The one thing a grunt must not do

A Marine infantryman, also known as a grunt, is a peculiar creature. Retired Marine and author Gene Duncan defined grunt as a, “Term of affection used to denote that filthy, sweaty, dirt-encrusted, foot-sore, camouflage-painted, rip-trousered, tired, sleepy, beautiful, little S.O.B who has kept the wolf away from the door for over two hundred years.” A grunt must be tough physically and mentally. His tasks range widely from patrolling, attacking, defending and standing security, accompanied by a whole host of skill sets that complement these missions. Although primarily trained to fight, he will often find himself conducting some sort of peacekeeping, civil disturbance or security and stabilization mission. In other words, he must be able to do a lot of different things. There is one thing, however, he must not do, and that is fall out.

First off, a definition must be established. “Fall out” in this context is not the same as the command given in close order drill, which closely resembles “dismissed.” To fall out means failing to maintain the physical stamina to keep going with the rest of the unit. Although manifested as a physical failure, it is quite often a lack of mental toughness. If you fall out, every member of the small unit is there to witness it, and soon, word spreads further. You make your own name by your actions. You are ultimately training and maintaining a preparedness for combat. The other members of your unit need to know that you will be there when it matters under the most arduous conditions. This is why your leaders are hard on you.

Although there may be plausible explanations for falling out, none of them matter. It is nearly impossible to redeem yourself. There’s an unspoken understanding that, “It don’t matter what you know, if you can’t GO!” Presence matters. You must be there and endure the same things as the other guys. You must be able to carry your own weight and be prepared to carry more. Another good one-liner is, “All it takes is all you got.”

The common areas where one might be at risk of falling out are runs, hikes, or standing in formation. Several factors contribute to prevention. As far as formations go, there will be many occasions where you are required to stand for lengthy periods of time at the position of attention. Too often, this occurs under the glaring sun, in the hottest part of the day, while a senior leader drones on with comments no one will remember. Hydration will help stave off falling out, but in this instance, the number one thing you can do is NOT lock your knees. When you lock your knees, the blood will pool in the legs and cause a low oxygen state in the brain which leads to fainting. This is probably something little known outside of the military but common knowledge in the ranks. Falling out in this fashion will result in some mocking from your peers but is not nearly as detrimental as falling out of a run or hike.

Here is an insider tip: the run will always be longer than you think. When you think you are almost done, rest assured your platoon sergeant is going to run past the barracks for another loop. This is to test your mental and emotional toughness. You will be surprised how many people lose heart when they realize it is not over yet. Better to take Rocky Balboa’s attitude, “Ain’t nothing over ‘til it’s over.” Your baseline credibility is tied so closely with your stamina, endurance, and response to adversity. Laughing at hardship and meeting challenges will prove to the rest of the unit that you are an asset, not a liability. There’s an expectation that the average Marine will gripe and complain from time to time but don’t do it in the middle of a run. Doing so reveals a limitation in your mental fortitude. After you finish, you can say with some cockiness, “Man, that sucked.”

Other than running, which is generally over in less than an hour, the other area where one may be at risk of falling out is on a hike (alternatively called a foot march, humping or rucking.) A hike might be between three miles and 25 miles. You don’t get to choose the packing list or required uniform. You may wear body armor and helmet in addition to the pack, or not. You will carry your personal weapon and probably a component of a crew-served weapon. The average rate of march is three miles an hour, with a 10-minute break every 50 minutes. No two ways about it, humping is hard work both physically and mentally. The mental aspect is compounded when you are hiking to the field to begin a multi-day field op. You just have to buckle down and do it. Occasionally, you will see a motivator doing a hike or ruck run in his free time as he trains for a challenge (such as Recon, MARSOC, etc.), while wearing headphones. No doubt he’s listening to some sort of music to motivate and distract himself from the task at hand, but the practice is ill-advised. When it matters the most, you won’t have either the distraction or motivation of external sources. The drive must come from within yourself or from the influence of other members in your unit. The best practice is to endure the hardship under conditions you may have to perform in combat.

Should you fall out as a heat casualty under any of these circumstances, in addition to the loss of credibility, you have the additional embarrassment of receiving the silver bullet. The silver bullet is not the Master Gunny’s giant coffee percolator in the COC, nor is it the metaphor for a simple, seemingly magical solution to a difficult problem. The silver bullet is the rectal thermometer the Corpsman will use to check your core temperature. It may very well be a lifesaving effort, but you will feel mortified. Nutrition and hydration are paramount to prevent this from occurring. Good leadership will ensure you’ve been afforded the opportunity to acclimatize to an environment before this becomes too much of a risk, but ultimately, you are responsible for how you perform. Be smart and get out in front of it.

The judgment you will receive after falling out may seem to lack compassion, but a certain hardship is required to face combat. Another oft-quoted phrase in the military is, “The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.” Physical and mental toughness go hand in hand. In the grunts, you rarely find one without the other. It is possible to regain credibility after falling out, but it will be very hard to do so under the scrutinizing eyes of your peers. If it happens more than once, as they say, “You’re done.”