MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- After three weeks of running under the Barstow sun with a log on their shoulders, executing Marine Corps Martial Arts Program techniques until they became natural reaction and learning the ins and outs of running a MCMAP course, five Marines graduated from the first Martial Arts Instructor Course offered at MCLB Barstow May 19.
In March, Sgt. Thomas Soto returned from the MCMAP Instructor Trainer course, qualified to make MCMAP instructors. Assisted by Staff Sgt. Travis Snyder and Sgt. Anthony Nix, MCMAP instructors, Soto trained the first instructors to be produced at MCLB Barstow.
After graduating from the course, the Marines are now capable of holding a MCMAP belt course, teaching and testing Marines to advanced belt levels and running various combat conditioning programs.
To bring the Marines to the instructor position, their physical fitness was increased through combat conditioning sessions, agility drills, landing zone drills, a combat cohesion exercise and a trip to the obstacle course at National Training Center, Fort Irwin.
They also learned and sustained the Martial Arts techniques and participated in many free sparring events, where they practiced implementing the techniques in a real world scenario.
But all the emphasis in the MCMAP program is not placed on the physical aspect of the program. MCMAP is about developing the Marine as a whole, so students also spent time with mental and character development.
To sharpen the students mentally, they were taught classes on anatomy, the continuum of force, operational risk management, nutrition and other topics that are applicable to the MCMAP program.
To increase the character of the students, the Marines researched Medal of Honor recipients who had accomplished great things in past battles and learn from their heroic examples.
When the course was complete, five Marines departed. They were sore and exhausted, but they were smarter, sharper, highly trained instructors ready to teach Marines MCMAP.
MCLB Barstow's newest MCMAP instructors are:
Cpl. Jose Santos, 1st degree black belt instructor
Cpl. Jennifer Cook, 1st degree black belt instructor
Sgt. Courtney Hunt, brown belt instructor
Cpl. Brandon Jones, green belt instructor
Cpl. Matthew Shelby, green belt instructor
Editor's note:
Cpl. Jennifer Cook participated in Martial Arts Course MAI 1-06 and this article is written from her perspective.