Running head: MARINE COMBAT INSTRUCTORS: BUILDING COMBAT READY

Rhetorical Analysis of Marine Combat Instructors: Building Combat Ready Marines

Bryan Avitia
University of Texas at El Paso

MARINE COMBAT INSTRUCTORS: BUILDING COMBAT READY

President Ronald Reagan once said, Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if
they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines dont have that problem (1985). This
YouTube video Marine Combat Instructors: Building Combat Ready Marines is produced,
edited, and filmed by Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) Paul Mancuso, Corporal (Cpl) Eric
Moreno, Cpl Bryce Burton, and Cpl Nicholas Tragger, Combat Camera, School of Infantry-East,
which displays the efforts Marines are willing to take in order to safeguard this nation. It presents
Marine Combat Instructors being interviewed in proper actions and maneuvers shown to new
Marines in order to become more combat mission effective and how to react to an ambush. This
papers main concept is to clearly consider who the audience is as well as what the main purpose
of this video is. The rhetorical appeals, such as, the credibility of the author (ethos), the
emotional appeal (pathos), and last but not least the logic (logos) of the video, will be discussed
in a concise manner.
This video is designed mainly for the Marines families whose sons and daughters are
currently being trained or who will be trained in the Marine Combat Training (MCT). The video
is also for the general public who wants to know how Marines train, and to gain a general
awareness of how a combat deployment, or any kind of deployment is conducted. It is also
intended for those who have computer access and are knowledgeable on how to get into this
website and play this video. It is another way of transmitting important information about
Marines, to the American community who perhaps want to join the Corps, but do not know what
to expect from this journey. These authors are aiming to embed motivation within the society
about this organizations main function. To grab the viewers attention the authors decided to
start this YouTube video with a specific event that occurred on September 2012, at Camp
Bastion, located in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

MARINE COMBAT INSTRUCTORS: BUILDING COMBAT READY

According to Captain (Capt) James Gould, the Company Commander (Division Head)
for one of the units (agencies) in charge of training these newly Marines, said, One third of
infantry battalions is not infantry Marines. Boot camp theyre to mold them and prepare them to
be Marines, make them Marines. Here we want to make them provisional riflemen (2015). The
purpose of this YouTube video is to apprise the community and to positively engage them on
how the MCT helps Marines learn new skills that are useful during the Marines careers,
especially during combat deployments. The information given during this 29-day course, is vital
for Marines to retain it because infantry is not those Marines main career field. Most of the time,
Marines are sent to infantry battalions (departments) and are required to know different ways to
manage the various types of weapons being used for that particular department, conduct patrols,
and even how to treat prisoners that are considered threats. This is the reason why MCT is
conducted to teach Marines, through lectures, demonstrations, and practices in all kind of
weapons being used by Marines. The authors decided to incorporate Marine Instructors in this
video in order for their audience to better understand the concepts being discussed during the
video. Mentorship is one of the most important practices used by Corporals and Sergeants
throughout the Marine Corps. For example, Sergeant (Sgt) Leah Towner mentions, I am here to
mentor the students and at least give them a better understanding of how the Marine Corps
works, how, what combat skills, mentor on what they can do to improve their time while theyre
here and in the fleet (2015).
Marines are enabled since day one with leadership traits. For example, integrity,
unselfishness, loyalty, and enthusiasm are just a few. These traits give the reliability (ethos) not
only to the authors, but the Marine Corps as a whole to give the duties of keeping the United
States safe. The authors are professional and specialized in their designated career field, which is

MARINE COMBAT INSTRUCTORS: BUILDING COMBAT READY

called Combat Camera Production Specialist. They go through extensive trainings to earn that
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), and they are required to pass this course successfully.
Not only that, but the Marine Corps requires those Marines to have Security Clearance in order
for them to operate information efficiently and keep it confidential. If Marines do not meet the
requirements prior or during the course is held, they have to choose another MOS. It is the same
process for all the fields throughout the Marine Corps, with the exception that some of the jobs
have more requirements than others. Thus, the authors earn their ethos with great effort.
This video starts with an event that happened on September 2012, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
located in Helmand Province. The authors decided to use this tragic event as an example of how
Marines react to an ambush even though not all Marines main career field is infantry, they know
how to use a rifle and how to counterattack. The authors pathos is clear and his intent is not only
to show that Marines gave their lives for this county, but also to grab the audiences attention by
showing how Marines conduct live-fire ranges, combat patrols, and how to properly use all kinds
of weapons used throughout the Marine Corps. The author also uses the Marine Corps Instructors
to guide the audience in what to expect during MCT, how they treat the Marines, all the
techniques and period of instructions that are conducted during the training. It is also intended
for the American society to create loyalty, patriotism, courage, and support for the American
troops. The video is also very detailed in what the instructors are for, which is not only for
training, but also to mentor and guide young Marines that are barely starting their careers. It is
also helpful for all Marines in general to reinforce their knowledge. The authors also decided to
record how the trainings are conducted; for example when Marines are doing patrols, or period
of instruction, conducting the clearance of building, and weapons ranges.
The Marines logos represents solidness in their arguments, due to the organization of

MARINE COMBAT INSTRUCTORS: BUILDING COMBAT READY

the video, which helps the audience understand why they started the video with the event in
Afghanistan and how Marines react to it, to understand the importance of the Marine Corps
Training. How the whole training is conducted and how Marines employ these skill while under
attack, are the authors great examples. For example, how women are able to complete that
stressful and arduous training and also, for women to be able to teach the same training, because
in some cases just like men, women are sent to combat zones. The consistency in this video is
very clear, the authors tried to make the audience aware of how the nation is protected by
Marines, all the tenacious training Marines achieve, and the proper healthcare that is given to
each Marine during that month. The authors also try to make their point to the audience that all
Marines go through this training because it is relevant for them to turn these unusual skills into
familiar ones, basically performing these skills enough to where they become second nature.
The main goal for this YouTube video Marine Combat Instructors: Building Combat
Ready Marines is to raise awareness in the American society to either convince them to join the
Marine Corps or to create a sense of thankfulness in the community for what the Armed Forces
do for this nation. It was also to persuade and to help Marines themselves to be informed on how
helpful MCT is before going to their permanent unit. In conclusion, the authors rhetorical
appeals are strong and organized, and it helps the audience become motivated to take action, in
either supporting the troops or joining The Few. The Proud.

MARINE COMBAT INSTRUCTORS: BUILDING COMBAT READY

References
Cpl Burton, CWO2 Mancuso, Cpl Moreno, and Cpl Tragger, Combat Camera, School of
Infantry-East (2015, January 7), Marine Combat Instructors: Building Combat Ready Marines.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij3yUHjR8Pc