Students training for Marine Corps Officer Programs on Saturday
November 30, 2012
About 70 university students pursuing a commission in the United States Marine Corps will take part in an outdoor forced hike on campus Saturday (Dec. 1).
The students, who are primarily from Purdue, the University of Notre Dame and Wabash College, will march in two groups from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The groups will depart from the Purdue Armory and will march along University Street, State Street, North Grant Street and Northwestern Avenue before returning to the armory.
The six-mile route will include paths through some parking garages located along the way, says Capt. Casey Chenoweth, an officer selection officer for Northern Indiana universities with the U.S. Marine Corps. Seven instructors will be wearing Marine uniforms, and the students will be marching in civilian clothes. The students will be carrying backpacks that weigh about 60 pounds each as part of the training.
The students are part of a Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class and Officer Candidate Course that involves the students' eventual commission after their graduation, Chenoweth said. The outdoor marching exercises take place one Saturday each month during the school year.
Questions about the exercise may be directed to Chenoweth at casey.chenoweth@marines.usmc.mil.
Writer: Amanda Hamon, 49-61326, ahamon@purdue.edu