When anyone first joins the Marine Corps, they know, to an certain extent, that it is going to be hard at first. Many young recruits arrive at boot camp overweight and out of shape. Many have never been away from home before. While some have experience in school groups like the Young Marines, many are quick to realize that life in real Marine boot camp is nothing like what is learned in civilian life.
The first night, many recruits are told they would get no sleep until the next night. Impossible, they think. No way! Already having slept little due to the uncertainty, the fears and the "great unknown", many recruits arrive at boot camp already weary to the bone and wanting to just sleep for a few hours. One more night without sleep?
But they do it. The next day, recruits are introduced to Physical Training, aka P.T. Impossible, they think, eyes agog. There is no way that after not sleeping and not eating well days, sometimes more, that they can possibly run or jump or perform one hundred push ups or sits ups or anything else. However, they run, they jump and the do more push-ups than they ever thought would have been possible.
It doesn’t really get easier. Sore muscles grow sorer. Blisters beget more blisters. Every session of PT seems to push them to the limits and yet they endure one more, and then one more after that. The Marine Corps has the important job of training a bunch of skinny, overweight, weak or anywhere-in-between green recruits into the best, most disciplined fighting force in the world.
The Marines are not few in numbers because of their inability to recruit, but because the Marine Corp’s beliefs in quality over quantity. That is why they are the few and the proud. If Marine boot camp did not make the impossible possible, they would not be the best. Only those with ambitious goals can realize ambitious results.