You Have To Pass The Crucible To Become A US Marine

The Crucible is the final exercise in the training to become a US marine.

The test is a culmination of the three-month programme. It lasts 54 hours and recruits are pushed to their absolute limits.

Sergeant Mark Sims is a training instructor for the programme. 

He says the Crucible tests the recruits' endurance:

"It's an event that breaks them down, but builds them up to make them strong."

Some of the obstacles or 'events' in the Crucible haven't been completed in years, until now.

One of the most challenging involves getting a tyre over the top of a 12-foot verticle pole.
 
Recruit Nathalie Roe, says the Crucible is what recruits are most excited for from day one:

"It's something you look forward to but then dread at the same time."

The last task in the exercise is a nine-mile night hike.

And to celebrate it coming to an end, recruits are treated to a 'warrior's breakfast'.

It's the first time they're allowed to eat steak and real bacon for three months.

It's also the first time they've been allowed to talk to their fellow recruits at mealtimes.

If they make it to the breakfast having successfully completed the Crucible they have made it to becoming a US Marine.

MORE: The World's Toughest Women: Female Marines In Training