Poole Function Dec.

I would like to start this off with a little tribute to Matthew Cook. Many of you might have heard of the motorcycle accident that left a 19 year old man in the hospital. Well that man was Matthew Cook, and he was a member in my Delayed Entry Program. Matthew was what you would refer to as a stud. Being able to whip out 30 pullups, well over 120 crunches in 2 min., and on average a 8:30 1.5 mile. Matthew was adopted from Russia at a young age, and ever since he came to this amazing country, all he wanted to become was a Marine. He also loved to ride motorcycles, and was scheduled to join the Elite, the Marine Corps Recon, after he graduated Bootcamp. He would have made a excellent Marine, and all of us at the DEP miss him greatly.

One thing that I have learned so far, is that the Marines, future Marines, and family members of Marines all look out for each other. And when something happens to one of us, it effects us all. That is another reason why I joined. Everyone cares and looks out for everyone.

Last Saturday, Dec. 12th, I had my monthly Poole Function. We did our basic tests, pull ups, crunches, and 1.5 mile run. To max each out, you need to run it in 13 min. 30 seconds, do 20 pullups, and do 100 crunches in 2 min. We also had a knowledge test, and did a formation run with some Marines right out of bootcamp. I was able to run my 1.5 mile in 9 min. 50 sec. around the Mall. It's really fun running around the mall becuase they have Marines posted at every corner, pushing you along the way. Also sometimes you have people cheering or clapping while they are walking into the mall, so that always is a great sight. I was able to get 82 crunches so I was happy. My pullups is my greatest fault. I only pulled out 6, when I usually do 7. But with a lot of work, Im hoping to pull out 10 next time, and build my way to the 20 mark.

The special activity we did this time was the formation run. Posting the best run time out of everyone, I got to be in the front with the real Marines. So that was a lot of fun. Its always fun to run around the mall parking lot, with road guards making a path for us, and letting everyone hear our cadences.

Last but not least we had a knowledge test. This ranged from military time, Marine terms, the 11 General Orders, Enlisted Ranking, and Officer Ranking structures. These all need to be memorized and engraved into our minds before we leave for boot camp.

Well that is a summary of my last Poole function, can't wait for the next, and hope u enjoyed this months post. 200 days left before I leave, and as always if anyone has any questions please email me!

Wollmann
b_rad09@hotmail.com

Welcome everyone and I hope to be updating this blog frequently. First of all I would like to say thanks to the wonderful man and the voice everyone might recognize on game night AM 1390 for getting me started blogging. He is quite frankly one excellent guy and announcer I might add! We definatly have fun conversing at the games and bus rides and I will definatly miss having those conversations. Please check out his site at http://jackrabbitden.blogspot.com/
Thanks again for those kind words, I will definatly remember them while my face is in the sand! ha
Well for my first post I would just like to say what the DEP or Delayed Entry Program is, and how it definatly benefits future Marines. The program essentialy lets young men and women commit to becoming Marines even though they may not begin boot camp for up to a year.
In my time between signing my contract and boot camp, I will start to develop a sense of brotherhood through organized events, family nights, and other events. I also use this time to prepare for the challenges of boot camp. The Marine Corps Recruiters help us prepare physically, and will provide information to help us adjust to the future in the Marine Crops. This program ensures that all future Marines will report to recruit training ready, both physically and mentally.
This is where I am currently at in my Marine Corps Career. Every month I meet at the Recruiting station in the Empire Mall and do my IST, Initial Strenth Tests, and some knowledge tests. My IST consists of pull ups, crunches, and a 1.5 mile run. My knowledge tests consist of rank structure, enlisted and officer, and my 11 General orders.
I guess my advice if you are going to join the Marine Corps is to A: Join as soon as possible if you know thats what you want to do. And B: Take advantage of the Delayed entry program, one more pushup at home, makes that one more pushup at boot camp easier, or so I would assume. Within this blog I will track my own progress through the delayed entry program, and answer any questions anyone might have about the Corps. Again thanks for visiting my blog and hope to see you again!