Marines reenlist in disgusting pool of muck because Marines

Yahoo

a day ago

When you see a small group of Marines standing at attention while shoulder deep in murky water, don't worry, this is normal — or at least as normal as Marines get.
Marines thrive in austere environments. As such, they have turned embracing the suck into a science — would another branch voluntarily send human life forms to Twentynine Palms, California?
So, it makes sense that some Marines would choose to hold their reenlistment ceremonies in some sort of body of water so that they and the rest of their squad can be wet, cold, and mildly miserable during one of the most important days in their careers.
A recent video posted on social media shows two Marines electing to do just that. In this case, they and their fellow Marines are almost totally submerged in what looks like a pond of squalid water that could be the ancestral home of the mosquito.
Both Marines are water support technicians assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 271, said Capt. Jacob Ballard, a 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing spokesperson.
Marines in that specialty are tasked with purifying the type of putrid water they are standing in to make it potable for Marines in the field.
'It is always significant when a Marine raises their right hand and voluntarily pledges to serve another four years for their Corps and country,' Gunnery Sgt. Kaleb A. Skaggs, utilities operations chief for the support squadron, said in a statement. 'Cpl. Jarrett Cadd and Cpl. Matthew Stone, both 1171 water support technicians by trade, recently did just that.'
'A reenlistment in the very water they train in holds deeper meaning for a 1171,' Skaggs continued. 'Their decision to reenlist while standing in murky water is symbolic: This is exactly the kind of environment they are trained to transform to support their fellow Marines. There's no place more fitting to reaffirm their commitment.'
The Marine officiating ceremony reads a letter from the two Marines' commanding officer that is dated July 15. After both Marines take their enlistment oaths, their buddies applaud and whistle their support, even though they are immersed in the ooze.
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The tradition of holding aquatic ceremonies is not limited to a particular military occupational specialty.
In 2022, Sgt. Jordan James, a Scout Sniper, was promoted to his current rank while standing in swampy water, while other Marines were up to their chins in the muck.
James told Task & Purpose at the time that he decided to have his promotion ceremony during a training event in which he and his fellow Scout Snipers could use mud to make their ghillie suits, which are made from local reeds and other plants to allow them to blend into their surroundings.
He superficially picked a swamp in Okinawa, nicknamed the 'Pig Pond,' to reenlist because all Marines are equal in that environment, he said.
'Everything we do in Scout Sniper Platoon is very team-oriented,' James said. 'So, doing it in the Pig Pond, being together, all wearing the same garb, all kind of suffering together, just made it seem like more of a team thing.'
And that is the Marine ethos in a nutshell: Everyone suffers together.
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