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Tag: USMC Marines

The First Steps

At 0900 on April 5th, 2025, more than 250 young men and women about to ship out to recruit training, known as Poolees, and Marines gathered to conduct an annual pool function hosted by Marine Corps Recruiting Station Charlotte at South Iredell High School in Statesville, North Carolina. The pool function is designed to ensure that all future Marines are physically and mentally prepared for the rigorous training that they will encounter upon their arrival at Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, Parris Island. Each poolee comes to these pool functions with different areas they seek to improve. For some, focus more on their physical fitness and for others their mental stamina. On average, Recruiting Station Charlotte ships approximately 50 poolees a month to attend recruit training on the path to earn the coveted title of United States Marine. Recruiting Station Charlotte not only uses pool functions to hone their poolee’s minds and bodies for the challenges they will face in the future. But also, as a place where a lifetime of brotherhood and sisterhood starts, for the Marine Corps and camaraderie go hand-in-hand. Drill instructors, who came from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, provided a little taste of what the Island had in store for the future Marines. And the dedication it would take to complete the journey ahead. “The biggest challenge that I overcame was the drill instructors, and remembering it is mostly mental that they are there to make me better,” said Devin Armstrong, a poolee from Recruiting Substation Rock Hill, South Carolina. Part of the pool function was a competition where the Recruiting Substations that make up Recruiting Station Charlotte would go head-to-head against each other to earn the title of Charlotte’s top station. “The initial strength test was my favorite event seeing I like more of a physical challenge, also with everyone pushing each other I was able to beat my best time on the run portion” said Renee Browning , a poolee from Recruiting Substation Rock Hill, South Carolina. As the day came to an end Recruiting Substation Greenville was named victorious and this year’s annual pool function winner. Message to the poolees, “Everything you do give maximum effort you only get to do recruit training one time and make sure looking back you have no regrets,” said Sgt. Maj. Brian Downing, Sergeant Major of Recruiting Station Charlotte.