It’s that time of year.

The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, and Marines Corpswide are preparing to take their annual combat fitness test for the new fiscal year.  Preparation for the CFT varies from unit to unit, from using multiple cross fit programs to creating some gauntlet of events that include medicine ball lunges, ammunition can lifts, and fireman carry obstacles.  The combination of which can have a Marine like myself making statements like, “I’m too old for this (enter expletive of choice).”

Okay, in Marine Corps years, I’m not that old at all.  I recently hit my nine and a half year mark.  And despite my age, I continue to deceive people into thinking I’m in my mid-20s instead of my late-30s.  I received an invite the other day for my 18-year class reunion on Facebook.  I looked at the possible attendees for this December’s event and was astonished to see how some of these people have aged.  As I returned from my CFT training this morning, I looked in the mirror to see my 36-year-old mind in a 26-year-old body.  Ooh-rah, Marine Corps.

I digress.  Actually, the training isn’t that bad. It is what we do as Marines. We stay combat ready, always training for the next mission, and it is why the CFT was created in the first place.  Sure, it is great to be able to maintain an 18-minute three-mile-run, 20 pull-ups, and 100 crunches in two minutes, but those statistics are difficult to transfer into combat.  Who spends their time running three miles when rounds are coming at you?  (Standing by for cynical comments from the infantry community).

The CFT consists of three events: an 880-yard run, 30-pound ammo can lifts, and a maneuver under fire, all while wearing boots, camouflage utility trousers and a t-shirt. While the run and ammo can lifts are quite the test, it’s the third piece of the equation where the course gets interesting.  Marines must low crawl 10 yards, then high crawl for another 15 yards. The Marine must then drag a casualty for 10 yards. Next, the casualty must be lifted and carried at a run for 65-yards. The Marine then carries two 30-pound ammo cans for 75 yards, while zig-zagging through several cones. At the end of the course, the Marine must toss a dummy grenade 22 1/2 yards and land it in a marked targeted area, perform three push-ups, pick up the two ammo cans and sprint to the finish line.

The CFT was mandated two years ago to increase Marines’ endurance on the battlefield, and the training continues to support those efforts.  So while dragging a fellow comrade across a field and running with ammo cans around cones may sound exhausting, they are the tools we continue to utilize in combat situations.  They are necessary when a Marine needs to be quickly evacuated from a hostile environment.  They are needed when Marines have to low crawl to safety during a mission.  And it is the reason that Marines now must pass an annual CFT in addition to the PFT.

With all that being said, how could any Marine, young or old, not love this time of year?

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