WTSP #226 – From the Rooftop Oath to MCRD San Diego: Dennis Heads to the Marine Corps Educators Workshop

What's the Scuttlebutt Podcast – Episode 226

This week on What's the Scuttlebutt, Don and Dennis discuss how a simple idea that began with the creation of the Rooftop Oath event unexpectedly opened the door to an incredible opportunity for Dennis.

Dennis shares the story of being selected to attend the United States Marine Corps Educators Workshop, an immersive week-long program hosted at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Designed for educators, community leaders, coaches, counselors, and other influential professionals, the workshop provides participants with a firsthand look at how the Marine Corps transforms civilians into Marines.

Throughout the week, attendees experience many aspects of Marine Corps life, including recruit training demonstrations, physical fitness events, leadership exercises, classroom instruction, and direct interaction with Marines at various stages of their careers. The program aims to demystify military service while educating participants on Marine Corps training, career opportunities, educational benefits, and the values of honor, courage, and commitment that define the Corps.

Dennis discusses how the invitation came about, what he hopes to learn from the experience, and why programs like the Educators Workshop play an important role in building understanding between the military and the communities it serves. He also shares his thoughts on representing the living history and veteran communities while gaining a unique behind-the-scenes look at one of the most respected military training organizations in the world.

Join Don and Dennis as they explore this exciting opportunity, reflect on the connections that made it possible, and discuss what listeners can expect to hear when Dennis returns from San Diego with stories and insights from inside the Marine Corps experience.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Digital Fortin Media proudly presents the What's the Scuttlebutt Podcast with your hosts, Don Abernathy, Jeff Kopsetta, and Dennis Blocker.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Welcome everybody to another episode of the What's the Scuttlebutt Podcast, your favorite World War II based podcast. First and foremost, I am uh you know, I've been trying to stay off of social media a little bit, but I went on Facebook this weekend and I am thrilled to see the number of photos from different D-Day events across the country. Bunch of photos out there. It looked like there's a lot of great D-Day events that happened this past weekend. So just a shout out to our living history community, loving to see some of the larger turnouts at events again. But we'll get on down that down the road. But Dennis had a very cool opportunity, and we're not going to waste any more time. We want to hear about Dennis' opportunity. The reason we had a rerun episode last week is because, well, Dennis had this opportunity and it just made sense to hold out. So, Dennis, without any further ado, without any more hinting around, how did you end up where you ended up and um what was it like? What did you learn?

SPEAKER_05 1:10

Yeah, so the opportunity came from um the rooftop oath event and working with closely with the uh Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Antonio Station, and um Captain Gaskin, in particular the XO out there, and uh Staff Sergeant Montez. Um, yeah, just so literally two weeks ago, maybe two and a half weeks ago, I got a call from Staff Sergeant Montez, and she said, Hey, um Dennis, would you like to go to a Marine Corps uh workshop, educators workshop? And I'm like, Yeah, heck yeah, that sounds awesome. I go, when is it? She goes, in two weeks. It's like, oh man.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Well, I gotta see if I can get time off.

SPEAKER_05 1:58

Right. So I'm like, oh, oh, okay. Um, let me see if I can manage some things. And I was like, how soon do you need to know? And she's like, 15 minutes ago. Yeah, by morning and preferably evening. So um I'm like, okay, so called up my uh director of operations for the company I work for and told them about the opportunity. And I used up all my PTO for the rooftop oath event. Oh, yeah. So I used it all up. So I I think I have a day left. And um so I said, well, you know, if I could go, that'd be awesome. And I understand it'll be without pay. So they let me they let me take the time. So uh basically, um, they they not basically they paid for flight, they paid for lodging at a resort on the bay in San Diego.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Well, let's back up a little bit. What exactly is this conference? What is it for? Is it for yeah? So it's the whole intention behind it.

SPEAKER_05 3:07

Yeah, it's the the Marines know that they get the majority of their enlistments from students right out of high school, and so they know that historically the teachers have been the ones that have worked closely with them, developing relationships with the families and the kiddos and facilitating and you know, saying, Hey, you should meet this kid, he's really great, he's motivated, blah, blah, blah. So uh the Marines um several years ago started a program, this educators workshop, and they fly in educators from the various um recruit stations, recruiting stations. And um on this particular journey, it was a recruiting station Phoenix, recruiting station San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, uh, all which fall under our recruiting area eight. And um yeah, so all these, you know, I I thought, well, it's gonna be me and maybe four or five people. No, it was me and 56 other people. Wow. And uh yeah, it's a significant number of people, and um all I was the only one that wasn't an quote unquote educated. I was gonna ask you about that. So um I I the the reason that I was uh asked to come, there was several reasons. One being that what we had done for the Marine Corps, sure and uh preserving that history, the rooftop oath, and the events that we've had since then that they've had not had to pay for and that are so historically significant to the Marines. Um also they they know that we we have a podcast, you know, and that we have reach, and um that we have listeners, and that um they are that's and they know about COG, that our efforts to um interact with the youth and to educate and um preserve, and so it really does go hand in hand with their mission.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Yeah, I mean it makes sense if you're gonna have a a a person who has the um the foot in the world in which you do, and Jeff does as well, um, just being A, as you said, the podcast, B, you're at these events, you're finding yourself at more and more living history events. And so it stands a reason that the people who are gonna attend those events are gonna have some sort of interest in the subject, according and as well as the teenagers and and younger adults, and you're gonna be communicating with them. And if they have questions, why not make sure you have the correct answers and you know be able to talk to them in modern day terms? Because yeah, we we do World War II, but we're talking 90s 90-year-old military, you know, what what have you? And so to have you know modern day answers and information for them is probably a huge benefit for the Marine Corps, yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 6:14

Yeah, and uh they're they're just just uh outstanding, just exceptional, and they took such good care of us. Where was the location of the uh the event? Yeah, San Diego. So every day is just beautiful. Um, the hotel was on San Diego Bay, okay. Uh it was right across from Coronado Island, and it was actually a resort, and um they we they fed us three meals a day, uh bust us everywhere we needed to go, they lodged us, um and we had the uh flights, and they even pay you a little bit for for participating.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

When it comes to your fellow um attendees or um associates, if you will, were more than college educators, high school educators, middle school people in different alternative education high school.

SPEAKER_05 7:10

Yeah, 95% high school, and two were uh high school band. And um and one of those uh band leaders actually had two students from his this year's graduating class join the Marines uh to go into Marine Corps music. Um but uh yeah, they're all high school educators. Uh from one Dr. Um uh Dr. Ray White, she's uh the uh assistant principal out at Segin ISD uh high school. Um and then you know Corpus uh Eagle Pass.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

So is this primarily a Texas area educator workshop? Or were there people that are in the world?

SPEAKER_05 7:58

We had probably 20 from Phoenix. Okay, and um yeah, that there was uh there was a good group from Phoenix as well. Yeah. Um but there was a very large group from Texas, um, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, San Antonio, but really it San Antonio especially branched out into we we picked up people from Lobredo and from Corpus Christi and from um Eagle Pass. Um and um it was kind of funny. We we all were on we all had the same itinerary, okay, and so we but we didn't know each other and kind of felt like you're on like a high school trip. Yeah, we were kind of like trying to pick who we thought the other members were in the Denver transit where we had to transfer planes, so we definitely knew on this flight to San Diego is definitely gonna be, you know, people going to this event. So we were we were all sitting there, and but we had a group chat. Yeah, that one looks like you know an educator. Um, but we had a group chat and that that Sergeant Montez made, and then I I got on there and I said uh Dennis Blocker, Denver Gate, red bag, black bag, jeans, white shirt, you know, and then someone else came in, black and white jumpsuit, Dr. Ray.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

Somebody walks up behind you, the crow flies at midnight.

SPEAKER_05 9:32

So um we we then we started laughing and we started gathering there at the Denver Gate, um, but uh and started developing uh friendships that that just grew stronger over the next couple days.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

Now, did a majority of them have I mean, did a major did you discover a lot of the the attendees have a um interest in the historical side of military or just everything across the board?

SPEAKER_05 9:59

Everything across the board. I I think that's what made it really even more powerful was that these are people that had if they had any pre-judgment, it was negative against the Marine Corps.

SPEAKER_02 10:11

And I'm I'm glad you brought that up because I didn't really want to, I was hesitant to breach that, but let's be honest. Over the last 10 years or so, especially in the education space in some parts of the country, um, you know, there may be a professional viewpoint on military and recruitment on campuses, whether high school or college or what have you. And so the fact that this is an educator-based workshop, it it would, I guess my question was going to be did you was everybody kind of pro before? Were there people on the fence? I mean, what what was your kind of your overall take at the beginning versus at the end of the weekend?

SPEAKER_05 10:54

Yeah, you know, everybody they they arrive. Um, I'm squared away. I'm I'm good to go. Like I honestly, yeah, I'm fully on board. Uh, but then you know, you're you're you're picking up conversations, and um you know, folks, they they don't know anything about the military except what they've seen in movies and um full metal jacket and apocalypse now, you know.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

And just a reminder, if if you were one of those people who were kind of on the fence, just the fact that you're going says a tremendous a lot amount about your you as a person and your ability to perhaps go um sit through something that you may not know if you fully agree with or not, or maybe you have hesitant feelings because you don't know, you haven't been exposed to it. And so that that says a tremendous amount about their character to potentially put them in something that they may not feel comfortable with, you know, just because they don't know. So just showing up and signing up for it says a lot about their them and being educators.

SPEAKER_05 11:57

Absolutely. And and that's you know, we we let's be real, like you said, that you know, if you're an educator, you're there is a predominance bent there, seems to be historically, especially nowadays.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

And it depends on what part of the country you're from, too.

SPEAKER_05 12:14

Yeah, but still though, even down here, even it's like there's a very particular bent in education, and um so that that's very true. What you said, it's like for them to be willing, it says a lot, and I and I I think it reflects too in a way, it reflects on where the country as a whole is that the majority of the country is is is center and rational, but the other sides of both spectrums are just so loud and boisterous. And uh, I think it was a really good illustration of um and it should be said not to interrupt you, but and it should be said school's out, they're on vacation.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

It's not like they're saying, Okay, I'm gonna go do this, you have a week of work.

SPEAKER_05 12:54

Um they are on their vacation now, and they're still yeah, and that was that was addressed by uh the commander of the uh training recruit uh depot. Uh, she's a full bird colonel, and and she did address that. She she thanked everybody because she knew that they didn't have to be there, like they were on vacation, and and said a well-deserved vacation. And then they come there and we got what we got, but which I'll go over. But uh um, yeah, so that was it, it was so the the we we were we arrived late. All right, the Texans arrived late uh because of a big storm pushed through Denver. We were stuck there. We we we had a hard uh time that we needed to be in San Diego at by 5:30 for a briefing that the Marine Corps was going to do at the hotel in a conference room for dinner. We missed it. Like as we were walking up, tired, exhausted. Uh, everybody was leaving, and um they had food there that they kept for us, and we just kind of walked in, sat down, plopped down, everybody's quiet, exhausted, wolfed down the food. They gave us a really quick briefing, um, and um keys for the rooms and uh itinerary for tomorrow, the following day, and uh have a good night. And so it was just kind of like wow, that was a really uh quick introduction to uh well.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

I mean, since obviously since they did all the logistics, they had access to see that oh, yeah, these flights are late. You know, this is out of their control.

SPEAKER_05 14:31

Yeah, certain staff server montez was already she had gone before, and so she had created wisely had created that uh chat group. So we were keeping her abreast of um you know our situation with the flight and this and that. Um yeah, so uh in the morning, uh breakfast, 0600 hours. We're getting into it, you know, six o'clock breakfast, and the bus is leaving at 6 45. And um, so but you know, it's it's a group that's pretty squared away, right? You're educators, you're you're there way before students, so no big deal.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

Yeah, I think Carrie has over because she teaches fourth grade now, she has over like 30 alarms on her phone because during the day it has to be alarm goes off specials and take the kids here, this and that, and now she's on summer break. But I saw her call through her phone turning off all her alarms. It's like scroll, scroll, scroll. It's like eight hours worth of alarms set 15, 20 minutes apart, just uh because of logistics. And so if if you're gonna have a group of people that need to be somewhere on time and on a schedule, a teacher is not a bad person to ask to do that.

SPEAKER_05 15:39

That's exactly right. Yeah, we then and uh that was something that our group would be famous for with the Marines about our punctuality and being where we needed to be when we needed to be there. They appreciated that big time.

SPEAKER_02 15:55

Um, I felt like you had to make it for lost time because you're late the first day.

SPEAKER_05 16:00

Yeah, and then we of course they knew that wasn't our fault. No, I know. Um the uh you know, and then so it's yes, 645 starts approaching. We're looking out the windows at the at the breakfast restaurant at on the uh resort campus there, and you just see the parking lot start to fill up with Marines and in uniform and uh battle dress, um and uh and and some that were in um dressed uniforms, not the blues but the the greens. And uh you know, and I and you know, I had been through uh army uh boot camp in 01, so I I knew what was ahead of us, but um I was just looking around at everybody and just smiling like this is gonna be quite did they give you a little bit of taste? No, well that they they yes, and so everybody gets on the bus and um we're all there, everybody's laughing and you know, caffeinated.

SPEAKER_02 16:57

And uh there wasn't any yellow footprints in the parking lot, was there?

SPEAKER_05 17:02

We're on a uh we're on a field trip, you know, and uh all of a sudden here comes these heavy footprints up the the steps of the bus. Here comes uh drill instructor Esquivel, and uh he starts yelling at everybody to shut up and um to listen up, and he starts going over some things when he says eyes, he wants everybody to yell out click, and that means your eyes come on me immediately. Let's try it, eyes click, click, sir, and then your eyes are on him. And he goes, ears. That means when I say ears, it means you don't have to look at me, but you I do want you to listen, so I want you to say open, sir. Let's try it. Ears open, sir. I can't hear you. Ears open, sir. And he goes, Well, we're gonna count. I need you to grab your left and I say execute, you pop it up and you say snap, and you hold it until you're counted off, and then you drop your arm and no you've been counted. So we do roll call every day on the bus. So we're like, Yes, sir, sorry, aye aye, sir. So he tells us, uh, no talking on the bus at all. And so then everybody's just quiet. And as we're approaching Pendleton, uh, I mean uh MCRD, uh, he tells everybody, look at the deck. So we're not allowed to watch as we're going through the gate, right? We're gonna get the full experience. So it's dead quiet in this bus, 28 people on our bus, 20 something on the other. And uh, we're all looking at the deck, and I know what's coming is the yellow footprints, right? So we pull up, and then sure enough, here comes the rush. All these jewel sergeants come rushing up to the bus, just screaming, get off by bus, boom, boom, boom, get on the footprint, boom, go, go, go, go. And uh, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

It's gotta be fun for them too, because they're they're usually screaming at a bunch of 17, 18-year-old, 19-year-old men and women, and now you got people ranging probably from 30 into their 50s.

SPEAKER_05 19:08

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, so uh everybody's you know rushing around, and um they put us through that. They they then we had to left face, and you look up at the proclamation, the rules. There's like 13 or 14 rules, and they they they uh tell you to take a left knee, left knee. One of the guys in front of us is so old he couldn't kneel, so he's trying to kneel, he's tottering. And uh you're like first, then they go through all these, and after everyone you say, aye aye, ma'am, and then you rush inside and they take us to the famous red cubicles where you're gonna do the um make sure you don't have any contrabands. So everybody's got a cubicle you're facing. You dump out your bag, and uh out of my bag came a little chapstick, and I was like, Oh no, you're gonna get roasted.

SPEAKER_06 19:59

I was like, Oh, I hope they don't see that blocker.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

What's the matter with you? You got sensitive lips, boy.

SPEAKER_06 20:04

You got those little sensitive lips. I was like, I saw the chapstick, I was like, oh no.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

If it was a movie, it would the the the audio would go quiet and in slow motion, that thing would roll off the counter and hit the floor, make a boom, and all eyes would just turn on this thing as it slowly rolled across the floor. Oh no, and the narration that's when I knew I was in trouble. I was screwed. Then you feel the breathing on the back of your neck.

SPEAKER_05 20:35

Oh man. So they they they actually have made us like grab our phones, put your phones out in front of you, call your loved one, and ask you.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_05 20:45

Yep, yep, they made us do that. So I called my dad. This recruit has arrived safely at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. You do not attempt to contact me, you will receive a letter in the mail in one week. It's time. Thank you for your support. I love you. Click. So we did that whole thing, and the whole time the Marines are just they're just flooding the room, just like Barracuda's just behind you in front of you, just sweeping, sweeping, just scanning. No rest. And uh, and then he says, Everybody face this way, and so we all turn that way. And then he uh he took his hat off and he he brushed it down, he smiled, and he says, ladies and then he uses regular voice, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, this was a demonstration of what the recruits go through when we grab them. Um, it's chaotic on purpose, and blah blah blah blah. And then he says, Does anyone have any questions? And then some teachers had some questions and he answered them, just super cool. And uh it was it was neat to see him just come out of it and just be this really sweet person, kind of person, respectful. And uh whereas he before you were just uh it was funny because some of the teachers I couldn't remember their their left from their right, and uh

SPEAKER_02 22:00

For a lot of lot of people, man. I mean, that's probably I mean, if you work on you know a construction side or a warehouse job, you're getting yelled at by somebody all day long, but somebody works in like a school environment or an office environment, it's probably been a good while since you've been actually yelled at by somebody.

SPEAKER_05 22:16

Yeah, yeah, especially like that, and flooded. Flooded with people yelling at you, just chaos. Um, yeah, so they took us to a conference room then, and um, we got several lectures from uh different officers, commanders of different units, and um and then from there they they they taught our group how to march, and uh we marched everywhere that the rest of the day went to uh actual uh barracks, sat on there just like if we were one of the they had four drill instructors come in, just like they would on our first day there, how they introduced themselves.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

Now for the audience listening at home who may be wondering, particularly the females in the audience, did they give you guys a heads up? Did you have any poor young women in there, like in low heels and just uncomfortable shoes clopping around all day, or did they say, hey, you guys may want to put on your trainers before you come?

SPEAKER_05 23:07

Yeah, they had um they gave us all itinerary and uh and uh um proper attire for each day.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

That's good. Could you imagine like Carrie will go to work and you know, some sandal she gets at Target for like seven dollars? I'm like, those can't have hard supports on them. Those guys, you're wearing you know, a leather cardboard strap on your foot. I couldn't imagine it's bad enough that she teaches like that voluntarily, but to to show up at something like that in some less than desirable shoes and have to march around all day would be torture.

SPEAKER_05 23:39

Yeah, for sure. Uh no, they were they were good, they gave us a heads up on how to dress, so we were all in our tennis and um uh shorts and whatnot. Um yeah, so just uh meeting drill instructors and getting yelled at and learning how to march and marching by actual units of young people in their formations marching expertly. Um and uh, you know, here comes our Humpty Dumpty group.

SPEAKER_02 24:09

And um it's just imagine being some 18, 19 year old recruit turnover, and there's a there's your screw, your your group just trumping on through. Like, I must have thought, man, I need some sleep because I could have sworn I just saw my teacher over there.

SPEAKER_05 24:29

Oh man. Uh yeah, and then they actually put us through the combat fitness test.

SPEAKER_02 24:34

Really?

SPEAKER_05 24:35

We had to do two laps around the the field and uh had to beat a minute. I think at the time was 318 to be the minimum, and um nobody met it, like of course, and then uh there was like you have to low crawl across a quarter of the field, bear crawl across the another quarter of the field, and then uh sprint, zigzag, throw a hand grenade, grab, which wasn't live, grab a buddy who's standing there, fireman drag him for 50 yards, and then firemen carry him for another 50. Um, and of course that didn't happen. I was like, my back was already hurting that morning. And I told uh I told the uh there's there's uh uh so what happened was I was tying my shoes at the hotel room this morning and got a little twinge in my back. I told the marine motivator that was with me, I was like, yeah, no, this ain't gonna happen. 23 years, 23 years emergency room, like and EMS like pulling people out of vehicles and dead weight, my back is jacked, ain't no way. I says now if this was an emergency, yes, I would pick him up, but hey, no way. I'm not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_02 25:50

I got to walk the rest of this pro.

SPEAKER_05 25:54

Um, but it was very uh and that the point that they wanted to make was how fit these Marines are, and they are freaking fit. And um they had a Marine demonstrate it before who he expertly did it, and uh, and then after that, you know, the first day, this is still the first day, you know, and and we're we go to Chow and we get to eat cafeteria, and uh it was freaking good, and then we went to uh see uh uh knife fighting course and how to disarm people and then how to disarm a weapon from uh handgun from somebody. And uh it was such good information. And then they did a uh uh demonstration with uh with the dogs, uh bite work and running from them and taking them down and this and that. And then um uh then they had probably what was my favorite, Don, was they had a panel and they did these every day. And and this particular one uh was a panel of uh young people that had been Marines for maybe a year or two. And uh this young lady, her name was last name was Hernandez, and she uh she's very tiny, like a twig. And she says, Look, she goes, I'm Os the runt in the family. Nobody expected me to do anything. And she said, and that made me mad. And I I joined the Marines because I wanted to do what nobody thought I could do, and I just she goes, I'll be real, I I wanted to get out of my mom's house. And so she says I joined right out after high school, and she says, and now here I am um a sergeant, and I have just last year I processed three million dollars through our office for the Marine Corps, and we won awards because of my um things that I've implemented. Our office won awards, and she says, and I just turned 20. Wow, and uh and when I go home and visit, my friends from high school are doing something at home, planet. They're still sitting at home, and I've already been to South Africa, I've been to Belgium, and uh she's like, Yeah, so that's what the Marines did for me.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

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SPEAKER_05 29:43

And it was the same for the other three. Um, you know, they all were talking about that.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

And did they give you guys like an overview of like the history of the Marine Corps, its founding and all that stuff?

SPEAKER_05 29:54

No, no. Um, they they of course talked a little bit about you know some of the famous Marines, Chesty Polar and and and whatnot, but uh most of the time it was uh and then they did talk a lot about what benefits students get. Uh GI Bill, and even when they're in, they even get tuition for while they're in, and assistance, and they live on base, everything is free, and they can really and every every every freaking Marine we met, every student, every kid all was taking courses, college courses. And uh, you know, they always hear this stuff about eating crayons and all that. That's not that's maybe back in the old days. Like these these Marines are freaking smart and uh and fit and warriors. Um we definitely went back home back to the hotel that night, exhausted. And um but it was interesting listening to the conversations, you know. So was this a full week, a half a week? Yeah, so it was uh you arrived we arrived um Monday evening, um, and then and then it was you know full day Tuesday, full day, Wednesday, full day, Thursday, and then we departed Friday.

SPEAKER_02 31:19

So it seems like if you're an educator and somehow this opportunity finds its way to you with the appropriate amount of notice, it seems like it's basically a no-brainer, right? Right, it's like you're not out of pocket anything, just your time. You get a cool experience. I I I can't possibly see like any sort of you know why you wouldn't if someone came to you and said, Hey, here's this thing you might be interested in, check it out.

SPEAKER_05 31:52

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was it was awesome.

SPEAKER_02 31:56

And and I think if they had kept up the intensity that they had the first day, I I think that it would have been a little bit taxing because I was gonna say, yeah, they probably realized, look, these cats aren't gonna be in this for a long haul, you know.

SPEAKER_05 32:12

Right. So thank god they backed they backed off on the intensity after the first day. The second and third full days were just they didn't care if we were in in stepping formation or not. Yeah, they didn't care if we talked in on the bus. So the first day was just to establish the shock and all, and then um, you know, we had to do count, we had to not screw up, we had to do that, we had to go where it said to go, and the marine and the drill sergeant just that was a mistake I made by the way. I called out on the bus, drill sergeant. I was wondering, and he looks over at one of his buddies and he just smiles real big like a barracuda. And I was like, Oh, that's right. I said drill sergeant, that's army. So he spared my life on that one.

SPEAKER_02 32:59

Um, but uh yeah, then the next day um was just um lots of uh was there any was there any other moments like that from other attendees where someone just during that first day or that first morning when you guys were still in that that simulation, was there any other funny, memorable little things that stand out by a miscommunication or misstep and when speaking up on their behalf? Um or were you the only one to put a foot in the mouth?

SPEAKER_05 33:28

Uh and that was at the end of the week, too. I should have known better. Um no, not not really. Everybody was uh everybody was really pretty on point and just like being quiet, being respectful, not not being obnoxious. Uh, there was there was one really funny moment when we we because they took us to the rappel tower and we got to repel down the famous uh Marine Corps uh tower. How tall, 60 feet, and uh, which when you're looking up, you're like, oh I ain't bad. And then when you get to the top and you're looking down, it's like holy um everything's taller from the top. They they put us through all the training like they do the the troops, uh the marines, and uh they did the rope harness that they fantasy around you and they get you cinched it up real tight.

SPEAKER_06 34:21

And there was this one teacher, this black lady uh from uh a school up in Dallas. She she come walking out and she is cinched, and her she is pouring out of this thing, right? And and she just says this awesome voice, she's like, I ain't never been snatched like this before. Oh yeah, we laughed so hard, we were crying.

SPEAKER_02 34:48

Oh my gosh, there's no modesty in a climbing harness ice wall. No, when I was fresh out of high school, I used to work for the sports store in Columbus called Gallions, and we had a 40-foot climbing wall. And so after work or before I'd show up before work and I'd climb all the different routes. So yeah, everything's taller from the top, and there's no modesty, particularly for guys in a climbing harness, because it squeezes you in all the wrong spots and accentuates things that have never been situated in public in that country.

SPEAKER_05 35:17

Yes, genes all bulged out. And afterwards, um the uh the commander of the unit that did this training for those uh this captain, he addressed everybody and he goes, He goes, Look, I do this, we do this all the time. I always have Marines that that freeze at the top, and they're refused. They look down and they're like, Nope. He goes, Not one of you educators froze, every educator did it. She's like, I he's like, I am really impressed. This is a courageous group, and and that that was kind of the tone that Captain uh T Jack TJ um she said at the beginning was this she's the one who was organized it um and MC'd the whole thing, and she was amazing. And uh she told everyone, like, you'll get out of this what you put in. If if you're complaining and you're not wanting to be a part of any of it, and you just kind of hang back, you're not gonna have a great experience. But if you put into it and you try all these different things, you're gonna have a blast, and that was definitely the case. Um, I think one of the most memorable moments was the uh the water safety. Um we got to see them run 300 young 17 and 18-year-old kids through the water safety pool. And they had for the pool divided up into three sections. One section, your helmet flak M16 full gear, and you step into the forefoot, and you're supposed to totally submerge and stay underwater and take everything off and come up with everything off. Um, your uniforms on, of course, but your gear to save yourself. Uh then your the next section is you're taught to float and to use your uniform to help you float, and to even with your boots on and you're in full uniform again, you're floating. And then where we were sitting was behind this very tall uh flat platform that replicates the side of a ship. So they they're having them replicate your ship has been damaged, it's going down, and you have to step off into the ocean. So just stepping off isn't the end, it's the beginning because now you need to save yourself and you have to get away from the ship and you need to get to this other ship that's going to come and save you. So you have to stay afloat and you have to backstroke and paddle your way. Um, and so the kids that we were watching had all failed previously, and so they were terrified. It was a very uh it was a gut punch because a lot of the kids look like, and this is an interesting uh study on um anthropology. Maybe that's not the right word, but one of the things that we did notice as a group was that all the kids were looked like maybe perhaps they were immigrants and from I would say from Africa, South America, and Asia. And uh they were the ones that were having trouble swimming.

SPEAKER_02 38:27

People who came from suburban and urban areas who may have not had access to a pool as a kid and had all the those formative years of just jackassing around with your buddies and wrestling and choking each other in pools and throwing each other off, all that is a tremendous confidence boost just getting comfortable in the water, let alone learning how to tread water and swim.

SPEAKER_05 38:47

It was interesting to see. Yeah. Out of that one group of 50, there was only one uh Caucasian kid.

SPEAKER_02 38:54

Now you mentioned floating with their uniforms. Are they still doing a thing where they take their pants off or their blouse and fill it full of air and kind of use as a makeshift life jacket, or are they just yeah, they they're taught to tuck it in and they pull it up and they they breathe into their nose and you breathe into your uniform. So they don't take it off now, they just inflate it while it's on it.

SPEAKER_05 39:18

Keep it there and it keeps traps that air and helps them float. Um yeah, yeah, but they they have a 99.5% success rate with every kid that they uh they teach to swim and to stay afloat. And um yeah, pretty impressive to see. And um we didn't we didn't of course they didn't put us in the pool, but um we were definitely sitting there and watching it, and it was one of the things that probably uh stayed with us the most just because the style the stakes are so high, right?

SPEAKER_02 39:53

Like they could drown, and uh they're terrified and they're oh so you really see the fear in someone's eyes when they're in an environment that they are super uncomfortable with, and there's a a touch of danger to it you can really see in people's faces, especially water.

SPEAKER_05 40:09

Well, and these kids are there, right, because they're not comfortable in water, so they already they're already on another level, and they have the added pressure of hey, I can only fail this so many times, right? Yeah, and then I gotta go back home and they don't want to. Nope. And uh there's but the the pool is just ringed with instructors and life ring, people with life rings, and there's people in the water with masks and life rings, and it's just it's a well-oiled machine, it's very impressive, and uh there's nobody yelling. That that's one of the things, too, is because the stakes are high, it's instructional. And they even that even the commander of that unit told us like this is you're not gonna hear a lot of um that's this is this is instructional time here. We're teaching them, we're not it's already it's already an elevated situation. So uh now if you're being an idiot, they're gonna yell, but um yeah, that was very interesting. Um yeah, and that was the same day that we then later we did the the rappel tower. But that was cool that second day we got to go to the museum on um there, and they they had uh several Marines come, docents come and uh walked with the groups, and they were freaking good. They were so good, so animated. And they went upstairs and they the World War II section was awesome. Um but um yeah, and then then Chow again, and then Rapel Tower, and then back to um back to the hotel. Chow message or catered, you know, we ate where the true we ate where the Marines ate um during the day, um during lunch. Um and uh it's very scientific now, so uh they have colored their they have colors on the food, so it's like red is calorie counts. You shouldn't be eating this. Yeah, exactly. It's like green is a go. Go for it, eat all you want with this.

SPEAKER_02 42:05

Yellow is uh I've seen videos on this. Both armies doing it, navies they're all doing it because it's no look, it's no secret that we have an obesity problem amongst our our pool of you know participants who are going to join the military, and so what they had to do, it's like Dennis said, very scientific. I could be wrong, but I believe you basically kind of get a diet plan. If you're on the risk of you know weighing out and not meeting the standards, they don't force it, but they you know it's uh supposedly a very um highly recommended diet plan. Say, hey, stay away from the red stuff or minimize the red stuff, double down on the green stuff based on that color code. And if they stick to that color code chart and the diet plan that they're on, and obviously with the PT and all the stuff they go through a day, it's scientifically proven, hey, calories versus in versus calories out, stick to this plan, and you will meet your weight loss goals to to hit the requirements. It has nothing to do with anything other than let's get you to where you need to be, and we're gonna help you do that.

SPEAKER_04 43:11

Sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:14

Um, yeah, and then the the third day was uh all a trip to Camp Pendleton and north, and it's about an hour and a half. Um, and then we had um all morning was instruction on um weapons, uh how to how to shoot and putting us through that.

SPEAKER_02 43:35

How is that being obviously you're a military base, so the safety's there. But once again, you there may be one or two people who are in that audience with you who may perhaps this is their first time around, a quote unquote military. Well, in this case, it is a military style rifle, but for what you know, their envision of what they see on TV under the classification of a military style rifle, a lot of people get. Nervous in that situation.

SPEAKER_05 44:02

Yeah, yeah. No, everybody took it very seriously.

SPEAKER_02 44:04

Or more positively, someone might have some preconceived notions turned around after such an experience like that.

SPEAKER_05 44:11

Yeah, that's what definitely what happened. And um, we only had one person who said they didn't want to fire the weapon out of our group of 58. And um, every female, everybody, uh everybody fired everybody, and they they had a simulator first. Simulator, um, we well, first you go out, that's why they call the three circles, and uh which is wild because you're on these bleachers and they have the the actual drill instructor uh riflemen that are training you over there. This is their job, and they do this every day, and but behind them is this giant cement ring in the ground, and it's just full of young recruits, Marines with each have their weapon, and they're all aiming in at white barrels, and they're going through different techniques they've been taught on sighting aperture and breathing techniques and trigger point. All the whole time you just hear trigger dry fire, and that's what they're doing. They're learning fire and then hold it for a second, and then release, and you it makes another click sound, and so um that was happening here, and then this group was at another level, and then behind over here was another group of about 50 recruits, all so there's all this going on. Meanwhile, we're in right in amongst them on bleachers being instructed as if we had just driven up, which we did, and we went over the rules, treat every weapon as if it is loaded, never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot, uh, keep your trigger fingers straight and off the trigger until you're ready to fire, and keep your weapon on safety until you uh are ready to fire. So those four rules, and obviously they drilled those into us, and uh uh from there we went to the um uh simulation. Uh we were there for a little bit, and then they took us to um they took us to the fire range, alpha, uh firing range, and uh we each had um M16 and four, I think, and then uh egg hog sights and uh 100 yards, and we each had our own individual shooting coach and they they brought 18 up to the line at one time, and then I was second behind that, and I was at lane number 10 and uh yeah, then you get very one-on-one. Here's your weapon, and they sling it, and you got it down, they show you this, that that they only allowed us to shoot prone, which was a very wise choice, and um yeah, so then just pop, pop, pop, pop, pop 11 rounds, and then once everybody's done, they stand and they walk forward. You go up there, you're talking to your coach the whole time, looking at the target, and um how was your grouping? So, so when I went up there, my grouping um my grouping would have all been on your shirt, would have all been in that circle nice center chest, the eight, the eighth air force that's awesome, it was all in there, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. And I looked at it, and the my shooting coach was like, holy, and and then I felt this smack on my back, and I turned around, and here's this Marine Major, and he said, Dag on sniper on how you are that was cool, and then um he says, You shot before you fired what before? I go, He goes, Yes, sir, where are you from? I was in Texas, he's okay, it checks out, and uh um I says, But you know, I want you to instruct me, like I don't I don't I'm gonna do what you say how to fire this weapon, and so that I did, and that's when I got that nice tight grouping. I listened to him, and then then we didn't fire another 11 and it was rapid, just pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, and then of course it's a little bit less accurate, um, which is what they were teaching you, and um, but still then my grouping was nice, but I had like one way up here and then two low fly way, yeah, and he was like, That was probably trigger pull, and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:31

Well, that's what I was gonna say. That's why during a verbal demonstration, as you explained it, pull and hold and then release, so that your target reacquisition from the recoil and all that just resets the site for your next pull.

SPEAKER_05 48:46

Yep, and um, and then after that, we went to 12 stalls, and that's a leadership course where you have this. You probably have familiar with that, where they have the uh problem, and you and your four members have to figure out how to get all this ammo cans across this raging quote unquote raging river through these obstacles with these parameters. You can't touch this, and red is dead, and you can't touch the mulch, and you have to get your entire team and these three ammo cans across, and that was fun, that was a blast.

SPEAKER_02 49:17

I'm so jealous.

SPEAKER_05 49:19

So there's 12 of those stations. We did uh we had enough time. We each did four. Um, we did we passed two and died on to uh my group. Um, yeah, and then the last day was uh dress up nice, you got your sport coat, and uh we went to Morning Colors uh at the general's um office, morning colors, and he spoke to everybody, uh uh signaled us out, told the crowd that was there who we were, why we were there, why how important we were. Um and um thanked us for being there. He actually had come to us the day before, too, at a lunch that we were at and spoke with us. And when we went to the rappel tower, he was there at the rappel tower, the general mingling with everybody, talking about where you're from and what do you teach. And he's just a really cool dude.

SPEAKER_02 50:10

Is this an annual event or is this a once in a while? How many times a year? A couple times a year. That's that's awesome.

SPEAKER_05 50:18

And then the last thing was uh VIP section for graduation, and we got to see um the company graduate, so it was like 250 um, yeah, 250 young people graduate, and um how crazy!

SPEAKER_02 50:36

Not not that you would have seen them there, but how crazy would it have been the timing's off, but one of those one of those eight that got sworn in on that rooftop at the oath. If you would have ran it, one of them said that would have the timing was off, but that would have been for what we went through in the organization and how that event is what got you there. That would have been absolutely crazy. If oh, by the way, that's one of the guys we swore in during the rooftop oath.

SPEAKER_05 51:06

Yeah, I mean, really, if you think about it, that would have been they probably would have gone around March 1st, and it's a 13 weeks course, yeah. Like one of them could have been in there, yeah. That's wild. Um yeah, and then we got to see them graduate, and and that's I had tears so many times. Um just because I and I don't think I would have had tears if I hadn't experienced the previous three days, and just a little taste I got showed me that what they had to go through to get there. And when you see them hugging each other when it's over, and their families are so proud, and they're high-fiving, and now they have their eagle, they have their EGA, and and they earned it, they earned it, and um, you just feel nothing but just pride in them, and it's even now I get I could I just feel that, and it's just like you're just so proud of them, and you know that it's just not a uh a freaking um they're they're not just pulling the the refuse of society, they're the the that have no other options, they're they're pulling kids that are incredibly smart, they are talented, they have a lot of drive, they have goals, and uh they're they're hard charging and they have courage. And one of the kids and one of the we got to talk to new recruits on one of the panels, and he said that he wasn't smart enough to go to college, so he says, Well, I'll I'll go into the Marines and and see if I think about making it a career. And uh that just didn't sit right with me. And uh during this during the question part, I I says, I don't really have a question, but I do have comments, and I I looked at that young Marine who had graduated, and I said, I I we over the last three days have seen 18 and 19-year-olds because we also went to Miramar, and tell you that, we went and saw F-18s, all the freaking lot flight line top gun. Like we went out there and we got to see that all the helicopters aligned up in rows. Uh, we got to talk to the crews, uh, fire truck crews, this now, these 18-year-old kids that are running all this million dollars of equipment. And that's what I told them. I says, Look, the last couple days, we have met so many 18 and 19-year-olds who are literally in charge of millions of dollars of equipment. We have met someone who literally processed three million dollars last year, and she's not she's still a teenager. I said, So, do me a favor, just realize that what you're doing, 99, 95. I think I said 95 of college students don't have the guts or the courage to do what you have accomplished and what you've done, and they're never gonna be anywhere near the caliber of what you're gonna be doing. Uh, so and then everybody just started clapping, all the teachers just all started clapping because it is exactly what we had all been talking about. Like these kids are amazing.

SPEAKER_02 54:24

Yeah, I think technically, what is it? We I know that the military considers themselves what the three percenter, because only three percent of the population volunteer for the military. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:38

Yeah, it's pretty awesome. But that pretty much wraps it up. And listening to the conversations uh on the bus afterwards, you know, the drive home back to the hotels was every night was very interesting because now the the difference between the conversations when we first started, and then now this the teachers are all like, this is like a no-brainer, like this is we're definitely gonna recommend our kids to do this because they're set up for life, there's so many opportunities. And um, so many of these kids that we interviewed were talking about how introverted they were, and uh they were just kind of in the back of the class and just getting by and trying not to get beat up at school, and now they're freaking leading squads, and they're these they're sergeants and they're leading squads, and they're talking to us, and they're very vocal and put together, and they're so squared away, and they're managing freaking F-18s, and they're they're they're turning wrenches and side howlings, and they're they're running this equipment, and they're protecting our country, and they're just outstanding.

SPEAKER_02 55:42

And that's what I was gonna say earlier when you were you made the comment that look, they're not out there just picking through the best of what they have, you know, the the castaways. Modern day weapon systems are so advanced, you gotta have smart people, good people with technology, uh, mechanical stuff, you know, all across the board. These weapon systems nowadays, they're there's some pretty advanced stuff out there, yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 56:10

And things that they even talked about, like the drone, the the drone menace that has been and but they said that you know the US has he said we can't talk about it, but we're we're dealing with that problem, and uh okay.

SPEAKER_02 56:31

Yeah, I I think if there's one thing, the the war between Russia and Ukraine, the advancement quickly of how they went from just a basic drone to now fiber optic fed. When you look at some of these post-combat scenes out of Ukraine, it looks like a billion spiders just laid a web over these entire villages from just thousands of fiber optic cables being strung all over the place from these the drones. It's pretty wild, and that's you know, I think shows like the Wonder Years, and I think maybe even a scene in Born on the Fourth of July, they would show like Vietnam vets and even World War II vets coming back and World War I vets who would have PTSD from the sounds of fireworks on 4th of July. Just to think 20 years from now, somebody's gonna be at their kids' soccer game if we still have recreational drones, being my point. Somebody just flying a DJI drone over to get some footage of their kid's soccer game, just the the PTSD that sound kick off somebody who's been in modern warfare hiding from drones, you know, some Ukrainian veteran, you know, will be out on some YouTuber vacation flying a DJI drone overhead. It's gonna that's a very distinct sound.

SPEAKER_05 57:49

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. But you know, I was very thankful for this opportunity and um took full advantage of it and did everything that um they offered.

SPEAKER_02 58:04

And um percentage-wise, what was lecture versus interactive?

SPEAKER_04 58:10

Um the lectures were um probably about 50-50. Yeah, it was a nice it was a nice balance.

SPEAKER_05 58:19

Yeah. Um, if anything, well, they really hammered like the scholarships and what's available and the benefits to uh people that enlist, and then it also your family your spouse gets benefits and um some of the recruits they even went into, like they have zero bills, essentially. And um and if they have to live off base, they still get paid by the government to live off base. So and then it's by market, so San Diego market is significantly higher than San Antonio market. So they're able to what they'll do is they'll have like four recruits or four uh not recruits, but uh Marines um bunk up together in a house, and that's twelve thousand dollars a month that represented, so they they have it pretty sweet, you know.

SPEAKER_02 59:14

Yeah, because rent's not cheap regardless of where you live.

SPEAKER_05 59:17

Yep. Yeah, it was a good opportunity. I'm very thankful for it.

SPEAKER_02 59:20

And sounds like a great time.

SPEAKER_05 59:23

Yeah, everybody was just very moved. Um, and even the Dr. Uh Ray White, she was like, Man, I um I'm never gonna forget this. Jesus, it was just it was it was really amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:39

Well, thanks for uh sharing the uh the story with us. Um that's how like I said, I'm jealous. I'm I'm not gonna lie, I'm jealous, Dennis. That's awesome. I'm sure Florida does it.

SPEAKER_05 59:51

Yeah, they do they have that program out in um Camp Lejeune.

SPEAKER_02 59:55

Yeah. Thank you for sharing that story. Uh I just were you aware of the level of interaction before you went, or were you kind of, or was it more than what you were anticipating as far as that part of it, the the simulation and the firing range and all that stuff?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:12

No, they they they were very upfront on everything we were gonna get to do. And um, if anything, it surprised me. Like I'm so I was surprised that they would just put these civilians on the repel tower. That's a lot of liability.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:26

And um speaking of that, I mean I don't want to get too much behind the curtain, but was there a stack of liability forms that required some signatures before?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:33

Yeah, oh yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. We had to sign those to to partake in those firing and the repel tower and all that. Um, but still it's a bad look if somebody dies on your oh sure, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:46

It's not, I mean, they're not much different than the uh liability forms you sign when you're doing a tough mutter event or a damage race or even a marathon for that matter. There's always liability forms to be signed.

unknown 1:00:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:58

Well, thank you guys for hanging out with us. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:00

Oh, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:01

Thank you guys so much for hanging out with us. Jeff will be back here shortly. Do us a favor, head over to WTSPworldwar 2.com. Check out the new charts. I didn't show you guys the back YouTube on the on the uh Facebook and Instagram page. We have the blonde and brunette bomber. I need to come over the redhead bomber. I need a face. Um, thank you guys so much. Head over our website, WTSPworldwar 2.com, click on the merch link, pick up the new shirt. We have hats, we got coffee mugs, we got everything, and head over to youtube.com. Look for what's the scuttlebutt podcast. Um, we are I am in the midst of working on the video. You guys heard about the rooftop oaths. I was telling Dennis before the show, I was just about done. I was getting ready to start putting nameplates up, do a little video work, and my pro my project file got deleted, so I had to start all over. So that video is in the works. I'm trying to, I'm not rushing through it. I I really want it to turn out well. So instead of trying to rush it through for the purpose of just getting it out, I'm putting in the time. So bear with us, it's coming. I know that uh the conservators of the greatest uh generation cog has their own more in-depth version of a video of that same event. So mine's just kind of my my view, obviously. But those will be coming down the pipeline. Head over youtube.com as well and look for cog. That's the conservators of the greatest generation, their YouTube channel. Find them on Instagram as well. For myself, Dennis, and Jeff, who will be back soon. Thank you guys so much, and we'll talk to you all later.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:26

This has been a digital 410 production.