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(gentle music)

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- We're at Bridgeport, California.

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So far, we've done the survival classes.

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We got to work with some
really good instructors.

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They taught us the basics,

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how to make shelters,

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how to clean water when it's not purified

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or anything like that, start fires,

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find signals that you
can use to get picked up

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if you're lost in the forest

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or anything like that.

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(gentle music)

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- [1st Member] For us as
Reconnaissance Marines,

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we're known for being
inside behind enemy lines

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and not having a lot of support.

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So this learning how to
survive in the mountains

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is something that we don't
always get exposed to.

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Our HTC is located in Joliet, Illinois,

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very flat, no mountains,

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and how you survive out there

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is going to be very different

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from how you survive out here.

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So this training center is awesome

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and learning how to
survive in the mountains

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and just move through the mountains

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and how to conduct war
through the mountains.

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- [Narrator] My prior
experience is very limited.

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Most of the Marines just get basic

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living off the land tips

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when they're in NCT.

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Here they really went in depth,

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how to clean animals,

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how to purify water,

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and how to make shelter
really out of anything.

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[2nd Memeber] The knots
classes were very important.

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Something that a lot
of Recon guys don't get

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is training on those knots after BRC,

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there's certain knots that

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we continually tie throughout our career,

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but there's some that
we are easy to forget.

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I know I forgot a few myself

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and coming out here was nice to be able

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to relearn those knots,

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become proficient again in them.

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Each one has a purpose

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whether it's an anchor knot,

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or just something simple as a square knot

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or around two and half inches.

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Each shot has its purpose

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and it's nice to get a refresher,

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the knots that we learned up here

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primarily for climbing or repelling.

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It's very important in the
mountainous environment

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because a lot of the terrain
requires rope systems

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so that we can either repel or climb

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to get to different areas.

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Well, it's definitely
important to be skilled

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with the Skedco and in the nighttime

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that goes along with that,

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your body's life is dependent on it.

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And in this area,

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a lot of times it's dependent on the team

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to be able to evac that casualty.

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A lot of times the
resources that are available

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in a desert environment,

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in a flat environment,

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aren't available up here.

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We're all in the reserves,

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and we all come from different
areas across the country,

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mostly in the Midwest,

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cause we're located in Joliet, Illinois.

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So coming here to these
beautiful mountains,

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we get some elevation that
we don't normally get,

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and also helps us train
for a near purified.

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- [Support] Elevation is
a huge thing around here.

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If you're not comfortable with heights,

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that can be kind of a factor.

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So I know there was a few guys

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that weren't as comfortable,

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but definitely after
the training evolution

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that changed a little bit,

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people got more secure in their equipment.

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They trusted their equipment,

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the knots that they were taught,

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and the instructors out here really know

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what they're doing.

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This type of training makes
the reserves ready for us

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by being able to cross
this type of terrain,

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survive off of this type of climate,

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Just getting a field
because not every country

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or place in the world
is flat like Illinois.

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- So for different reserve unit coming,

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I think the most important thing

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that I brought was a
positive mental attitude.

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It takes a lot to be
able to succeed up here

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in this environment.

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Again, it's very difficult,

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it's constantly changing.

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So it's important to be
able to be enthusiastic

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about the job,

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enthusiastic about completing
the mission successfully.