MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- San Diegans may have been surprised to wake up and find a Marine battalion hiking through the neighborhood Feb. 10. Headquarters and Service Battalion Marines and sailors, including the depot commanding general, stepped off on an all-hands, seven-mile hike that morning for battalion-wide physical training designed to boost camaraderie and motivation. From the depot, the leathernecks and sailors - wearing camouflage utility uniforms, flak jackets and canteens - lumbered up the Point Loma peninsula leading to Cabrillo National Monument. Local police officers served as escorts to make crossing intersections and walking alongside roadways safe for everyone. The formation advanced mostly uphill in two single-file columns, one on each side of the road. One neighbor wearing her robe stood outside with a steaming beverage and observed the marching men and women. A young boy walking with a woman stood at a crosswalk and held an innocent salute to his brow as the formation passed. One man driving a minivan honked his horn and cheered, while another stood in his driveway and clapped, cheered and pumped his fists in the air. Several more people stood at their doors or watched the scene from their living room windows, and other motorists honked and waved in appreciation. In the last two miles, the formation had departed the suburbs and was entering hallowed ground as it marched atop the peninsula and through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. When everyone reached the finish Brig. Gen. John M. Paxton Jr., commanding general, depot and the Western Recruiting Region, addressed the men and women who assembled beside a lighthouse overlooking the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay.Brig. Gen. Paxton, attached to H&S Bn. for administrative purposes, said he brought the Marines up to talk about three things: past, present and future. He told the story of the Marines who fought in February 1945 on Iwo Jima, Japan, in World War II, and of their bravery and valor. He explained that the island of Iwo Jima is only about five miles wide, and that H&S Bn. hiked the distance of that battlefield plus some. And the American flag raised on Mount Surabachi didn't peak the height of the lighthouse to which H&S Bn. had just marched. On to the present, Brig. Gen. Paxton talked about the Marines fighting in Iraq right now, and about the great things they do. Post-speech, he awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat distinguishing device to a hero of the present, Lance Cpl. Jeremiah Anderson, who was badly wounded in the war. "I thought it was really motivating to see Lance Cpl. Anderson get that award," said Lance Cpl. Adam Van Hoozer, administration clerk, Consolidated Personnel Administration Center. "He's just a lance corporal like any of us, and the fact the he earned that award shows that we can do great things."Brig. Gen. Paxton commented on the honor, courage and commitment the Marines of the past and present showed, and he gave some insight on the Marines of the future."At first, I didn't want to go on this hike," admitted Van Hoozer. "I felt like it would be more of a pain and inconvenience than anything. But after the general talked to us at the end of the hike, I knew it was a good thing. I think what (Brig. Gen. Paxton) told the Marines was very encouraging."Leaders dismissed the formation, and the hikers boarded busses and returned to the depot, a station where hikes were just about extinct until recently. H&S Bn. consists of about 470 Marines in organizations that directly support depot operations as well as support recruit-training and recruiting. Depot press chief Staff Sgt. Scott Dunn contributed to this report.