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| Press Release Number: EPX200307024 | 02-Jul-03 |
Trail of Tears tests Marines' limits |
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| By JIM JENKINS Public Affairs NAVAIR PATUXENT RIVER, MD-Marines here are pushing the envelope. No, they're not testing the limits of the newest aircraft. They're not aviators. They're receiving martial arts training in a unique way - the Trail of Tears - and testing their physical limits. The Marine Corps-wide martial arts training program kicked off in 2000 as part of an initiative by Gen. James L. Jones, former Marine Corps commandant. The Trail of Tears is a martial arts training course set up in the woods to test the limits of a Marine's physical abilities while teaching martial arts. Squads of Marines run through the wooded course, up and down hills, through mud and muck, stopping at approximately 30 stations along the way to practice martial arts kicks, punches and other maneuvers. "It's a butt kicker," said Maj. Doug Bell, former Marine Corps Security Force commanding officer, about the 3.5-mile course. "It's a good workout." Bell said that he and 1st Sgt. Patrick Kimble brain-stormed the idea for the course after Kimble came back from an instructor course at another command. Now, Marines from various commands throughout the Corps are requesting to come to Pax to run the Trail of Tears. "It's a trail geared toward combat fitness," said Master Sgt. Peter Bordeleau. "There's up to 35 stations, and at each station [the Marines] do a different martial arts technique. At the same time they're getting their PT in, running from station to station." The Trail of Tears also incorporates combat scenarios, like patrolling through a swamp and random ambushes. While the squad is running from one station to another, a small "enemy" fire team sets up an ambush with a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon hidden just off the trail. The passing squad must quickly respond, assault the enemy position, and then get back on the trail. Not only does the trail force the Marines to practice martial arts so they can individually advance their belt levels, it also teaches teamwork. The first station in the course is a 12-foot high wall that each squad member must get over. No one can simply jump over it, it's too high Bordeleau said. The Marines give each other a boost, up and over until the last man is clear. "If you get a team that's not thinking, the short guy ends up being last," Bordeleau said. "So now you've got a guy five-foot-four. How's he going to get over a 12-foot wall by himself? They have to use teamwork, they have to think ahead." Other stations that require teamwork include the log carry and the bridge. The log carry is just that - the squad must carry a heavy log from one station to the next without dropping it. The trick is to have the Marines step in unison and move as one unit. Another station, the house, requires mud, lots of mud. The squad assumes the push-up position in formation, just in front of a water/mud hole. Raising their rear ends high, the first Marine crawls underneath the other Marines to the other side of the line where the crawler resumes the push-up position at the end. The squad keeps doing this until every Marine has had a turn or at least until they've run out of mud to crawl through. Usually until they run out of mud. While some Marines running the Trail of Tears were continuing their gray belt training, a few Marines stationed here and visiting from other commands were in training to become martial arts instructors. "We did a lot of combat type training and a lot of grappling, and martial arts," said 1st Sgt. Jason Ruff of Inspector-Instructor Staff Reno, Nev. "The program's great. It's a whole lot different conditioning to come out here and do this instead of just running. Everyday we were doing some sort of sparring as well as doing all the different drills. It's been a lot of fun and challenging for me in my advanced age." Ruff, 39, is one of several Marines visiting NAVAIR Patuxent River for the three-week long instructor course, but he's unique in one aspect, his age. Most of the Marines, even those taking the instructor course, are 10 to 15 years younger. For Marines at the Marine Corps Security Force Company here the Trail of Tears is something they're used to. They tackle it four times a year. Bordeleau said that when Marines first run the course they usually wonders when it's going to end about half way through, but they get used to it quickly. The human body will go further than most people think. "[The Trail of Tears] is pretty motivating," said Lance Cpl. Brandon Dupris. "It pushes Marines to their limits." |
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