Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. -- Courage is the mental or moral strength to resist opposition, danger or hardship. It's what pushes a Marine to do the right thing regardless of the consequences.
Courage is more than a feeling, though. It's a necessity for Marines.
"There are two types of courage," said 1st Sgt. Tracey Holcomb, the first sergeant for Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion.
Physical courage is what forces someone "to push yourself," and moral courage is the strength "to do what is right," Holcomb said. Marines and recruits need both. However, courage doesn't come overnight.
"There are many tools we use to teach them (recruits) courage," Holcomb said. "We train them one-on-one, give them examples from our personal lives and give core value classes."
The classes are step one.
"The classes tell them what core values are," Holcomb said. "But it's just a foundation."
The foundation is a start, but it requires work. That's where the one-on-one time comes in.
"I had a recruit who kept giving up on the runs," Holcomb said. "He didn't have the physical courage to keep pushing himself. I got by him and kept encouraging him."
It was effective ... for a while.
"It worked well," Holcomb went on. "Then he quit on me again. You just have to keep pushing them until they get over the 'I can't' attitude."
However, there is no better teaching tool than real-life experiences, according to Staff Sgt. Scott Jackson, the operations chief for Bravo Co., 2nd RTBn.
"I share the stories from my time in Fallujah, Iraq, during Operation Phantom Fury," Jackson said. "I chose to stick in the turret during a convoy when the other two Marines were already taken down by sniper fire."
Staying was an easy choice for Jackson, though.
"I couldn't abandon the Marines with me," Jackson said. "There is no way I would duck and cover while they were out there."
Moral courage can be found on and off the battlefield as well. Whether it's choosing not to fire when given the order or standing up to a superior when given an unlawful order, moral courage is used throughout a Marine's career.
Recruits are given every chance to demonstrate their courage. One of those chances is the Confidence Course.
"The Confidence Course is one of the biggest tests of their courage," said Staff Sgt. Joseph Plante, a drill instructor for Kilo Co., 3rd RTBn. "They have to go out there and do something they have never done before."
Recruits learn courage here, but it doesn't end here.
"Courage isn't a sometime thing," Holcomb said. "It is an everyday thing."
Courage is the heart and soul of the core values system. It is the strength that Marines rely on to set foot into battle and to do what is right, even when no one is watching. Courage is what forces Marines to take that final step to continue the Corps' legacy.