Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the US. It is on the Southern California coast, in San Diego County, and bordered by Oceanside to the south, Cleveland National Forest, San Clemente, and Orange County to the north, Riverside County to the northeast, and Fallbrook to the east.
Recruit training, more commonly known as basic training or regularly boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. Recruit training is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the demands of military employment.
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is an 8,095-acre (32.76 km2) military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. MCRD Parris Island is used for United States Marine Corps Recruit Training of enlisted Marines. Male and female recruits living east of the Mississippi River report here to receive their initial training. Male and female recruits living west of the Mississippi River receive their training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, but may train at MCRD Parris Island by special request.
A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors.
Marine Corps Recruit DepotSan Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former Naval Training Center San Diego. MCRD San Diego's main mission is the initial training of enlisted male and female recruits living west of the Mississippi River. Over 21,000 recruits are trained each year. The Depot also is the home to the Marine Corps' Recruiter School and Western Recruiting Region's Drill Instructors School.
The School of Infantry (SOI) is the second stage of initial military training for enlisted United States Marines after Recruit Training. Since the initial training pipeline is divided between coasts, Marines from areas east of the Mississippi River usually graduate from MCRD Parris Island and move on to SOI at SOI East, while those from the western half of the nation attend MCRD San Diego and move on to SOI West at the Camp San Onofre area of Camp Pendleton in California. Female Marines are an exception, all of whom go through MCRD Parris Island and SOI East. As of March 2018, non-infantry female Marines were integrated into the Marine Combat Training Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California.
The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines". The Basic School is at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Virginia, in the south-west of the Marine Corps Base Quantico complex. Each year over 1,700 new officers are trained, representing such commissioning sources as the U.S. Naval Academy, Officer Candidates School, and Marine Corps Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Warrant Officer accession programs.
Edson Range is a firing range complex at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside, California. It is named for Marine Major General "Red Mike" Edson, "a World War II Medal of Honor recipient and a distinguished small arms marksman proponent." This rifle-qualification complex is home to four of the largest firing ranges on the base. The range became operational on August 21, 1964, the same day that Camp Calvin B. Matthews, in La Jolla, Calif., was closed and turned over to the University of California. Camp Matthews had previously been used for rifle training.
Harold G. Overstreet is a retired United States Marine who served as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1991 to 1995.
David W. Sommers is a retired United States Marine who served as the 11th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991.
Robert Earl Cleary was a United States Marine who served as the 10th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1983 to 1987. He served in the Marines for 36 years, including seeing in combat in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. For his actions in Vietnam, he was awarded the Silver Star, the Navy Commendation Medal, and two Purple Hearts. He was the last Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps to have served in the Korean War.
Leland D. Crawford was a United States Marine who served as the 9th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1979 to 1983.
The Series Commander is a United States Marine Corps officer assigned to a Recruit Training Company who is responsible for the conduct and instruction of Marine recruits and Marine Corps Drill Instructors within one of the two series, lead or follow. Series Commanders are typically of the rank of First Lieutenant (O-2) or Captain (O-3), and they are assisted in their duties by a Series Chief Drill Instructor or a Series Gunnery Sergeant.
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training is a 13-week program "including in & out-processing" of initial training that each recruit must successfully complete in order to serve in the United States Marine Corps.
United States Army Basic Combat Training (BCT), also referred to as Initial Entry Training (IET), is the recruit training program of the United States Army, for service in the Regular Army, United States Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard.
A critical skills operator (CSO) is a United States Marine in the primary special operations career field of the United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). CSOs, colloquially known as "Raiders", are awarded the Military Occupational Specialty 0372. CSOs are assigned to Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOT), Companies (MSOC) and Battalions (MSOBs). CSOs are trained to execute a variety of missions. Specialized training also provides capabilities in language fluency necessary for crossing cultural barriers, allowing CSOs to connect with local forces and civilians. It takes, at a minimum, four and a half years to create a Marine CSO; a Marine must have served a minimum of three years or achieved the rank of at least lance corporal before being considered a MARSOC candidate.
The Second Recruit Training Battalion is part of the Marine Recruit Training Regiment. It is composed of Four Training Companies: Echo Company, Fox Company, Golf Company, and Hotel Company. The recruit training battalion is responsible ensuring that each company is following the procedures set forth by the Recruit Training Regiment.
The Marine Recruit Training Regiment San Diego (MCRDSD), based at San Diego, California, is a training regiment of the United States Marine Corps. It is composed of three recrutement battalions and three recruit training battalions: 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Each battalion is responsible for ensuring that each company within it is following the procedures set forth by the Recruit Training Regiment. The West Coast depot is in charge the basic training of all male candidates who join the Marine Corps from the west of the Mississippi
The 1st Recruit Training Battalion is a battalion of the United States Marine Corps which is used to train new enlisted personnel. It is composed of four Training Companies; Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. The recruit training battalion is responsible for ensuring that each company is following the procedures set forth by the Recruit Training Regiment. Each company is responsible to follow the standards established by the Commandant of the Marine Corps to train, teach, mentor, and above all lead recruits through a demanding standard-based training system. 51 percent of all male Marines attend recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRDSD), California."
