As tension continues to mount in the Middle East, MTV News reporter Gideon Yago headed to a Marine training base in Quantico, Virginia, to prepare for the possibility of life under fire. Gideon will be sharing his experiences with MTVNews.com throughout his training.
Day 1
I arrived this morning at Camp Barrett, the U.S. Marines training base in Quantico, Virginia. It will be my home for the next five days. My producer, Megan, and I are part of the fourth class of international media to be accepted by the Defense Department for "combat training" — a course that will provide us with safety tips so that we (the 75 or so international media who are here) can stay out of harm's way in the event of war. The course is also intended to teach us how to keep from turning troops into baby sitters.
Camp Barrett looks and feels like a cross between a dorm and a summer camp. If you've ever lived on an Army or Air Force or Naval base, you probably have a good idea of what I'm talking about. If you haven't, just imagine a campus of really boxy architecture interrupted by the occasional ropes course, statue or mortar gun.
There are journalists from all over the globe here in Quantico. My bunkmates are two Americans: a writer for the Washington Times and a producer/reporter from CNN. But I have already met Irish and British producers for Fox TV U.K., a writer for Stars and Stripes who lives in Spain, and some photographers. Some of them, like Craig White of NBC News, have seen so much combat that they are teaching the Marines how to correctly pack their backpacks. For others, like me, this is a first-time event.
All the media are pretty excited about the prospect of going overseas. "Where will you be embedded?" is sort of the equivalent of "What's your major?" when socializing here at Quantico. The Marines, Army, Air Force and Naval officers are much more judicious when picking their words. They say "if," not "when there is a war with Iraq." But it seems superfluous. Unless Saddam Hussein decides to take up the U.S. offer for exile, in all likelihood all of these journalists will have an opportunity — very soon — to put their newly acquired skills to use.
Our training will include courses on how to embark and disembark from a helicopter, how to properly work NBC (nuclear/biological/chemical) gear in a gas chamber and how to react to live fire. Plus there's an overnight hike with 35 pounds of gear. Last night, before I fell asleep, I had visions of the opening scene of "Silence of the Lambs" running through my head: Jody Foster in Quantico, running through the Virginia underbrush looking earnest. I keep joking with Megan that that is going to be us in 24 hours.
But today, we had it relatively easy. We were issued our equipment: flak jackets, Kevlar vests, helmets and camping gear. We both plan on packing it in early, though. Reveille is tomorrow morning at 5 a.m.
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