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At 0900 on April 6th, 2024, more than 250 young men and women about to ship out to recruit training, known as Poolees, and Marines gathered to conduct an annual pool function hosted by Marine Corps Recruiting Station Charlotte at South Iredell High School in Statesville, North Carolina. The pool function is designed to ensure that all future Marines are physically and mentally prepared for the rigorous training that they will encounter upon their arrival at Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, Parris Island.
Each poolee comes to these pool functions with different areas they seek to improve. For some, focus more on their physical fitness and for others their mental stamina.
“Anything and everything we can do prior to them going will greatly increase their chances of successfully completing recruit training and returning to us as United Sates Marines,” said Sergeant Major Brian Downing, Sergeant Major of Recruiting Station Charlotte.
On average, Recruiting Station Charlotte ships approximately 50 poolees a month to attend recruit training on the path to earn the coveted title of United States Marine.
Recruiting Station Charlotte not only uses pool functions to hone their poolee’s minds and bodies for the challenges they will face in the future. But also, as a place where a lifetime of brotherhood and sisterhood starts, for the Marine Corps and camaraderie go hand-in-hand.
Drill instructors, who came from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, provided a little taste of what the Island had in store for the future Marines. And the dedication it would take to complete the journey ahead.
“The biggest challenge that I overcame was the constant mental adjustment of saying, yes sir or no sir or yes ma’am no ma’am at the top of my lungs,” said Joshua Helms, a poolee from Recruiting Substation Monroe, North Carolina.
Part of the pool function was a competition where the Recruiting Substations that make up Recruiting Station Charlotte would go head-to-head against each other to earn the title of Charlotte’s top station.
“The initial strength test was my favorite event seeing I like more of a physical challenge,” said William Bolick, a poolee from Recruiting Substation Hickory, North Carolina.
As the day came to an end Recruiting Substation Hickory was named victorious and this year’s annual pool function winner.
Message to the poolees, “Everything you do give maximum effort you only get to do recruit training one time and make sure looking back you have no regrets,” said Sgt. Maj. Brian Downing, Sergeant Major of Recruiting Station Charlotte.
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2024 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 468327 |
| Location: | HICKORY, NC, US |
| Hometown: | STATESVILLE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Before the Yellow Footprints, by Cpl Max Noel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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