What's it like to go through Marines basic training?

(Left to right): Marine private Ben Dugger of Decorah and Marines Recruiter Sergeant Michael Murphy

Decorah native Ben Dugger has just finished completing 13 weeks of MCRD--Marine Corps basic training--in San Diego.

On a ten-day leave back to Decorah, Dugger tells decorahnews.com the experience was "very intense."  But he realizes the training is meant to keep Marines safe in war situations.  Ben says the drill instructors were "always on you," but that was because they wanted to subject trainees to the type of stress they might experience in combat.  The theory is that well-trained Marines will respond automatically, knowing exactly what to do because of their training.

Dugger says MCRD was a lot of hard work and a lot of culture shock as well, but he's realized the drill instructors were good models who got trainees to focus on details and always do things right.

He also praises Marines recruiter Sergeant Michael Murphy and the other recruiters who spoke with him in Decorah before he left for San Diego, saying they did a good job of preparing him for the experience.

Ben will now undergo one month of MCT, basic infantry training for Marines, at Camp Pendelton before heading out for two months of training to become a motor transport mechanic.