MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- "Okay recruits, climb that rope! Faster! Louder! Higher! Ten, nine, eight, three, two ..."
Oftentimes, drill instructors order recruits to accomplish things like this, which seem impossible. For eight cycles, one Company L senior drill instructor has challenged himself and his fellow drill instructors in the same manner.
Platoon 3132's Staff Sgt. Tony Cruz demands more than the maximum - a characteristic formed during childhood in Cushing, Texas. With his parents separated since he was 2, he and his twin brother Avery had their hands full with their four other siblings.
Cruz took refuge in his small high school's extracurricular activities. He played football and baseball, and he was a member of the band, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the art club and the Spanish club.
Directly after high school, he and Avery enlisted in the Marine Corps. Cruz served as a bulk fuel specialist at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., and MCB Okinawa, Japan, before he volunteered for drill instructor duty.
"Even before I was a drill instructor, I was demanding," said Cruz. "I demanded the best of everything for myself and the Marines who served under me."
After training Marines in his occupational field, Cruz decided he wanted to train Marines from the beginning.
"I remember when I went through recruit training," recalled Cruz. "I knew I wanted to become a drill instructor. It's a goal I set for myself. I wanted to complete the cycle of training."
So Cruz set off to Drill Instructor School here determined to succeed.
"DI School was tough," said Cruz. "The (physical training) was hard and we took a lot of tests. I'm not really a test-taking person, but I knew I would make it. I demanded myself to (make it)."
Another challenge for Cruz was stepping out of his brother's shadow. His twin was already a drill instructor and several Marines at the school treated Cruz differently.
"I wanted people to see that I was different," said Cruz. "My brother was a great drill instructor, but we are two different people."
Cruz's demanding nature took over once he graduated and joined Co. L. His brother was in the same battalion, but not for long because Cruz's first training cycle was his brother's last.
"I had to set myself apart," said Cruz. "My recruits didn't like me, but this isn't a popularity contest; I'm here to make Marines."
Cruz said he quickly established himself as one of the company's fiercest drill instructors. In fact, other drill instructors began to dread working with him.
"When I saw the roster for this cycle I said, 'Man, not this guy,'" said Sgt. Peter O'Brien, one of Cruz's junior drill instructors. "But after working with him through this cycle, I understand why he's so demanding on us. He's rubbed off a little, and it's helped the way I train recruits."
Usually senior drill instructors take on nurturing roles and show recruits compassion. Not Cruz.
"I'm not their sugar daddy," said Cruz. "I am a senior drill instructor, but I don't believe in giving them candy or promising them rewards if they do well. They came here to become Marines, and that is the only reward I believe in.
"Marine stuff aside, I make my recruits know what it is to be good men. When dealing with anyone, I want them to open doors and say, 'yes sir, yes ma'am.' The better we represent ourselves as men, the better we represent the Marines. Someone is always watching."
Cruz's eighth and final cycle ends today, and the 27-year-old plans to go even further in his Marine Corps career.
"I have two Marine Corps goals," said Cruz. "The first is to be a drill instructor, which I've done. The second is to become an officer and get an education."
Cruz is putting the final touches on his Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program package and said he has no doubts he will be accepted.
"I want to further my education as much as possible while furthering my career as a Marine at the same time," said Cruz. "I look forward to the next step, but I will miss what I do now. I love my job, especially being around other drill instructors."
Cruz's recruits were shocked when they were introduced to his demanding nature, but as the cycle progressed, they started to see the big picture.
"At first, Staff Sgt. Cruz was a real pain," said Pvt. David Boyd of his senior drill instructor. "But as time went on, we realized why he was so demanding, and he has really benefited this platoon. He never lets up. He's always pushing, always demanding."