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