Photo By Dustin Senger | U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. John Lawson, a drill instructor from Marine Corps Recruit Depot...... read more read more
Roughly 300 young men and women from across Georgia and Florida tested their physical and mental readiness during a poolee function Jan. 24 at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island in Florida, where a calm winter morning quickly gave way to sharp commands and rising intensity.
As millions to the north braced for a sweeping winter storm, the poolees stepped onto a 60-degree training field along the St. Johns River. Palms and palmettos lined the grass as seagulls and pelicans circled overhead, briefly breaking the still air before drill instructor commands cut through it.
Grouped by recruiting stations, future Marines formed up on the physical training field, where an obstacle course wrapped in a runner’s track cut across the grass. Four drill instructors from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina took control, setting the tone for discipline, focus and resolve.
Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island serves as a power-projection platform for Blount Island Command, which executes ashore and afloat prepositioning programs to support Marine Corps operations worldwide.
The annual event, hosted by Marine Corps Recruiting Station Jacksonville, prepares participants for recruit training through leadership discussions, equipment demonstrations and physically demanding evolutions designed to replicate boot camp stress.
Drill instructors moved the groups back and forth, pushing everyone to maintain bearing under pressure. The strength and endurance test transitioned the poolees through pull-ups, push-ups, a timed plank hold and a run, as recruiters supervised each station.
Many poolees were high school seniors scheduled to ship to recruit training in the coming months.
After lunch, drill instructors answered questions about recruit training, expectations and how to succeed under pressure. Marines also demonstrated equipment used across the force, offering a glimpse of the tools and technology the poolees will employ if they earn the title Marine.
The event reinforced the Delayed Entry Program’s role in preparing recruits for the physical, mental and emotional demands of recruit training. By hosting it at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, recruiters linked individual preparation to the broader mission of sustaining ready forces.
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2026 17:37 |
| Story ID: | 556724 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Blount Island Event Tests Readiness for Recruit Training, by Dustin Senger, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
