-[rooster crows]
-[alarm beeping]
- -[footsteps] - -[dogs barking in distance]
[door closes]
[microwave beeping, whirring]
[door opens, closes]
[water running]
-[microwave beeps]
-[footsteps continue]
[microwave door opens]
- -[plate scraping] - -[microwave door closes]
7:30 in the morning,
and today is the day
that I have been
kind of dreading since April,
but, um, my fiancé Sam
enlisted into the Marine Corps,
and he leaves
for boot camp today.
Um...
You, too, honey.
You take care.
Thank you.
-Grandpa.
-Take care, big guy.
Good morning.
Aw, you.
[♪♪♪]
[Gene Hackman]
These young men and women
are going on a long journey.
I love you so much.
-Mm.
-We all love you.
I'll miss you.
- [Hackman] - One that goes around the globe
and back to the foundations
of our nation.
[whimpering]
- [boy] - Bye, Daddy.
[man]
Bye, honey! Love you!
[man]
Go, go, go, go, go, go!
[♪♪♪]
[man]
Move, move, move!
[explosions popping]
[♪♪♪]
♪ All we've ever needed ♪
♪ Is a montage ♪
[man]
Hands up!
♪ Whoo ♪
Get those knees up!
Keep 'em up!
- [Hackman] - People say that the Marine Corps
is different from all other
military organizations
anywhere in the world.
[♪♪♪]
[Hackman] I'm Gene Hackman,
and I was a Marine.
Once you're in the Corps,
you're in the Corps
all your days on Earth.
Why is that?
The answer starts when
the Marine Corps was founded,
in 1775.
[horse trotting]
[Hackman]
The Continental Navy
needed sharpshooters
to give their frigates an edge
over the superior English Navy.
-[explosions, gunfire]
-[men shouting]
Marines picked off
dozens of the enemy seamen,
in our nation's
first battles at sea.
Without these first Marines,
our nation might not
have been born.
Today, the men and women of
the United States Marine Corps
are ready to go anywhere
on a moment's notice,
to fight if need be,
and to help
where help is needed.
-[man] All right, Marines!
-[shouting orders]
[Hackman] Marines are
fiercely loyal to each other,
always moving, thinking
and feeling as one.
That's what our motto,
"semper fidelis,"
"always faithful,"
really means.
That's why you never
stop being a Marine.
[♪♪♪]
[men shouting in unison]
But committing to the Corps
is not for the faint of heart.
-[bus engine slows]
-[brakes squeal softly]
[Hackman]
At Parris Island
or in San Diego,
recruits always arrive for
the 12-week boot camp at night.
[man]
Get off my bus!
Now! Now, now, now!
I said get off my bus!
Move it! Move it!
Eyes on footprints!
- [Hackman] Some come from - families with long traditions
- -of serving their country. - -[all in unison] Aye, sir!
- [Hackman] - Others come from tough places,
where it's hard to find work.
[instructor shouting orders]
But they all arrive looking
for direction to their lives.
To better themselves.
It all starts when you step
onto the footprints
where generations
of Marines have stood.
[woman] Some of us
are right out of high school.
Some have never
been away from home.
Just coming here takes courage.
- [man 1] You got to - put your feet on the floor.
- [man 2] Aye, sir! - -[clippers buzzing]
- [man 1] - You got moles to report, too,
let me know where they at.
- [Barber] - Let's go, sir.
Feet on there. Get your
feet on, get it on there.
- [man 3] - Yes, sir.
[clippers buzzing]
Move faster!
[indistinct shouting]
Now, boy!
- [Hackman] Then the recruits - begin their training,
- by meeting the person - who will scare
the living civilian
out of them,
their drill instructor.
[all in unison]
Yes, sir!
-Now stand right here!
-All right, sir.
-"Aye, aye, sir!"
-Aye, aye, sir.
Help her!
-Run! Run! Run! Run! Run!
-Yes, sir.
[indistinct shouting]
Aye, sir!
[man]
And he's tough,
but I can tell you,
he's instilling
not only physical toughness
but mental toughness.
[indistinct shouting]
[Hackman] Believe me,
it ain't no walk in the park.
[grunting]
Go! Go!
[grunting, panting]
[indistinct shouting]
- [woman] - You learn never to leave
- -any team member behind... - -You got him! Pull!
...under any circumstance.
- -Push! - -Come on!
[shouts]
- [Hackman] - At boot camp, we determine
what young men and women
are made of,
whether they can
adapt and overcome.
- [man] Don't look down. - Don't look down.
- [Hackman] - If they have what it takes
to earn the title Marine.
We learned lessons
from past wars,
like World War I,
where at Belleau Wood,
in France,
our Army and Marine Corps
- -faced new weapons-- - -[rapid gunfire; men shouting]
machine guns,
aerial bombardment
and chemical warfare.
Chemical weapons
are still a threat,
so we train for them today.
[filtered breathing]
[indistinct shouting]
[coughing]
[Hackman] Recruits are told
to unseal their mask
- so they can learn - how to clear out the gas.
[gasping]
I can't breathe!
[Hackman]
It's nasty.
[retching]
I can't...
[grunting]
[indistinct shouting]
[coughing]
[Hackman] Over the 12 weeks
of boot camp training,
our goal is to become an
integral component of our team.
[Hackman laughs]
We start out pretty ragged.
Oh, yeah.
[indistinct shouting]
[♪♪♪]
- [woman] - But just a few weeks later,
- we've ironed out - most of the wrinkles.
- [all in unison] - Yes, sir!
[♪♪♪]
- [Hackman] - To be true to our heritage,
all Marines train for combat.
Every Marine is a rifleman.
[distorted gunshot]
All Marines learn to shoot
with precision
at long distance.
[distorted gunshot]
- [woman] - Yes, ma'am.
[indistinct talking]
Yes, ma'am!
-[indistinct talking]
-Yes, ma'am.
-[indistinct talking]
-Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.
[Hackman] If boot camp is
a series of character tests,
you could say
they saved the best for last.
[all]
Yes, sir.
- [Hackman] - Few things are as memorable
in a Marine's
boot camp experience
as the rite of passage
called the Crucible.
It's 54 hours--
48 miles of marching,
45 pounds of gear,
and 29 intense
team-building exercises,
all with only
six hours of sleep
- -and two meal rations to go on. - -[officer] I told you to go!
Get through the obstacle!
- [man] - On day one of the Crucible,
I kept telling myself,
"I've got to finish this."
- [officer] - What are you doing, soldier?!
- [man] And during - those grueling 54 hours,
I learned one thing above all--
we can do this...together.
-[indistinct shouting]
-[grunting]
[♪♪♪]
And when we do...
it'll be the hardest thing that
we have ever done in our lives.
- [officer] - Let's go! Help each other!
Work as a team!
[Hackman] We learn to lead
and to count on each other.
[recruit groans]
The Crucible
emphasizes our motto--
semper fidelis,
always faithful.
We can't make it alone.
We need each other.
[Andra Day]
♪ All we need ♪
♪ All we need is hope... ♪
[officer]
Push. Push.
[groaning]
♪ And for that
we have each other ♪
♪ And ♪
♪ We will rise, we will rise ♪
♪ We will rise... ♪
[woman] We all started
this journey together,
and we are all going
to finish it together.
♪ We'll rise ♪
♪ I'll rise up ♪
♪ Rise like the day... ♪
[Hackman]
Then...we're done.
♪ In spite of the ache ♪
♪ I will rise... ♪
Present...arms!
♪ And we'll rise up ♪
♪ Rise like the waves ♪
♪ We'll rise up ♪
♪ In spite of the ache ♪
♪ We'll rise up ♪
♪ And we'll do it
a thousand times again... ♪
- [Hackman] - You've earned the Marine Corps
Eagle, Globe, and Anchor,
and a handshake
of congratulations.
- [officer] - Job well done.
[Hackman]
At that very moment,
you become a Marine.
[soft crying]
It's a moment
you'll never forget.
- [man] When you go on - that final motivational run
with your battalion,
you realize
you're part
of something bigger.
[crowd cheering]
♪ And I'll rise up ♪
- -♪ I'll rise like the day ♪ - -[excited shouting]
♪ I'll rise up... ♪
- [woman] - Oh, I'm so proud of you!
♪ I'll rise up ♪
♪ And I'll do it
a thousand times again ♪
[laughter]
♪ For you, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ For you ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ You ♪
♪ You, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh ♪
Made it. Made it.
♪ Ah, ah. ♪
- [Hackman] - At the same time at Quantico,
the fitness
of officer candidates
to lead and inspire Marines
is tested in every way.
-[marching footsteps]
-[soldiers chanting]
[chanting continues]
[Hackman] So if you think
officers have it easy,
think again.
[yelling, grunting]
The Quigley exercises.
- [laughs dryly] - Oh-ho...
Its name alone
makes officers squirm.
It's snakes in the summer,
ice in the winter.
[man] Putting us
through that culvert
with a D.I. yelling at us
in a confined, muddy trench,
I don't think that that's
anything that any of us
will ever forget.
[Hackman]
The officers are ready.
Now it's time
to really go to work.
- [indistinct - military radio chatter]
- [Hackman] All across the world, - Marine Corps operational units
prepare for deployment
to anyplace on Earth.
[radio chatter continues]
At Camp Pendleton,
Marines train to go in fast--
by air, from the sea,
and across the land.
Marines are a triple threat.
In one of the greatest battles
of World War II,
Marines stormed the beachhead
at Iwo Jima island.
While the first Marines landed,
the enemy hid
in caves and tunnels,
- waiting for the right moment - to strike back.
Then...
all hell broke loose.
[bombs whooshing]
[explosions, gunfire]
- -Many became heroes that day. - -[indistinct radio chatter]
At the top of Mount Suribachi,
Marines raised
the Stars and Stripes,
boosting morale
for all of our troops
and creating the immortal image
known around the world.
Since Iwo Jima and other
island campaigns in the Pacific
- -in World War II, - -[indistinct radio chatter]
we've developed better ways
to get ashore.
A Landing Craft Air Cushion,
LCAC,
can carry vehicles and Marines
even up over land.
[indistinct radio chatter]
[man] We need fast,
long-range planes
that can collect people and
equipment without an airfield.
That's the Osprey, the V-22.
- [Hackman] The Marines - are always devising new ways
to get troops
where they need to be,
and get them out safely.
[soldiers grunting]
The training exercises across
Marine Corps bases and stations
encompass every type
of a Marine,
including the four-legged kind.
[dog panting]
Loyalty is the hallmark
of the Marine Corps.
And who's more loyal
than man's best friend?
- [man] - When a handler and a dog
- -become a team... - -Up, up. Up, up. Up, up.
- ...they must first establish - a fundamental level of respect
amongst each other.
The way you do that
- is by simply spending time - with each other
and letting the dog
be a dog around you,
then slowly incorporating
commands as you go along.
[speaking German commands]
Good.
[man] The reason training
is happening every day
is because the bond is
constantly being developed.
- And that bond is - what saves your life
when you're downrange.
Forward. Hop up.
Forward. Easy.
Aw, yeah. That's a good girl.
[man] What's so beautiful
about the bond
between a handler and their dog
- is that you can communicate - without saying a word.
- [Hackman] - Today, military working dogs
are trained at Camp Pendleton
to detect bombs
-and prevent terrorist attacks.
-Search.
[barks]
Search.
- [Hackman] Villages have been - built to simulate
-other parts of the world.
-That's a good boy.
They look and sound authentic.
They even smell
like the real thing.
[man] This dog
lies down and wags its tail
when it finds explosives.
- Dogs have a better record - of finding explosives
over anything else, even
fancy electronic equipment.
Good boy.
[man]
We love our dogs.
We'd risk our lives for them.
And vice versa.
- [Hackman] - In Vietnam,
more dogs were deployed
in combat than ever before.
[barking]
Over the course
of this long war,
it was nice to see
some familiar faces from home.
-Folks like Bob Hope.
-[laughter]
- [Bob] - And I want to tell you, folks,
-these Marines are really tough.
-[cheering]
- And their motto is - "semper fidelis."
- That means, - "Oh, don't worry about it, Doc,
-just nail it back on."
-[laughter, cheering]
[man]
It was a difficult war,
but getting a letter from home
meant everything to us.
[indistinct chatter, laughter]
It's these moments
that remind us
what we are protecting.
[Hackman] The Mountain Warfare
Training Center in Bridgeport
was founded in 1951
to train Marines for Korea.
Months after North Korea
invaded the South,
- a Chinese communist army - swept in,
encircling
the 1st Marine Division
at Chosin Reservoir,
just as a brutal winter set in.
Our troops were surrounded
and badly outnumbered.
Despite frostbite,
hunger and exhaustion,
the Marines carried
their wounded with them,
as they fought their way
90 miles to the sea.
[wind whistling]
To prepare for harsh
cold-weather conditions,
like those faced in Korea,
Marines train high
in California's Sierra Nevada.
[yells]
[Hackman]
It's cold.
- [laughs] - Oh, yeah.
- [man] - All right.
[speaking indistinctly]
6851.
[speaking indistinctly]
- [man 1] - It's not just about being able
to jump into a frozen lake,
it's being the sort of person
that can deal with anything
without fear.
That's the sort of person
that you can send anywhere.
[wind whistling]
[man 2] Here, we think about
a winter in Korea.
- Having to deal - with that kind of cold,
- I think, - is something I won't forget.
[Hackman] In the mountain
terrain at Bridgeport,
we also learn
to climb and rappel.
[♪♪♪]
- [man] - Having to create
your own one-rope bridges
and-and jump in freezing water,
it's just some
of the best training,
most dangerous training we did.
[Hackman]
But it comes with consequences.
If you have
a fracture there...
[Hackman] The training
is realistic and tough.
- -[groans] - -[man] Yeah, it's painful.
[Hackman]
You won't forget it.
[♪♪♪]
[man] We train to get
into places quickly.
- We need to be able - to get ready in a few hours
at a moment's notice.
We don't choose
where they send us.
[♪♪♪]
[officer]
Go!
[man] It's literally
a leap into the unknown.
It's a different sort
of courage,
dangling there in the dark,
not knowing
what dangers are ahead.
But what we do know is that
we are part of something bigger,
more important than just us.
- [Hackman] The Corps - trains Marine air crews
to go in first,
fast and undetected.
The best pilots are put through
an intensive
seven-week training course.
When Marine infantry units
call in an air strike,
precision is vital.
♪ Lonely shadows... ♪
The latest laser technology
has made this teamwork
more accurate than ever.
♪ Lonely voices talking to me ♪
♪ Now I'm gone, now I'm gone ♪
♪ Now I'm gone ♪
♪ And my mother told me ♪
-♪ Son, let it be ♪
-[rapid gunfire]
♪ Sold my soul to the calling ♪
♪ Sold my soul
to a sweet melody ♪
♪ Now I'm gone,
now I'm gone... ♪
[rockets whooshing]
♪ Lord, gimme that fire ♪
♪ Burn, burn, burn... ♪
- [man] - When they're on the ground
and they see our gunships
in the air protecting them,
they're telling us
thank you every day.
♪ Sold my soul
to a sweet melody... ♪
[Hackman]
When it's time to move,
the CH-53 does
the heavy lifting.
♪ Lord, gimme that fire ♪
♪ Burn, burn, burn... ♪
- [Hackman] Midair refueling - is the modern equivalent
of jousting,
except a lot more's at stake
if you don't hit
the bull's-eye.
- [female pilot] - 0-1-1, Iron Horse 2-1.
We've got a good flow.
[male pilot] Copy.
Good flow on starboard hose.
[Hackman] Helicopter crashes
can be deadly,
especially when
water's involved.
So some Marines now train
to escape from a submerged
helicopter, upside down.
[♪♪♪]
♪ When the night ♪
♪ Has come ♪
♪ And the land is dark ♪
♪ And the moon ♪
♪ Is the only light we'll see ♪
♪ No, I won't ♪
♪ Be afraid ♪
♪ No, I won't be afraid ♪
♪ Just as long ♪
♪ As you stand ♪
♪ Stand by me ♪
- [man] - When you do the dunker,
heh, it was
the scariest thing I did
in all of my training.
[Hackman]
We do it three times.
The third time,
it's blindfolded.
[♪♪♪]
We also train
to provide humanitarian aid
to other countries
around the world.
We're America's international
9-1-1 responders.
[labored breathing]
When there's a disaster,
we're ready.
[wind whistling]
- [man] - As the Philippine government
ask us for support,
- I've got airplanes - that can look for people
in areas that are stranded.
-That's what I do.
-[indistinct chatter]
- [Hackman] - Marines rushed to help in Japan
when a devastating earthquake
and tsunami struck.
And in Haiti,
after the earthquake.
And in Nepal, where six Marines
lost their lives
when their helicopter crashed
in bad weather.
Marines are ready anytime.
Several times a year,
we gather to coordinate
the capabilities
we've trained for
in a combined arms exercise
in Twentynine Palms,
and at other bases nearby.
It's a dance.
And the Combat Operation Center
is where the dance
is choreographed.
- Charlie 1-1, - this is actual.
Mission is a go.
I say again, mission is a go.
[indistinct
military radio chatter]
[Hackman] Their mission is
to land a battalion of Marines
in a small desert village
with integrated air
and logistics support.
Now the dance begins.
[♪♪♪]
- [man over P.A.] - Ship is in flight quarters.
- All hands not involved - in flight operations,
stand clear of the flight deck.
[jet engines whirring]
- [Hackman] One of the most - critical components
of this dance
is the fire support,
which prepares the objective
before we put
boots on the ground.
They have a language
all their own.
[indistinct shouting]
Fire!
[indistinct
military radio chatter]
There should be
three positions.
- [Hackman] The Marines - always say that no plan
survives first contact.
- [woman] - Instructors will throw
a wrench in our plans,
- so we'll know how to deal - with the unexpected.
- [man] - Thunder 4-1, immediate cast.
Stand by for game plan
and eyeline.
[pilot]
Thunder 4-1. Ready. Copy.
- [Hackman] Mortars protect - the approaching assault.
Fire!
[♪♪♪]
[Hackman] This training
has been essential in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Since the beginning of
the Global War on Terror,
the face of combat has changed.
- [man] - We no longer have
- -an enemy that wears uniforms. - -Fire!
- We don't have an enemy that, - uh, has a state capital.
- We don't even have an enemy - that has a state.
[soldier] Get over here!
Come on! Come on!
- [Hackman] In one block, they may - need to assault a building.
[rapid gunfire]
And on the block
right next to it,
hand out bottled water
and packaged meals.
It's not just about
using force,
- but also making and keeping - the peace.
At the end of
a combined arms exercise,
you work on ways
to do it better
as a team the next time.
[man 1] The difficult
you'll do immediately,
- and the impossible - just takes a little bit longer.
And the Marine Corps
taught me that--
nothing was impossible.
[man 2] We are ready
when others are not.
- That's why we're committed - to each other
and to our core values of
honor, courage and commitment,
selfless service and sacrifice.
- [woman] - My favorite thing
is being a leader
and being a mentor.
- [man 3] They're - the best people I've ever met,
- and it's been - an absolute honor
- to be able to serve with them, - and it's something I'll cherish
for the rest of my life.
[man 4]
And when we've done our job...
we go home.
That's when we realize
who we do it all for.
[♪♪♪]
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Come on, y'all ♪
♪ I'm just
the world's greatest ♪
- ♪ Yeah, I'm just - the world's greatest, y'all ♪
- ♪ I'm just - the world's greatest ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ I'm just
the world's greatest ♪
♪ I am a mountain ♪
♪ I am a tall tree, oh ♪
♪ I am a swift wind ♪
♪ Sweeping the country ♪
♪ I am a river ♪
♪ Down in the valley, oh ♪
♪ I am a vision ♪
♪ And I can see clearly ♪
♪ If anybody ask you who I am ♪
♪ Just stand up tall,
look 'em in the face and say ♪
♪ I'm that star
up in the sky ♪
♪ I'm that mountain peak
up high ♪
♪ Hey, I made it ♪
♪ Mm, I'm the
world's greatest... ♪
[man]
We don't aim to be heroes...
Dad! [laughs]
...but in the eyes
of our loved ones,
we feel pretty special.
♪ If anybody ask you
who I am ♪
♪ Just stand up tall,
look 'em in the face and say ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ I'm that star
up in the sky ♪
- ♪ I'm that mountain peak - up high ♪
-♪ Hey, I made it ♪
-♪ Said I made it ♪
♪ I'm the world's greatest ♪
♪ I'm that little bit
of hope ♪
♪ When my back's
against the ropes ♪
-♪ I can feel it ♪
-♪ Feel it ♪
♪ I'm the world's greatest ♪
♪ I'm that star
up in the sky ♪
♪ I'm that mountain peak
up high ♪
-♪ Yeah, I made it ♪
-♪ I made it ♪
♪ I'm the world's greatest ♪
♪ I'm that little bit
of hope ♪
♪ When my back's
against the ropes ♪
♪ I can feel it ♪
♪ I'm the world's greatest... ♪
[Hackman] Most Marines
start out as scared kids.
But the Corps treats them well
and builds their self-respect.
♪ Yeah, I made it ♪
♪ I'm the world's greatest... ♪
[Hackman] And that's why
they'll be loyal Marines
till their last day on Earth.
♪ I can feel it ♪
♪ Now I can just walk through ♪
♪ I'm the world's greatest ♪
- -♪ It's the greatest ♪ - -♪ It's the greatest ♪
-♪ Can you feel it? ♪
- -♪ Say it, the greatest, yeah ♪ - -♪ It's the greatest ♪
- -♪ Can you feel it, yeah? ♪ - -♪ Can you feel it? ♪
- -♪ And I saw the light ♪ - -♪ It's the greatest ♪
-♪ At the end of the tunnel ♪
-♪ Can you feel it? ♪
- -♪ Believe in the pot of gold ♪ - -♪ It's the greatest ♪
-♪ At the end of the rainbow ♪
-♪ Can you feel it? ♪
- ♪ And the faith - was right there ♪
-♪ To pull me through ♪
-♪ Can you feel it? ♪
- -♪ Used to be locked doors ♪ - -♪ It's the greatest ♪
- ♪ Now I can just - walk on through ♪
♪ Can you feel it? ♪
[excited chatter, cheering]
[laughing]
- [woman] - Boot camp was hard being apart,
but seeing his dreams come true
made it all worth it.
♪ Can you feel it? ♪