How Marine Recruits Survive Boot Camp In San Diego | Business Insider

[Mindy]

Business Insider 
Apr 17, 2025

We got an inside look at the United States Marine Corps' intense 13-week basic training program. Chief video correspondent Graham Flanagan spent five days at the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot in San Diego, California, where he observed different companies at various stages of training.

Enlisted recruits who live west of the Mississippi River attend basic training in San Diego, where women have only trained since 2021. Men and women train together, but live in separate squad bays. Male and female recruits are not allowed to talk to each other during training.

In week seven, recruits travel 40 miles north of San Diego to Camp Pendleton, where they complete their training. Boot camp culminates with a 54-hour event known as The Crucible, in which recruits endure mental and physical challenges with minimal food and sleep. After completing The Crucible, recruits receive the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor pendant, marking their official transition to Marines.

00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - Night of arrival
00:57 - Bus ride to recruit depot
01:55 - Yellow footprints
03:14 - Contraband room
03:55 - Initial telephone call home
04:32 - Haircuts
04:53 - Initial strength test
08:04 - "Black Friday"
10:01 - Initial drill evaluation
11:15 - IT session
12:15 - "Fatal Company"
13:06 - Confidence Course
14:14 - Marine Corps history lesson
14:45 - Men and women training together
15:52 - MCMAP test
16:59 - Moving to Camp Pendleton
17:10 - Grass week
18:35 - Table week
19:22 - The Crucible
19:58 - Meet Weaver
21:22 - Embracing the suck
23:35 - Reasons for joining the Marines
24:31 - Pugil stick fighting
25:32 - Sock exchange
25:58 - Obstacle course
27:31 - The Reaper
28:25 - Reaper aftermath
29:51 - Eagle, Globe, and Anchor Ceremony
31:45 - Epilogue
32:32 - Credits