Marines now treat boot camp injuries instead of dismissing them
REPORTING FROM SAN DIEGO — When the recruit staggered out of the Thunderdome pugil-stick arena, he had the early signs of concussion: glassy eyes, confusion, unsteadiness on his feet.
His face had been gashed by a smashing blow from his opponent — another would-be Marine desperate to please drill instructors with a display of unrelenting aggression.
Not that long ago, the drill instructors might have ordered the woozy recruit back into line for another session.
But times have changed at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
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The Marine Corps, while still reveling in its reputation for having the toughest recruit training of any military service, has realized that boot camp injuries cost time and money and can be demoralizing to injured recruits and their buddies.
http://www.stripes.com/news/marine-corps/marines-now-treat-boot-camp-injuries-instead-of-dismissing-them-1.159966