India Company recruits gear up for battle

Photo By Sgt. Angelica Annastas | Recruits from India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, prepare to compete against each other during Pugil Sticks III at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, June 21. Recruits were given protective gear that consisted of a flak jacket, groin protector, helmet and a pugil stick that simulated a rifle. Annually, more than 17,000 males recruited from the Western Recruiting Region are trained at MCRD San Diego. India Company is scheduled to graduate July 15.  

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

06.21.2016

Story by Lance Cpl. Angelica Annastas 

Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego     

After stepping aboard the depot, recruits are introduced to various events that will train them into becoming United States Marines. Some of the events require confidence while others involve teamwork. The recruits of India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, had to find that confidence to battle each other during Pugil Sticks III, June 21.
To begin the event, recruits were paired up by size, ensuring neither partner held a major advantage over his opponent.
The drill instructors chose recruits to assist the competitors for their battles and to ensure their protective equipment, which included a flak jacket, groin protector and helmet were correctly positioned. Additionally, recruits were also given a pugil stick to simulate a rifle.
“It’s all a mental game,” said Recruit Patrick W. Coghill, India Company. “You don’t know exactly who you’ll be up against until the start of the fight, and the bayonet techniques we learned during our [Marine Corps Martial Arts Program] classes were all we had to use.”
Recruits who were geared up and ready to fight lined up near the arena designated for the event. The pit is an enclosed structure made up with nothing but padded walls and only two exit points.
“My senior drill instructor said to me once, ‘Everybody wants to be a beast,’” said Recruit Patrick A. Gabriel, India Company. “Based off of that, I think you have to stay calm and try to keep your cool in certain situations. You have to be willing to get down and dirty sometimes.”
The matches were refereed by a drill instructor from Instructional Training Company. One whistle blow indicated the beginning and end of each battle. If the recruits did well during the first fight, they were rewarded with a chance to battle their opponent again.
“We’re kind of forced to get acclimated to the different [simulated] combat environments we’re exposed to as recruits,” said 21-year-old Gabriel. “You’re going to get tired, but you have to keep going.”
To win the battle, recruits were required to land multiple body strikes or a single blow to the head.
“I assume this is what it would be like in combat,” said 20-year-old Coghill. “You’ll be put up against someone else in combat, and you’ll have to have the confidence to do what you’re trained to do.”

• Date Taken: 06.21.2016
• Date Posted: 06.25.2016 13:20
• Story ID: 202481
• Location: MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, CA, US