The Crucible

Today, and over the course of the next few days, I would ask that you take some time to pray specifically for my brother, Kendrick. He has less than two weeks to go until he graduates from boot camp. However, while he is on the downhill side and the days are quickly ticking by, the hardest week of all is facing him even as I write this.

As a recruit he must face, and endure, the Crucible before he can earn the right to be called a Marine. Today he will be going through the gas chamber and then sometime in the early hours on Tuesday morning the Crucible will begin. Here is the description directly from the Marine Corps website...."54 continuous hours of physical and mental challenges." That is not a typo, it is indeed 54 hours back to back of maneuvers and exercises requiring all the skill they've been taught over the previous 10 weeks - from teamwork, to leadership, to endurance. They are given minimal rations, minimal sleep (as in a couple of hours total) and often start out with a 20 mile hump (a hike/jog with their full gear which is 65 pounds+). Up to this point in time they are just recruits, but upon the completion of the Crucible they will earn the title of The Few, The Proud...The Marines. At the end here's our best guess at what will happen - when their body has reached its physical and mental limits they will go on an uphill hump for six miles, go two more miles downhill, and then walk directly out onto the parade grounds, get into formation, receive their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, and be called Marines for the first time. A week later, on April 24th, Kendrick will graduate from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California.

He has made it this far, he has been strengthened by our prayers and letters of encouragement, he has been a testimony to those around him - so please hold him up in prayer once again this week. Pray that he will finish strong!