GENERAL MILITARY TRAINING

their service record to acknowledge such eligi- bility. Female RPs are eligible fo duty aborad noncombatant ships, at Marine Corps bases, and with nondeploying Marine Corps units. They must acknowledge this eligibility with a Page 13 statement. If an RP is ordered to duty with an FMF unit, two things that can be done ahead of time will be of great value to the RP when reporting for duty. First, the RP should begin immediately a program to attain the best possible physical condition before reporting aboard. Second, he should buy a pair of U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) field boots and break them in. A pair will be issued soon after the RF reports aboard, but a 10-mile hike the first day in a pair of new boots may give the hiker very sore feet! Chaplains are forbidden by the Geneva Convention to carry firearms in combat. There- fore, in combat situations, the RP is the chaplain’s bodyguard. The chaplain must be free to minister to the wounded and dying. RPs assigned to FMF units may be required to undergo training at the Marine Corps In- fantry Training School (ITS), Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, unless this training has been received previously. The length of the school varies according to the current training needs, but it is normally 3 to 4 weeks. Use of weapons (particularly the M-16 rifle and .45-caliber pistol), use of explosives, marching, close order drill, strenuous exercise, combat tactics, hand-to-hand fighting, and weapons care are all likely to be emphasized. At times the training will be very demanding on both mind and body. The trainee may soon feel that the instructors are not there to help, but to badger and harass personnel. This is not true! The instructors and everyone in the unit want the RP to succeed in training. They know that any member who is not successful in training will weaken the effectiveness of the unit. This could place the safety of the entire unit in jeopardy. Upon reporting to any Marine Corps com- mand (base, station, or FMF), RPs have the option of wearing Navy or Marine corps service uniforms. (Marine Corps Order [MCO] 10120.28 and MCO P1020.34 refer.) If RPs elect to wear Marine Corps service uniforms, they are given a complete issue and must abide by Marine Corps grooming and appearance standards or regula- tions. They must also meet Marine Corps physical fitness standards. If RPs elect to wear the Navy uniform, Navy grooming standards apply. A small issue of Marie Corps combat uniforms will GENERAL MILITARY TRAINING 6-3 be issued the RP according to MCO P10120.28 and MCO P1020.34. All Navy personnel, regardless of duty station, will receive periodic training sessions on general military topics. Such topics may include the Uniform Code of Military Justice; basic first aid; nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare; physical and information security; substance abuse; and many others. The leading RP should assign a first or second class petty officer as division or departnlent training petty officer. As such, the training petty officer is responsible to the division officer for ensuring that general military training (GMT) is scheduled and con- ducted periodically—usually once a month, GMT topics should be of a general nature so that they apply to all hands. Responsibilities of the training petty officer may be limited to ensuring that all hands attend scheduled GMT sessions. While operations may preclude 100 percent attendance at GMT sessions, every effort should be made to get the trainee to the training site for each presentation. Occasionally, the training topics may be of in- terest to civilian employees and/or military families at the duty station. Information about sessions at which topics of general interest are to be discussed (survivor’s benefits, predeployment briefings, basic first aid, lifesaving instruction) should be given wide dissemination. The training schedules, topics, instructors, guest speakers, meeting places, and times should be publicized well in advance. STANDARD COMMAND TRAINING; REQUIREMEMTS NOTE: Much of the information in this section is discussed in other Navy training publica- tions. It is highlighted here primarily for the benefit of interservice transferees and OSVETs. Standard command training gives assigned personnel a broad overview of training objectives and brings the command mission into perspective. Standard training may include refresher training, a fleet or squardron training evolution, fire fighting, or other such instruction. A unit will not function well if untrained. Education and training should be a continual process thoughout a military career and lifetime.