T-23 (August 8)

T-23 (August 8)

Today the recruits get moved over to WFTBN at Camp Pendleton for "Grass Week."  WFTBN means Weapons and Field Training Battalion.  It's a self contained complex that has rifle and pistol ranges, field training areas, classrooms, mess hall, billeting, medical, and admin facilities.  It even has a PX (what must be the term for the "exchange" on a Marine base).

Monday starts phase 2 and will be held at WFTBN.  They recruits will actually travel back to WFTBN for the final phase of their training in Phase 3 - The Crucible.  For now, though, the will be some of the 20,000 annual recruits that train in marksmanship and individual combat skills here.

According to the Base Guide: "Weapons and Field Training Battalion (WFTBN), located at Edson Range in the 31 Area, is a major subordinate command under the commanding general, Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD San Diego."

Edson Range is names after Major General Merrit A. "Red Mike" Edson, a WWII Medal of Honor winner and distinguished small arms marksman.  Just something for that Gee Wiz file.  :-)

Besides getting moved, it sounds like today will be their CFT (Combat Fitness Test).  For this test they have three categories to score in:

• Movement to Contact - an 880-yard run in boots and utility pants
• Ammo Lift - two minutes of lifting a 30-pound ammo can over the head
• Maneuver Under Fire - which is part obstacle course, part conditioning, and part combat test consisting of:
• 10-yard sprint
• 15-yard crawl (low then high crawl)
• hauling a simulated casualty using two different carries: drag and fireman's carry over 75 yards zigzaging through cones
• sprint while carrying two 30-pound ammo cans over 75 yards through the same cones
• throwing a dummy hand grenade into a marked circle 22.5 yards away (adding 5 seconds to total time if missed)
• 3 pushups and a sprint with the ammo cans to the finish line.

Sheesh!  That makes me tired just thinking about it!

Like the PFT, a perfect score would be 300 points.  According to the CFT Scoring Table, males need to have Movement to Contact in under 2 minutes 45 seconds (2:45) to have a perfect 100.  One point is lost for every two seconds over that time up to four minutes and 13 seconds (4:13).  The ammo lift has a perfect score of 100 if the ammo canister is lifted 91 times.  It's kind of odd how the score decreases, but approximately 5 points are lost for each 7 lifts less than 91 down to 33 lifts.  A perfect score of 100 for maneuver under fire means the exercise is done in under two minutes 14 seconds (2:14).  A point is lost for each 2 seconds over the 2:14 it takes the exercise to be completed, up to the longest time of three minutes and 58 seconds (3:58).

These recruits must be getting really strong if they can do all that in such a short amount of time.  Ooh-rah recruits!