Escape isn’t an option. Alligators and sharks lurk nearby. Discipline and teamwork are central concepts at basic training. You wear what you’re given and do what you’re told. Every minute of the day is strictly scheduled, so you move with a purpose. Physical fitness training and tests demand your full effort. Educational standards are rigorous. Combat training includes simulated and active weaponry. You only use the new vocabulary you’re taught. Err even slightly, and a drill instructor is there to catch you. Do something well, and he’ll still find a way to deride you. “It was frantic and terrifying and difficult and exhausting,” Jacquet said. “You just have this guy screaming himself blue in your face, and you’re just terrified.” The Crucible is the final test every recruit must go through
to become a Marine. It’s a gauntlet of physical and mental challenges and war simulation that spans 54 continuous hours. Recruits must fend off food and sleep deprivation to complete a series of obstacles, including 48 miles of marches,
years. In October, college teams play in Wounded Warrior benefit tournaments. All the support is necessary. WWP’s mission is not even close to finished. “Everyone asks the question, ‘Well, what are you going to do when the war ends?’” Silva said, before noting the irony that he was saying this the day after the U.S. began engagements in Syria. “For us, the real work is just starting.”
The mission of WWP, which is commemorating its 10th anniversary, is to “honor and empower wounded warriors.”
Silva emphasized the Mind Pillar initiative, which focuses on the mental health of veterans. Four out of five warriors have a friend who was seriously wounded or killed in action
laxmagazine.com
45 OUT OF
WARRIORS HAVE A FRIEND WHO WAS SERIOUSLY WOUNDED OR KILLED IN ACTION.
and nearly 75 percent reported being haunted by the memory of an upsetting military experience during the previous month. WWP is working to make sure that these needs are addressed both short and long term. It’s a reminder that, when the soldiers return home, they still have their whole lives ahead of them. After all, it’s the young people — in another life, high school and college lacrosse players — who are over there. “We don’t give them enough credit,” Silva said. “Contrary to popular belief, I think this generation of men and women are the next coming of the greatest
generation.” — Mark Macyk
THE TOP 5
MOST COMMON INJURIES AND HEALTH PROBLEMS IN POST-9/11 SERVICE 1»SLEEP CONDITIONS
2 3
»POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
»BACK, NECK, SHOULDER
4»DEPRESSION 5
»ANXIETY Source: Wounded Warrior Project
November 2014 » LACROSSE MAGAZINE 41
©PHOTO CREDIT
©JOHN STROHSACKER; ©KATRINA SKINNER
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