What was going through your mind while standing on the yellow footprints at MCRD?

I remembered what I was told by a Marine NCO before I left for Parris Island --- "You wouldn't pay a dime to go through boot camp, but you wouldn't take a million dollars for the experience once you finish".

What you said. And almost every day for about four weeks.

We did a mini Bootcamp at MCRD Parris Island when I was a student at Marine Military Academy. I remember crawling out of the bus (we had driven from Harlingen, Texas. Don't remember much else. I do remember standing in formation one morning getting eaten to death by sand fleas and other no see'ums and seeing our DI standing there at Parade Rest not moving a millimeter !!! This was while watching red dots and welts growing before my very eyes. Total beast the DI was...