• Only a few Marines are chosen to work in Force Recon units.Marine Standing Proud image by aqbenkie from Fotolia.com
  
  In the U.S. Marine Corps, Force Recon units are charged with the mission of collecting intelligence to support military planning. To achieve this mission these Marines are inserted behind enemy lines move about collecting intelligence without arousing the attention of enemy forces. Should a Force Recon unit run into enemy forces, they are trained to hold their ground until extraction. Assignment to a Force Recon unit is incredibly selective; Marines have to meet several requirements before they can commence training.
  
  

Rank and MOS

• The Military Occupational Specialty for Recon Marine is 0321. This MOS can be assigned to Marines from the rank of Private to Gunnery Sergeant. It is important to note that holding the MOS only guarantees you the opportunity to attend Recon training, which lasts up to two years. Only after training is over can you call yourself a Recon Marine.
  
  

Vision

• Recon Marines must have excellent eyesight in order to engage enemy forces from a distance and also to collect valuable intelligence. Marines seeking Recon training must have 20/200 vision or 20/200 with a PRK eye surgical procedure.
  
  

Physical Fintess Test

• Recon Marines must perform strenuous combat tasks in the field and as a result applicants must receive a First Class rating on the Physical Fitness Test. There are four parts to the PFT. First, Marines must do as many crunches as possible in a two minute time frame. After a short rest, they then have two minutes to do as many push ups as possible. The Marines also have the same amount of time to do as many pull ups as they can. After a final rest they must run three miles. Scores are determined by the individual Marine's age.
  
  

Rifle Qualification

• All Marines are riflemen and every Recon Marine is expected to be a superior rifleman. Before attending Recon school, Marines must score an Expert ranking on their rifle marksmanship qualification. The qualification course consists of firing at targets from a known distance. The Marine fires from the prone (lying down), siting, kneeling and standing positions. Targets range from 200 to 500 yards.
  
  

Security Clearance

• Because they are exposed to high-tech military technology and advance military tactics, Recon Marines must have a "secret level" security clearance. They are also required to be U.S. citizens.
  
  

Recon Indoctrination Program

• After completing Recruit Training and graduating from the School of Infantry, potential Recon Marines ship to either Little Creek, Va., or Coronado, Calif., to attend the Recon Indoctrination Program. The program is very physical training intensive and is designed to weed out those who are physically unfit to start Recon train. There will be lots of running and swimming as well as flutter kicking and forced marches. Those who make it through RIP will be officially accepted into the program and begin training as a Recon Marine.