WHILE IN BOOTCAMP AT SAN DIEGO MCRD SUMMER OF 1975 WE WERE RUNNING OUR FINAL PFT FOR TIME AND OF COURSE THE DIFFERENT PLATOONS IN OUR SERIES WERE STAGGERED AT THE STARTING LINE. ONE PLATOON WOULD START AND THEN A MINUTE OR TWO ANOTHER WOULD START THEIR RUN. ANYWAY WE WOULD RUN 1 1/2 MILE AND MAKE A TURN AND GO BACK TO THE FINISH LINE. NOT BEING THAT GREAT A RUNNER JUST AVERAGE I HAD A GOOD PACE GOING AND FELT I AT LEAST WAS GOING TO MAKE IT UNDER THE TIME THE DRILL INSTRUCTORS WANTED US TO PERFORM AT NEVER MIND WHAT THE CORPS WANTED OUR MINDS AND BODIES BELONG TO THE D.I.'S AND NOBODY ELSE AT THAT TIME. ANYWAY JUST THINK WHAT WE WERE THINKING WHEN AT ABOUT THE MILE MARK A LITTLE SHIT OF A RECRUIT RAN BY US (NOT FROM OUR PLATOON) AND WAS SPRINTING BY US LIKE HE WAS RUNNING A FIFTY YARD DASH. WELL OUR FIRST THOUGHT WAS THE GUY MUST BE CHEATING OR THAT SOME ONE REPLACE OUR REGULAR BOOTS WITH LEAD BOOTS OH YAH WE RAN IN BOOTS BACK THEN. ANY WAY WHEN THIS GUY CAME BACK AND PASTED US BEFORE WE EVEN GOT TO THE HALF WAY POINT MOST OF US GOT DOWN RIGHT SCARED HELL WE WEREN'T GOING TO PASS THE PFT AND GET DROPPED TO ANOTHER PLATOON – NOT GOOD. WELL LONG STORY SHORT I RAN THE BEST THREE MILES I EVER RAN AND I'M SURE EVERYONE ELSE DID THAT SAW THE GUY RUN PAST US THAT DAY. WELL THAT MAN RAN A THIRTEEN AND SOME SECONDS 3 MILE AND I KNOW AT LEAST THAT FIRST MILE OF HIS HAD TO BE CLOSE TO A 4 MINUTE MILE. WELL TURNS OUT THE GUY MADE SERIES HONOR GUARD AND WAS ALSO ONE OF THE SHORTEST MARINES EVER TO BE LET INTO THE CORPS AND I WISH I COULD REMEMBER HIS NAME. TO ME HE WILL ALWAYS BE ONE THING THAT IS TRULY A MOTIVATOR NO DISRESPECT TO MY D.I.'S BUT THAT KID WAS HARD CORPS AND CHESTY WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD.