw that some of them still struggled with staying motivated because of their fear of failure,” said Rodriguez, native of Greenfield, Calif. “We [drill instructors], have helped them build up their self-esteem and self-confidence to be able to get them to think that they can push through and get the job done.”

The recruits motivated one another to the end, and they were expected to put forth their best efforts.

“We’re always looking out for each other, no matter what we’re doing,” said 18-year-old Bisaillon. “We work hard every day, and we have to learn to be our brother’s keeper. No matter how bad it may suck, we have to push ourselves to keep going.”

• Date Taken: 10.22.2015
• Date Posted: 11.04.2015 15:23
• Story ID: 180877
• Location: MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, CA, US
• Hometown: GREENFIELD, CA, US