0610 PT:  Feel The Burn!

At 0610 each and every morning following the trumpet sounding REVEILLE, the PT routine and the subsequent 'burn' each camper may experience ignites each day of MMA Summer and ESL Camp. No matter what point on the globe each young man hails from and whether daily activities were formerly experienced at the keyboard of a cellphone or as the star quarterback on the hometown football team, at 0610 each camper is up and at 'em, fully-dressed, out the door RUNNING to form up in front of their barracks - an arm's-length from the next person. There's still stars twinkling overhead in the Texas night sky, and the still of the early morning is punctuated only by the glow from each barrack's indoor and outdoor lights. 

'Prompted' by their Cadet Instructor (CI), each platoon has formed rigid lines and each row begins counting off loud and proud..."ONE", then "TWO", and so on until everyone is present and accounted for.  At the CI's command and without missing a beat, for everyone present it's 'down and knees off the bricks' for 15 reps, back up for 25 'jacks', back down,up, down, up, down...back down for another few reps - and if you aren't inspired to keep up or don't do it right the Drill Instructor's 'night-sight vision' will spot you - instantly followed by his adamant encouragement. Pick up the pace or there's ALWAYS a Cadet Instructor or two that will hit the bricks and match push-ups with you ... face-to-face!

Twenty minutes of PT pass by quickly. Campers' responses are increasingly louder and more energetic, "YES, SIR!"  CI's quickly form up platoons, guidon-bearers retrieve and hoist their platoon's colors, and DI's lead their companies in a mile jog shouting cadences - loud and proud - as the sun sends out the first rays of crimson  and gold daylight.

Prepare to be totally amazed at each camper's growth by Graduation Day on July 31st - the few, the proud, the accomplished Marine Military Academy Campers of 2011 – sizzling HOT!