Posted on 07/22/2007 6:46:27 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
First the Marine Corps made Chuck Norris an honorary Marine. Now the Corps wants all Marines to follow in his footsteps.
All Marines must now qualify for their tan belt in the Corps' version of martial arts by the end of 2007, Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said in a recent Corps-wide message.
The move mostly affects those who joined before 2001, when the service made the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program part of basic training and the Basic School, said 1st Lt. Brian P. Donnelly, a spokesman for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
The Corps originally hoped to have all Marines earn their tan belt by the end of fiscal 2003 and then have Marines attain higher belts by the end of fiscal 2004.
Now the higher belts are no longer goals but requirements for Marines, Donnelly said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.
"All infantrymen will be trained to green belt by the end of CY [calendar year] 2008," Conway said in the July 16 message. "All other combat arms Marines will be trained to gray belt by the end of CY 2008."
The changes apply to all Marines, including reservists, said retired Lt. Col. Joseph C Shusko, director of the Martial Arts Center of Excellence.
"A Marine is a Marine," he said.
The tan belt shows that Marines have mastered basic skills such as how to fall, move, throw punches, choke an opponent and counter someone coming at you, Shusko said.
The gray belt is the next step up and shows Marines have learned techniques such as lower-body strikes, chokes and how to get out of a headlock, he said.
The green belt is third in the series and shows Marines have learned skills such as how to rip muscle from bone, Shusko said.
The martial-arts training also teaches Marines how to hone their mental skills as warriors, Shusko said. This involves learning about other cultures such as the Spartans, Zulus and Apaches.
Another component of the training is character development, which ties the physical skills Marine learn with what they do as good citizens, he said.
Conway praised the character development aspect of the martial-arts training in the message.
"It has, at its center, the Marine Corps ethos that includes our core values of honor, courage, and commitment, as well as the legacy of selfless and honorable services passed from one generation of Marines to the next," Conway said in the message.
The switch to mandatory martial arts training came after Training and Education Command recommended revamping the program as part of changes to Marine character training, Shusko said. Those changes include moving the climactic "Crucible" exercise — where Marines march about 40 miles over 54 hours with little food or sleep — to the end of basic training.
Because he HATED cleaning them. At least a quarter of my time in boot seemed like it was cleaning weapons with Q-Tips and toothbrushes. Forget using modern cleaning fliud ... you're doing it with CLP ... basic oil.
You've never gone through gun cleaning hell until you've had your weapon rejected 10 times by the armorers.
Your cat (we have eyes everywhere):
The behavior looks right but my cat is “fluffier.” Maybe he’s wearing a disguise...
Sat Cong...Sat Moozzi...
Am I gettin warm?
Once upon a time, both the Army and the Marines taught hand to hand combat in Basic Training. It was phased out shortly before I entered Basic though, because too many recruits were getting into trouble in bars on furlough (actually getting their backsides handed to them by civilians, or so the DI's told me).
If this new program was designed by somebody like Norris, though, it may well be worthwhile...
the infowarrior
Bacon belt?
Your Kung Fu is weak, Al Queda boy! My Kung Fu comes with landing craft!
LOL,,,Ya’ll Too ?,,,C/3/5,,,3-1966,,,Chuck Who ? BWAhahaha!
Norris had significant training in other styles, including judo. Incidentally, Norris was in the Air Force.
I think a good start to designing a combat program is to go to those ultimate fighting championship websites and read the rules. Find out what’s prohibited, and design the curriculum around that. I’ve studied two different taekwondo styles and have all the belts to show for it, and the self training I’ve done in the “illegal” techniques, I think, will be more efficient.
I meant effective.
We deserve a Leesville survival medal.
ping
That was being taught back in the early 80s along with gouging out eyeballs with one’s thumbs, breaking ankles with one’s boots, breaking necks with cupped hands, driving the septum into the brain with the butt of one’s hand, tearing off ears with the flick of a wrist, driving a K-Bar up underneath the rib cage, etc. This is nothing new.
We deserve a Leesville survival medal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOL,,,Ain’t that the truth,,,Polk has changed alot,,,
The guard-shacks at the gates are now flower-beds,,,
(shakin’ head)...
Chuck Norris and close combat fun in the Marines ping!
Man, are you and I ever on the same page.
Semper fidelis,
LH
Commandant Conway is big on "rules of engagement", "battlefield ethics" and ratting out your brother-in-arms if you think he accidently hurt a civilian during a battle, etc. The guy is a political hack, and I can only wonder how many Marines will lose their lives because they hesitate for a split second to squeeze the trigger as they wonder if they will end up in court martial.
I have a bookmark full of evidence that this may already be the case.
Semper fidelis,
LH
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