NEW ORLEANS -- Staff Sgt. Eduardo Soriano is fighting hard. The sweat is burning his eyes and he’s trying to catch his breath while another Marine fights back. They’re both using attack and defense at the same time always trying to be one move ahead of their opponent and eventually be the last man standing.
“I was thinking to myself, control my breathing, apply every tactic I know and dig deep inside,” said Soriano.
He and six other Marines have been training five hours a day, seven days a week for two weeks to earn their brown belts. The brown belt is the last belt standing in their way of the black belt.
Before earning their brown belt, they had to earn the tan, gray and green belts. With each course, the Marines had to endure hours of practice before being awarded their belts.
They meet every day at 7 a.m. to begin their training on a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program mat that’s been set up in a warehouse known as the dojo. As MCMAP instructor, Sgt. Jose Galvan screams out orders, the Marines execute the commands using dummy knives and batons.
“The course helps me stay proficient in my teaching skill, but for the students paying attention to the techniques and tie-ins, help them understand that MCMAP is not just about learning how to seriously hurt your opponent,” said Galvan. “But also how to be an ethical warrior using the three disciples of MCMAP, which are physical, mental and character.”
The Marines learn more about rules of engagement, force continuum and interpersonal violence as part of the mental discipline in the course. They must display honor, courage and commitment for the character discipline and physical discipline which comes with all the physical training in the course.
The Marines perform knife fighting and ground fighting tactics. They went through grappling moves as green and gray belt remediation, a refresher for things the Marines learned in earlier courses. They conduct physical training using heavy logs and low crawl in the dirt, ignoring the mud in their eyes and the pain in their body, for the sake of staying in shape and completing the course.
Not only do they train their bodies, but their minds as well. They study Marine Corps knowledge and help each other prepare for their final exam that will test what they’ve learned throughout the course both physically and mentally.
MCMAP is Marine Corps wide and open to all Marines but only a small percentage of Marines accept the challenge to progress this far in the MCMAP program.
“I want to take advantage of any training the Marine Corps offers me,” said Lance Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah, the only junior Marine in the brown belt course. “MCMAP is training I could definitely see myself utilizing if necessary.”
At the end of the course, which adds up to a total of 33-and-a-half total hours of pain, sweat and motivation, the Marines will be awarded their well-deserved brown belts.