Interview with a Marine

In this post we interview a Marine with a long professional career, he will explain everything to us, from what his beginnings were like in the military, his time in the Naval Police, EOS, what his day-to-day life is like and much more.

We hope you like it.

The questions for this interview have been proposed by the staff of our Discord channel , join here to participate in future interviews.

"When people discover that water and cold are not as cool as they are in the movies and games, that's when they start to question whether they really want that kind of life."

Hello, before starting the interview, could you give us a summary of your military career?

Well, I entered on September 26, 2004 at 18 years and a few days old, I finished my training in February 2005 and was assigned to the TEAR, specifically to a rifle company of the BDE-I, there I have spent the best years of my military life, specifically 10, until due to promotion I had to go to Cartagena. There in Cartagena I have gone through the EOS, the Naval Police and the Cynological Unit. I have had the honor of being able to participate in several international missions, such as Haiti, Bosnia, Somalia, Lebanon, Active endeavor, Sea Guardian, FOCUS... etc.

Why did you want marines?

Since I was very little I liked the army, the police and the Civil Guard. And even though I was very young, I'm talking about 5 years old. Since that age I have always been interested in searching, watching and reading military magazines, since at that time the Internet was the town's library, and access to military information was the magazine that MINISDEF published called “DEFENSA” that they brought to the library every month. And since then the Marine Corps began to attract a lot of attention to me, to which I added that when I was older I began to read about Spanish military history, of which the IM Corps has been present since the 16th century, writing that story with letters of blood. And whoever likes the army and history, inexorably must, at the very least, like and respect the IM. Adding to that, several of my relatives served in the military, and they always told me that the toughest forces in Spain were the IM and the Legion.

What is the process of adapting to this new lifestyle and companions when you enter the EIMGAF, both mentally and physically?

I can tell you about mine, times change, and methods and forms too, as a result of the professionalization of the FAS, the pedagogical and instructional methods have been evolving and adapting to the new reality of a professional army, when I still joined There was, in a way, that mentality of mandatory military service, and I don't remember there being a specific time to adapt to military life as there is today. The adaptation was given to you by the time and determination that you had. I'm not saying it's better or worse than now, just that it was different.

What would you say is essential to being a good Marine?

The same thing I would tell you for any soldier in Spain, and it is nothing more than first, being an exemplary citizen and adding to that, having a clear willingness to sacrifice your civilian rights to carry the duties of a soldier on your shoulders.

What values ​​has the Marine Corps brought you?

The same things that any ELITE unit of our FAS can give you, such as Sacrifice, humility, work, austerity and for me the most important, turning material deficiencies into personal virtues, because technology reaches a point. , the rest is provided by the minds that are in charge of making that technology work and having the determination to use it in critical moments that the company demands of us.

Many people ask us if it is a good place to study, what would you answer?

First of all I would tell you that you come here to SERVE. And to answer your question, like everything in military life, the more operational a unit is, the more sacrifices are made in the study, but it is not impossible. Furthermore, if the study wants to focus on promotion, the doctrinal and personal experience and military background that a front-line unit gives you will not be given to you in the rest of the units or in two lifetimes. That said, everyone must be honest with themselves and think about whether this mentality of looking for a gap to study matches what is required in the military. I have achieved everything I have set out to do without giving up having an “operational life”, that is, at the cost of sacrificing and stealing leisure time.

When you enter, you are assigned to a rifle battalion, if you want to change to another, what should you do?

Before, everyone or 95% went through the TEAR, yes or yes, now there are direct places for the Tercios and Groups, which does not mean that the instruction is exactly the same, both for those who go to the TEAR and for those who go to a Tercio. Changing destination is like in all units, first exhausting the minimum time of servitude, second that there are vacancies and third having the necessary seniority or course for that position.

What is day to day like?

In TEAR, day-to-day life is basically AFM (Military Physical Training) and pure rifle training. By rifle training I am talking about everything from theoretical “Tranquilas”, CQB exercises, through rappelling sessions, Fast rope, to IMOC. To this we should add the numerous outings to the countryside (Retín, Almería, Toledo, Chinchilla...), and the no less numerous international maneuvers.

In the EOS we must basically differentiate two stages: when you are on board, 98% are real Maritime Security missions (MSO) or missions abroad, and when you are quartered, you take the opportunity to carry out the necessary training to be ready. for the missions that the command may assign us, see CQB on both civil and own ships, many exercises from helicopters and boats, as well as security devices on the occasion of important visits, etc.

In the Naval Police company, training is greatly reduced due to the number of services and guards to which they are subjected, but the day-to-day life of part of their guards is basically AFM in the morning, followed by police theory and practice. They usually have about two maneuvers a year of their specific role as Military Police.

Do you think that someone who is clear about this path since they were little, or is clear that they are going to suffer and is part of the path, has a psychological advantage compared to someone who enters to try?

Napoleon said that the mind is to the body, like 3 to 4, obviously bringing that awareness and predisposition from home helps to overcome adversity, but in the end what is going to keep you going is your determination, your tolerance for physical pain. and above all, being willing to overcome those limits to achieve your goal. When people discover that water and cold are not as cool as in the movies and games, that's when they start to question if they really want that kind of life.

We know that there are two types of destinations, the TEAR and the FUPRO (Terlev, Tersur, Agrumad, etc...) for example, the difference between the southern third and the armed third, both in Cádiz, what is the difference between them?

Within the IM, there are three legs that support this sacred institution, one is FGNE, another is the TEAR and the last and no less important one is the FUPRO.

The essence and reason of IM is the projection of naval power on a hostile or potentially hostile coast. And that is precisely the mission of the TEAR, which is the offensive fist of the Navy in a wide spectrum of possibilities, the TEAR and its battalions are the best example of a unit enlisted and prepared to carry out this type of operations in the shortest time. possible, it was already seen in Lebanon, which was able to deploy a reinforced Battalion entity force in just a week and a half, since the order and the initial directive were received.

And the other major leg of this Corps is the FUPRO, whose main mission is to provide security to Navy facilities and personnel in the performance of their functions, apart from training and enlisting the EOS teams, which increase the level of operability and response. of Navy ships in their deployments and assigned missions.

When you go out of maneuvers, what do you do in the maneuvers?

In the TEAR the maneuvers are a daily occurrence, as I said before, the normal thing is to go out between one or two maneuvers a month, if it is to the Retin it is usually 5 days, (although I have experienced everything), if it is to other maneuver fields (Chincilla, San Gregorio, Alijares...), can be between 8 and 15 days long, and the international ones embarked on FD ships are usually between a month and a month and a half.

The EOS, due to the high level of deployments and boarding in MSO, do not usually have maneuvers as such, they tend to shoot several times with various weapons that cannot be carried out on ships, such as launching hand grenades and AG36, but those “ “maneuvers” do not usually last more than three days on average or 5 days at most.

And as I said before, the PN usually has about two maneuvers a year, and they usually last between 15 and 18 days.

What is the feeling of boarding a frigate?

Well, the feeling of being stuck in a can of preserves, little space and very little privacy, to which we must add that the weather conditions affect much more than when we board the large amphibious assault ships. Even so, it is a platform where we integrate perfectly as one of the crew, it provides us and we provide unique capabilities, both for training and for the execution of real maritime intervention operations.

What would you highlight most about the Marine Corps?

Well, once inside, as it is a unique specialty, it does not limit you from taking the path you want, that is, as an infantryman you can be a tank driver, artilleryman or sapper, unlike other armies that once you choose a weapon Specifically, your possibilities of changing to another type of role are limited, here in the IM the limit is set by your seniority and your suitability for that destination or specialty.

Then another of the things that I highlight the most compared to the other armies is the promotion system on the troop scale, to get promoted you have to pass an opposition exam and merit contest, you have to pass a training course for both the use of Cabo as for that of Cabo 1.

Since for the IM the role of these intermediate “commands” in the execution of the amphibious tactic is fundamental, their technical and physical preparation is essential, since due to the temporary loss of control during the first moments of the landing, It means that the “amphibious soldier” is required to have a great capacity for attack and initiative.

Is there a way to mentally prepare for the arduous path of Marine Corps?

Self-instill discipline and the ability to sacrifice, as well as arrive with prior physical preparation, taking into account that you are going to join an elite unit within the Navy.

For those of us who want to join the glorious Marine Corps, what advice/words would you give us?

A lot of encouragement and be clear in advance where you are going. During instruction, be quiet about your objectives and very willful. Take good care of your feet, which is the beginning and end of every infant, in addition to knowing how to take care of the cold and water, the infant is not the one who suffers or tolerates the most cold, but rather the one who knows how to protect himself and take care of it, to be the most effective and efficient in fulfilling the mission. When I entered I was not very clear about this, and it cost me pneumonia that almost ended, firstly with my health and secondly with my soldier's course.

If you had to define the Marine Corps in terms of the “intangibility” of this body, how would you define it?

For me, MI is like a virus, a virus that has infected me and has infected me, it is a delicious virus that runs through my body, that widens and dilates my heart every morning when I put on my uniform, and that I believe will It will accompany me until the end of my days. The IM is a unique unit, with a unique mission within the FAS, and we carry on our shoulders the work and sacrifice of all those who preceded us during our almost 500 years of history, the IM is so linked to the history of Spain , as is the meat on the bone. And in these uncertain and multi-threat times that we live in, it is a first-level instrument for the state's foreign policy to have a Corps like the Marine Corps, with Spain being one of the few nations in the world capable of projecting power. thus in its area of ​​influence.

If you have more questions, watch this video: Chatting with stubborn people.

If you want to enter the Military Academies of Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (both in the Direct Access modality and in Access by Promotion) consult sermilitar.com the material available to prepare access or visit the online store purchase.sermilitar.com

Tactical material in sermilitar.store