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Guys,
I knew some officers who I pretty much thought could almost walk on water, but I don't know if they could complete this task. The item below was sent to me by a former officer of HMM-263.
S/F Gary
HMM-263 '66-'67
General Order No 5, Headquarters U S Marine Corps, Washington DC 21 December 1908
The following Executive Order is hereby promulgated for the information of officers of the U S Marine Corps.
1. Officers of the United States Marine Corps of whatever rank will be examined physically, and undergo the test herein prescribed at least once every two years; the time of such examination to be designated by the Commandant of the Corps so as to interfere as little as possible with their regular duties, and the tests to be carried out in the United States between May first and July first, as the Commandant of the Corps may direct, and on foreign stations between December first and February first.
2. All field officers will be required to take a riding test of ninety miles, this distance to be covered in three days. Physical examinations before and after riding, and the riding tests to be the same as those prescribed for the United States Army by General Orders No 79 (para 3) War Department, May 14 1908.
3. Line officers of the Marine Corps in the grade of captain or lieutenant, will be required to walk fifty
miles, this distance to be divided into three days, actual marching time, including rests, twenty hours. In battle, time is essential and ground may have to be covered on the run, if these officers are not equal to the average physical strength of their companies the men will be held back, resulting in unnecessary loss of life and probably defeat. Company officers will, therefore be required during one of the marching periods, to double-time two hundred yards, with a half minute rest, then three hundred yards with one minutes rest, then complete the test in a two hundred yard dash, making in all seven hundred yards at the double time with one and one-half minutes rest. The physical examinations before and after the test to be the same as provided for in paragraph 2, this order.
4. The Commandant of the Marine Corps will be required to make such of the above tests as the Secretary of the Navy shall direct.
5. Field officers of the permanent staff of the Marine Corps who have arrived at an age and rank which renders it highly improbable that they will ever be assigned to any duty requiring participation in active military operations in the field, may upon their own application, be excused from the above prescribed. Such a request, however if granted, will be regarded by the executive authority as conclusive reason for not selecting the applicant for any future promotion, or for assignment, selection or promotion to a position involving participation in operation of the line of the Marine Corps, or in competition with officers of the line of the U S Marine Corps for any position.
Theodore Roosevelt,
"The White House"
OFFICIAL
G.F.Elliott, Major General Commandant
Reprinted from "The Old Breed News"
Posted : 2007-12-03 23:56
Mine could
If your talking about my pilots from VMO2 based on todays age.....not all could but some could today, even though the youngest are all in their mid-sixties....I have no doubt they all could have in 66-67. Keep in mind, your only talking about doubletime for 700 YARDS...even back then we had to do 2 miles for the PRT. And walking 17 miles day, they could have handled it. Now, the real question is.....how many would finagle their way out of it? Remember, I said they could have done it........didn't say they would if they could figure a way out.
Posted : 2007-12-04 15:53
If I remember correctly it was 3 miles and you had to do it in under 35 minutes.
I still do 4 miles today in 45 minutes.:eek:
Still do 50 pushups and 100 situps in 2 minutes.;)
I turned 60 in August.:D
OORAHHH
Posted : 2007-12-04 19:29
Tough Old Corps Marines
I thought that this was why the old Corps Marines were so tough!
Happy Holidays & Semper Fi - Duke Dearing
"Lead, Follow, or Get Out Of The Way" - Semper Fi - Duke
Posted : 2007-12-04 22:06
The inner Wire
Probably correct Duke. However I think my wire is getting rusty:D At 83 in Feb. I can still do 8 pullups. Was still running with MAG-36 Marines at age 62 on Okinawa. (Habu Trail 3 miles about 20 minutes.) Monthly trips to PI also:) SF PM
Posted : 2007-12-05 12:32
The Inner Wire
Paul:
It was the Marines of your era that set the pattern for the Marines of my era. We tried to emulate the deeds of those gone before us and leave a path for those who came after us to follow. I am as proud today of our Corps as I was then. The Marines today are carrying on in "a manner commensurate with the highest traditions" of the Marine Corps and the Naval Service.
Godspeed and fair winds - Semper Fidelis - Duke
"Lead, Follow, or Get Out Of The Way" - Semper Fi - Duke
Posted : 2007-12-06 00:23
Ya, but ur just a kid
Jardo Opocensky, Jr.;20851 wrote: If I remember correctly it was 3 miles and you had to do it in under 35 minutes.
I still do 4 miles today in 45 minutes.:eek:
Still do 50 pushups and 100 situps in 2 minutes.;)
I turned 60 in August.:D
OORAHHH
I do 3 miles in 45 on the tread (its too durn cold to do it outside)... but I only did situps and pushups at San Diego because the Smokies made me, Now I did and still do well at curling highballs........:)
Posted : 2007-12-06 14:12
Goood Moorniing, Vietn.....Ahh...Okinawa!
Paul,
My wife and I attended the HMM-262 Marine Corps Ball at the Habu Pit SNCO/Officer's Club on Futenma this past November. Our lodging was across the street at the old BOQ, now the Cul-De-Sac Inn. The day before the Ball, Friday 09 Nov, a God-Awful noise awoke us at 06:00. I jumped up and peeked out of the blinds. I think every Marine on the Base was doing PT as they ran past our building in formation -- "one, two, three, four - I love the Marine Corps". 40 years to the day that I had been with HMM-262 at Futenma. It felt good to be home again.
Posted : 2007-12-10 13:46
