Hardest Military Boot Camp

In the United States, 'boot camps' or basic training are elementary training facilities and are officially known as Recruit Training, Basic Training, Basic Combat Training or Basic Military Training. The five branches of the United States Armed Forces include the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guards. All the three branches of the U.S Armed Forces conduct their own training that is commonly known as 'BASIC' .The BASIC is principally a boot camp where the recruits are transformed from civilians to soldiers.

The military powers all over the world aim at excellence and endurance. Contrary to civilian belief that being an Armed Forces officer, is a great 'job', the boot camp instills in the recruits that being an Armed Forces officer is not 'job'. But, is rather a way of life.

In the United States, the Army and Marine Corps boot camp are supposed to be the hardest military boot camps. The Marines undergo their boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depots which are located at Parris Island and San Diego. The Marine boot camps are known for their aggression and brutality. The total program is a 5 phase program. The first phase is the receiving phase where the recruits are issued their gear and are briefed regarding the code and doctrine that they are supposed to follow. The next part of the procedure is where a M16A2 service rifle is issued. The last part is the Initial Strength Test, where the recruit goes through a physical examination. The test is an important one as the recruit can begin the boot camp, if he passes the test.

The connection between the two phases, receiving and Phase 1, is the 'Black Friday'. On Black Friday, the recruits meet their company commander and drill instructors. A briefing of the training is also provided at this point. The Black Friday gets its name from the brutal commands from the drill instructor and company commander. In the process, discipline, rigor and command instruction are forcefully given out to the recruits, in order to break their civilian habits. Some have referred to the process as 'kicking out the laziness''. The movement where the Black Friday comes to an end is quite a sensitive and emotional one. The commands and new military discipline helps the recruit to grasp the fact that they have chosen a military life and it is time to say goodbye to civilian life.

The phase 1 is the real beginning, as actual warfare training starts at this point. The phase 1 physically and psychologically challenge the recruit. An extremely important task that is completed by the recruits, is that they change their entire mind-set and start thinking as a group. The combat situations are experienced by the recruit marines, and their body and mind starts to become like fighting machines. The discipline and harsh training helps the marines to control their minds and bodies. Apart from accepting and molding into the military life, the recruits start specialized exercises, arms training, survival skills and basic military drills for discipline and safety. By the end of phase 1 the recruits become adapted to the way of life that they have chosen. As marines the recruits also start their highly specialized Marine Corps Martial Arts Programs.

The phase 2 is a brutal one as the recruit marines start with marksmanship training and water survivals. During these weeks the team performance, as well as the individual performance, is subject to analysis. The second week of the program is referred to as the 'grass week' as the recruits are taught marksmanship. The next week is 'firing week' where the recruits must complete the firing qualification day. The requirement is 500 yards for qualification with live ammunition. The marines is the only armed forces branch that requires 500 yards qualification.

The phase 3 is even more brutal and realistic. Warfare techniques such as line firing, where recruits fire in live war-like conditions, wearing their gear and gas masks. Some techniques that are taught during this phase include camouflage, tracking, navigation, recon, rappelling, etc. The recruits start living in open air and cease all comforts. The qualifying session is a bit brutal as it involves gas mask testing, in the presence of live CS gas.

The last stage is named as 'The Crucible' and involves a 54-hour testing event of all the skills that the recruits have learned. This stage lasts for thirteen weeks and is completed by the graduation day. There are many places in the United States where military boot camp for kids and civilians are conducted. A personal opinion about these boot camps is that if you attend one and learn military boot camp exercises, then you won't need to go the gym any more. You will also learn to handle stress and deliver exceptional performance under any circumstances.