The Crucible During Marine Corps Recruit Training

After pushing through the last nine miles of the Crucible, the 54-hour culminating event of training, recruits of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, arrived at the Iwo Jima flag raising statue August 29, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. Upon completion of the hike, each recruit finally earned the title Marine, making this the defining moment of the previous 12 weeks of training. Echo Company is scheduled to graduate September 4, 2015.
—USMC photos by Lance Corporal Vanessa Austin.

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Recruits navigate through the Weaver obstacle during the Crucible Confidence Course at Edson Range, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California on January 6, 2015.
—USMC photo/released.

The Crucible is a test every recruit must go through to become a Marine. It tests every recruit physically, mentally and morally and is the defining experience of recruit training. The Crucible takes place over 54-hours and includes food and sleep deprivation and over 45 miles of marching. The Crucible event pits teams of recruits against a barrage of day and night events requiring every recruit to work together to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and help each other along the way.

The obstacles they face include long marches, combat assault courses, the leadership reaction course, and the team-building warrior stations.

Each warrior station is named for a Marine hero whose actions epitomize the values the USMC wants recruits to adopt.

The bottom line is this—the Crucible is a rite of passage that, through shared sacrifice, recruits will never forget. With that memory and the core values learned in recruit training, they will be able to face any challenges in their path.