A Syracuse native can be seen at 10 p.m. today on Discovery Channel's "Surviving the Cut," chronicling the rigorous training to join the U.S. Marine Corps reconnaissance team. To earn his stripes, Lance Cpl. Matt Guy had to pass a strenuous 12-week training that whittled down his class of 100 recruits to fewer than 10 graduates, said friend Jim Evans,...
A Syracuse native can be seen at 10 p.m. today on Discovery Channel's "Surviving the Cut," chronicling the rigorous training to join the U.S. Marine Corps reconnaissance team.
To earn his stripes, Lance Cpl. Matt Guy had to pass a strenuous 12-week training that whittled down his class of 100 recruits to fewer than 10 graduates, said friend Jim Evans, a retired Marine captain. It included long-distance runs carrying combat gear, machine gun, ammunition and an adult-weight mannequin.
Guy, 22, survived "The Longest Day," an 18-hour test of staying afloat in the choppy Pacific Ocean. He also lifted logs and endured tear gas without a mask.
But what distinguishes reconnaissance Marines is their ability to survive behind enemy lines while undetected, Evans said.
These guys are the cream of the cream, Evans said. The job of a recon Marine is to drop into enemy territory and weaken its defenses before a large-scale Marine attack.
Guy said it took him awhile to get the guts to try out for the elite team. He credited his godfather, Dave Roe, a Green Beret in Vietnam, for giving him motivation.
"It was a little harder than I expected it to be," Guy said by phone Tuesday, moments after parachuting from 1,500 feet. "I probably wouldn't do it again."
Guy will next move to Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, where he will continue training, including torture resistance and parachuting from heights of 33,000 feet, he said.