I am a United States Marine, and proud of it! Like the Arizona Cardinals, we have a training camp, and it’s called Boot Camp, and let me tell you, it’s nothing like what Cardinals players will go through over the next month.
Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell got a sneak peek of what Marine Corps life is like on Tuesday, as he took part in some training that was held at Skyline High School in Mesa, Ariz.
Campbell was a little under the weather, but he toughed it out, just like we Marines do. Campbell took part in some of the PT (physical training), and also had an opportunity to speak to the applicants.
There were 51 applicants who took to the field for the training, all of whom gained major respect from Campbell for making the decision to join the Corps.
“I’m glad you guys set goals for yourself, and hopefully Boot Camp won’t be too bad,” Campbell told the group.
Campbell lifted a 30-pound ammo can over his head 111 times, and did 15 pull ups, in addition to the PT. He was totally drenched in sweat afterwards.
“It was intense,” Campbell said. “I know Boot Camp must be hard because this looks like its pretty intense now.”
Campbell made the parallel between Marine Corps Boot Camp and Cardinals Training Camp.
“They’re kind of the same thing,” Campbell said. “We have to grind and train, and take it to another level.”
Sgt Ray Miller runs the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in Mesa, Ariz. Miller couldn’t have been more excited to have Campbell come out and take part in the training.
“There’s nothing more we can ask [than] for him to come out and give them [applicants] the knowledge that he has and the determination as well,” Miller said.
When asked if Campbell could join the elite, Miller took a hard look at Campbell and said:
“Yea, he could be a Marine,” Miller said. “He’d have to put in some hard work, so we’d definitely challenge him, but he definitely could be one if he puts his mind to it.”
