Recon Marines started with the same basic training as other U.S. Marines. As a result of basic training, all Marines become proficient in the use of their primary weapon, the rifle. It is often quoted; “The deadliest animal on the earth is a Marine Rifleman.” Most commonly, this rifle was the M-14 or M-16. The M-16 replaced the M-14 as the weapon generally issued during the later years of the war.
Recon Marines, however received training unique to their task. First, of course, is physical training. In the field a Recon Marine would have to carry heavy packs and other personal gear over rough terrain in unbearable heat. Running 3 miles or more on a daily basis was the core of the Recon Marine’s training. Information was the main product of a reconnaissance mission. For this reason a lot of training focused on the gathering and communicating of information. Instructors taught classes on reporting procedures, what to look for in the handling of captured documents and equipment, how to communicate over the radio, how to care for the radio, how to care for and use cameras. Typically a reconnaissance patrol was composed of 8 men. One of these was a Navy Corpsman who was specially trained in emergency medical procedures to assist a wounded or injured Marine. However, in the event something happened to the Corpsman, each Marine had to know some basic first aid. A Recon Marine’s training included this. The Recon Marine also had to be trained in what to look for in the handling of captured documents and equipment. Often important information could be deduced about the enemy from the things the enemy was carrying. Another important skill was map reading. If you didn’t know where you were, it would be virtually impossible for the helicopters to find you and pull you out of the bush. Skill in map reading also had other important consequences. One could avoid being trapped on a cliff or otherwise forced into some terrain where the enemy had the advantage. In addition, knowing where one was allowed you to call the artillery battery and they could shoot rounds to help fight off the enemy. One of the actual fun parts of the training was rappelling. This involved jumping from a high place to the ground while using a rope to keep from falling too fast. Two types of rappelling were important. The first was rappelling from a cliff. To practice this a Recon Marine would jump off a 30-foot tower. The other kind was rappelling from a helicopter. In a way, this was much easier. The reason is that you didn’t have to worry about hitting anything on the way down. Marines typically learned rappelling from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter. It had a square hole in the bottom of the fuselage known as the “Hell hole”. The CH-46 also had a back ramp, from which Marines could also rappel. Rappelling was a quick way to get a recon team to the ground when the helicopter could not find a suitable place to land. Another fun part of the training was the rubber boat drills. Since it was not uncommon that recon marines might be launched on a mission from submarines, the marines had to know how to handle a rubber boat. In the rubber boats, the Marines learned how to paddle in a coordinated manner and how to deal with the boat capsizing. When the boat capsized, the Marines learned how to empty the water from it and set it upright again. These were called broaching drills. As you might guess, being able to swim is a valuable and necessary skill for a Recon Marine.
The Reconnaissance Marine also trained in patrolling techniques. One of the skills he had to learn was how to react when a patrol made contact with the enemy. A Recon Marine could expect to practice immediate action (IA) drills. In IA drills each member of the team practices what moves to make if the team encounters the enemy. Normally the team forms a circle. The man making contact with the enemy fires a magazine of ammunition at the enemy position. Then he runs through the circle to the other side. Each team members fires a magazine of ammunition in turn and follows the first man. By the time the last man has completed this task the team has created a new circle and has reloaded, ready to repeat the action if necessary. Since it is important for a Recon Marine to work and rely on an artillery battery, he also received training on being a forward observer. A forward observer is one spots an enemy target and tells the men firing the big guns how to hit the target. Normally the artillery unit may be miles away from the target and can’t see it. The forward observer gives position (map coordinates) to the battery as well as the position of the enemy target. One of the big guns will fire a round at the target. The forward observer then tells the battery where the round landed and recommends a correction to aiming the big guns. This way the artillery battery can “zero in” on the target until they hit it. To learn how to do this, the Recon Marine receives training on the capabilities of the artillery guns. Then he practices by calling in rounds on a practice target. To complete training, the Recon Marine goes on a practice patrol to put all his training to use. In Vietnam, there was a special place where newly arrived Recon Marines from the United States could practice their patrolling techniques. This place was Monkey Mountain. Here the vegetation was so dense and difficult to move through, that it might take half a day for a team to move 1000 yards.
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