M14 Forum

CharlieEcho · September 21st, 2011, 05:42 AM

Over at the CMP there was a thread started about the physical training and 782 gear. I went through boot camp in 1968 and we did the CMC Physical Readiness Test with 782 gear. We also did a physical fitness test in our "gym" clothes. I recall the week spent doing all sorts of test. First Aid, Patrolling, Signaling, History etc. Anyone care to weight in and bring us up to date or share some history? Semper Fi.

DI demonstrates the "fireman's carry",

In line for the ropes,

Climbing the ropes,

Jumping the ditch,

willriskit · September 21st, 2011, 06:07 AM

All of our 782 gear was WWII dated and of the 1941 pattern until we were issued M14's, then the only change was a new belt, bayonet and mag pouches. Brownside/greenside was a royal pain. Great pix of the aluminum BAR's! Memory occasionally fails after 50+ years, but I seem to recall that we had aluminum Garands too. Once we got to regular units, staff NCO's were exempt from PRT's and I recall some WWII guys who were hopelessly lardy by today's standards. At a squadron beach party, one of the 2nd Lt.'s patted a gunny on the beer gut and asked if it was Pabst or Bud. Gunny C. replied:"There's a spigot there sir, why don't you taste it?"

USMC6094 · January 16th, 2012, 06:14 PM

We did a boots and utes with rifles run when we were on the rifle range at PI when I was there, and the deuce was on as a matter of course. Also did bayonet training with it on not to mention some parts of swim qual.

Swamp Rat · January 16th, 2012, 06:18 PM

In boot camp we did that a lot. In the fleet hardly any. Before we deployed in 08 and 09 we did gear training runs but most of our pre-deployment training consisted of financial planning and other garrison garbage.

willriskit · January 16th, 2012, 06:33 PM

I had an unforgetable conversation with a fellow Marine in 1962 when he was bitching about a coming PRT. He was ranting about the emphasis on physical training and was claiming that it was part of our leadership's WWII mentality. According to him, the next war was going to be push button, so we didn't need physical training standards. Three years later, our outfit was in SE Asia where the minimal required standards of fitness for daily survival far exceeded those of stateside PRT's.