How did the marines take the test for the assault beret?!

Speaker 1

I love the marines!

Speaker 2

Hello, you are watching Militarny, my name is Olya Vasilets. And today I will show how marines earn their right to wear the storm beret. Military personnel have this opportunity twice a year. The first time is before Marine Corps Day in the spring, and the second time is in the autumn on the eve of the Day of Defenders of Ukraine.

Speaker 1

– Is everyone ready? – Yes!

Speaker 3

Not all marine military personnel have the right to undergo it. Only those who have proven themselves well and have served for at least half a year. Their commander, based on their achievements, behavior, and spirit, gives the go-ahead to undergo the course. After this, there is a medical examination to see if the person can physically handle it. Well, and essentially, that is when the military personnel go to the course. There are people who have passed several times, but they are eager every time, saying, "I will pass." Even those who cannot pass due to health reasons actually happen to be there. Knees gave out, back, or something else. People return and pass.

Speaker 4

Now I care about you. Soon the slashing will begin and we will have peace from you. We will humiliate you, destroy you, and all that.

Speaker 1

Let's drop it, I said!

Speaker 1

This is only the beginning!

Speaker 2

They came just a little and that's all. We are launching into the water. The soldiers need to cross the river and arrive by boat. Further on it will be more difficult because the water will no longer be so clear.

Speaker 5

We see a rope in front of us! Everyone see it? Across the rope to the other side! Run, one!

Speaker 1

What do you love completely? Faster, mushrooms! Faster!

Speaker 3

Barbarit, what is better? To be a marine, which you can become today, or to play horror metal?

Speaker 5

You can be a marine and play horror metal with one hand. But you still have to remain a marine.

Speaker 1

Get up! Get up, run to the clay! Grenade! Grenade!

Speaker 6

I have been in the army since the beginning of this year. Of course, seven months have passed. And I'm taking, I'm already taking [the test for the] beret. So, everything didn't seem as scary and hard as they said. So, guys, whoever will be taking it, everything will be fine, don't worry. It's a kind of higher distinction because you've become a real marine, and not just a soldier, so to speak.

Speaker 7

The most difficult

Speaker 6

– it's crawling through the sand, especially wet sand. It's the scariest thing there is. Not rocking, not squatting, but crawling. Exactly more straining. Otherwise, in principle, the mud, the water, it was still a pleasure. Cooling down, it smells a bit, but it's fine. Cooling down, everything is fine. Otherwise, I think, it will be tougher.

Speaker 3

I can say very approximately, because I didn't count how many elements there are. In my opinion, about 20 competitions, so to speak; that's what we affectionately call them. As for the distance, I'd say about 5 kilometers, but maybe more, because we walk through the forest. The obstacle course, out of those I've seen—and I've seen more than one—is quite difficult, quite intense. There are some very cool, very pungent competitions. You saw, the guys liked them. In my group, only one serviceman dropped out. Due to health issues, he realized immediately that he couldn't go on. A few soldiers, it was obvious, had health problems—with a knee, or something else. In war, people usually don't stop with the more daily ones. Well done, they made it, plus they are helped as much as possible. Comrades, they take the weapons, take the body armor, pull them along. This is the brotherhood of a marine. This is also one of our specialties. Come to the weapons.

Speaker 4

Prepare for crossing the strip. Well, the strip is not about strength. It is a matter of exhaustion. Not about strength, you don't need to build muscle, it's something else. It's about the legs. If people want to prepare specifically – walk. Walk, just get up and go through the forest for half a day whenever possible. Just walk, because it's all just about exhaustion. Just keep going, walking. This is about a person having the inner strength to reach the end. Besides the constant physical load, there is constant psychological pressure. Because it's a psychological strip. And the question that is always posed is that you can leave. If you want to drink some water – go, get in the car, wait for the guys to arrive, and you'll already be rested. No one forbids anyone from leaving the strip. The strip is for the person to overcome their strongest [barrier] in this and crawl to the end. And also, in parallel, there will be someone next to them who is weaker. There are people who take part in these "merry games." They are supposed to help others, which is what they do.

Speaker 2

Servicemembers do not traverse this path alone, they do not traverse it independently. This entire ordeal must be passed as a team and a group of people. Comrades-in-arms do not leave behind those who are struggling.

Speaker 1

Homrush, follow me! Homrush!

Speaker 1

clay! Beauties, fuck!

Speaker 8

I helped the guys, the guys helped me with something. We helped each other carry a body armor vest and a rifle that was in bad shape. So everything worked out, everything is fine, everyone did great. I think everyone is satisfied with each other not only because we secured the embankment, but with the attitude toward one another. We are seeing each other for the first time; we first met yesterday in the bus. And we all went out to the strip, bonded, and did this job all together.

Speaker 6

I came here

Speaker 8

Voluntarily, I signed a contract six months ago. It is an honor to wear the beret. The beret of the marine infantry is unity, it is a symbol of our respect for each other. I don't know how to say it. To serve in the marine infantry and not have a beret – that would be very bad.

Speaker 3

You can see a ditch filled with water, it has bloomed. There are specially prepared intestines here, animal, not human. Well, actually, we are talking about a psychological obstacle course. And a marine must be ready for everything. Unfortunately, we have such a war that one must be ready for both intestines and bad smells, because all of this truly surrounds the military at the front. Therefore, we try to prepare the personnel, so that when they put on such a beret, it is not just a little hat for them, but a symbol of what they have done and that they have arrived.

Speaker 1

Ukraine above all!

Speaker 9

As a commander, I must set tasks for people. And I cannot give a person a task that I am not ready to perform myself. Therefore, in order to check this box for myself, I decided to support my comrades-in-arms, because many comrades-in-arms were from my company, who fought under my command. And I decided to support them, manning the sector together with them.

Speaker 4

It is quite stretched. And we can

Speaker 9

I would say that overall the course in terms of difficulty is above average; there were certain moments that were quite difficult, but overall it was quite interesting, a fairly good test of the psychological and physical resilience of the fighters. It is evident that the people are tired; they need to be motivated somehow to keep moving. And because of this fatigue, it is not always possible to promptly convey the appropriate order via command in order to speed up the completion of the course. Therefore, sometimes we got stuck at certain moments, doing a bit more than we could. But overall, everything was fine.

Speaker 2

Commonly, this is called an obstacle course. And it seems that the physical capabilities of military personnel and marines are tested most here. However, a very important stage of this check, this testing, and this trial is the testing of the moral strength of the military personnel. The instructors put a lot of pressure on those who are going through the obstacle course today.

Speaker 10

One! I love the marines! I didn't understand, what the fuck is this? I love the marines! In full! I love the marine

Speaker 1

infantry! Two! Two!

Speaker 10

Kulina! This is how a marine rests, hands behind the back, fuck! This is how a marine rests, fuck!

Speaker 5

Move it, fuck, you turtles, faster! Faster, fuck!

Speaker 3

Well, let's put it this way, we need to maintain some fine line here between moral and psychological pressure and support. Because they are our brothers-in-arms. We serve in the same unit, we serve in one army, we are fighting the same katsaps. That's why, of course, we support them. Because we want them to make it. We want there to be more marines.

Speaker 5

No, no, it's Rex, I'm telling you. Yeah, I saw. I would have forced you to take it. Thank you. Two!

Speaker 1

One!

Speaker 4

Give me a fist bump, give me a fist bump, fuck!

Speaker 1

Let's

Speaker 3

-come on, come on! Marine Corps is an elite branch of the military. And if you have this beret, it is evidence that you are part of this elite. This is a symbol that you will now see; commanders nail the cockade to the forehead, sometimes to the point of blood. And this beret is always with you, even when you are discharged, it is entered in your military ID. That even after discharge, you have the right to wear this beret. It is evidence that you are the best in the cockade.

Speaker 4

This is a tradition, it is a very old tradition. And we, thank God, already have a storm-wave colored beret, and not the black, Soviet-style one that used to be. And this is how we are now cultivating new traditions. And it's cool. And people really, when they receive the beret,

Speaker 5

they are wasted, they are knocked out. They are barely breathing, they

Speaker 4

they barely made it through the challenges. And then, when they get the beret, when you pin it on, they might cry a little bit. And then they stand, reflecting, they will be happy for two days. And what will they be doing? They take tons of selfies, tons of photos, sending them to everyone in the beret. And that beret, it isn't shaped yet, because it is freshly issued. But it is a beret, and they are happy. And in this way, we nurture new traditions. We continue to water them. And this is the little tree of new traditions of the Ukrainian army. This little tree grows and grows. And with each year, of course, it will be larger, taller.

Speaker 3

So the guys don't hear, we've already completed almost everything. Literally two tasks remain to be completed. And that's why we're telling them now that the boys have only completed half. This is just to keep them in some kind of tension. But in reality, there is still a little bit left. And they are already almost marines. I am sure that all these Cossacks will make it.

Speaker 4

Now being a marine is cool. Being a marine is an honor. But we all do the same job. Marines, Air Assault Forces, just infantry, ground forces, artillery, it doesn't matter. We all do the same job. We are one, our job is for them all to die and blow up on the rock. Therefore, being a marine is cool. A marine should always look cool. But in war, we don't wear berets. In war, nobody wears berets. In war, everyone wears [them]. Multicam, pixel, it doesn't matter which camouflage. He has his own weapon, everyone has their own. Some kill with a drone, some kill with an assault rifle, some kill with artillery, and so on. Therefore, in reality, right now I wouldn't distinguish who is better or who is worse.

Speaker 3

Now is the final. This hill, when they climb up, we will help them climb up from the armored vehicles. Dima, we will help. The guys will climb up here, plant our brigade's flag here. And after that, they will become marines.

Speaker 1

Osyantsi! Papa, stand up, dirty ones! Four times!

Speaker 7

Today is the fourth and it is already the final one. My knee was popping out, it popped out very badly, I had to be treated for a long time. That's it. So today I pulled myself together and said that I could do it. And as you can see, I succeeded. In some places it was very difficult, I wanted to drop out. I am grateful to my comrades who encouraged me and pushed me forward. Therefore, it was probably on their support that I kept going.

Speaker 8

Now I myself

Speaker 7

I feel like part of a large family. A full-fledged, seasoned marine who completed the course. I guess the family will accept me. Everyone in the unit already has berets. So I think I'll arrive today, and when I get home, they will welcome me. I am from the Donetsk region, the town of Volodymyrivka, Volnovakha district. I survived half a year of occupation. And as soon as we reached Dnipro, the decision was made that I had to go serve and drive the filth off our land.

Speaker 11

Act exclusively in the interests of the Ukrainian people and our state. On land, at sea, and in the air. To always be ready for battle for Ukraine. Without sparing oneself, to remain faithful to the orders of commanders. And to decisively execute the assigned tasks. I swear! I swear! Never to let down or abandon one's comrades-in-arms. Not to surrender, not to retreat, and not to leave brothers-in-arms in trouble. To demonstrate unwavering steadfastness on the battlefield. To fight for victory, faithfully and until the end. I swear! I swear! To honorably carry loyalty to the marine corps throughout life. I will be a brave warrior, a devoted defender of Ukraine. A sincere brother-in-arms, a worthy marine. Faithful always! I swear! I swear! I swear!

Speaker 5

I serve the Ukrainian people and the marine corps!