It's still swim week. Supposedly they were doing cannonballs today and learning to deal with expected and unexpected deep water.
In the meantime, support group leaders are attempting to teach the parents of recruits the structure of the Marine Corps and the military alphabet or the "NATO Phonetic Alphabet."
So, the structure is Battalion, Company, Platoon. For Jeremiah, he's in 1st Battalion, C (Charlie) Company, and Platoon 1054.
Another thing that we've been educating ourselves on are the jobs that recruits have during boot camp. I've heard a variety of positions mentioned like squad leader, guide, prayer leader, etc.
Scribe: the secretaries for the DIs. According to an admin of one of the support groups I'm part of, this can guarantee a meritorious promotion if the job is done well. It's a tough job and the recruit needs to be very smart with lots of common sense. They make schedule cards, fill out reports, give medical chits to recruits, make count cards, record weights of recruits, make fire watch rosters, take down PFT scores, collect surveys, etc.
Fire Watch: a night watch (security night patrol) in the bay. They clean everything! They walk the barracks making sure no one leaves, hurts themselves, and no one unknown enters the floor. Each one gets to do it for an hour or two depending on the orders from the guide or someone higher up the chain of command. It rotates to each recruit on a routine basis, although can be used as a punishment for those that get in trouble. They also wake up the graveyard DIs and the platoons.
The term "fire watch" is a throw back to the old US Navy's wooden ships and barracks. They used to have open fires for heat and someone had to keep the fires burning without catching the ship or barracks on fire. Now the Fire Watch makes sure fires don't break out and that everything is secure.
Fire Team: is a four man team. The point man (in the front), team leader, gunner (provides support fire), and the assistant rifleman (watching the rear and supports the gunner). The gunner carries the automatic rifle "The Saw". Everyone rotates through these four positions of a fire team just like on fire watch. Everyone becomes a gunner at some point which supposedly is a position to play mind games with.
"House Mouse": generally is the smallest guy in the platoon. It's kind of an unfortunate title because they get lots of the cleaning duties, especially those on a personal level, like when a DI needs something shining.
Squad Leader: basically the acting DI when the Drill Instructor is preoccupied. Generally selected because of dedication, motivation, and good PFT (Physical Fitness Test), they are tasked with keeping the platoon motivated. This position generally shifts often during boot camp since many don't have the leadership qualities the DIs are looking for. This position can be difficult because the squad leaders "pay" for the mistakes of their squad. How well they square away their squad will 1) reduce "paying" for their mistakes; 2) increase the squad's cohesiveness; 3) demonstrate he really is a leader. The "carrot at the end of the stick" is that they have a higher chance of graduating as a Private First Class (PFC/E2), instead of a Private (Pvt/E1). Each platoon generally has about four squad leaders.
Guide: sleeps with and carries the PLT flag (Guidon) at all times at the head of the PLT. They are the highest level recruit and takes orders directly from the DIs and passes them on to the platoon. Basically "upper management." They actually can go over the DI's head to the SDI if he sees improper behavior or the DI is doing something wrong (harassment, hazing, etc.) and can report them with no effect or punishment to themselves.
Layreader: is the recruit with the deepest religious conviction, or so it seems. They lead the platoon in "prayer and devotion" time prior to the rack and offer spiritual guidance to recruits who have lost their way, if a chaplain is not presently available. This is what it sounds like Jeremiah and other recruits are referring to as "prayer leader."
"Witch Doctor": checks each recruit for Achilles tendonitis each night and helps recruites deal with stuff like blisters. They carry the first aid kid everywhere the platoon goes. They also apply the foot-powder, bandages and moleskin around at hygiene inspection and tell you how to take better care of your feet.
Knowledge Recruit: helps tutor any recruit struggling with learning all the information they need for their tests.
Whiskey Locker Pig: is in charge of the Whiskey Locker (supply room), handing out cleaning supplies and taking inventory at the end of the cleaning session to let the DI know what the platoon is running low on. They are also responsible for all the cleaning done and the cleaning schedule of the barracks, head and squad bay.
So, I'm learning, and Jeremiah's learning and we're one day closer to his graduating from boot camp!
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