What are the “Rules Of Recon”?
When I was essentially still starting out in Force Recon the Marine Special Operations Command was created, and for reasons altogether unknown our platoon was shuffled over to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion rather than being “grandfathered” into the newly formed 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion (something to do with our being deployed and an easier administrative move). Regardless, this found me with orders to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion in Okinawa, Japan and moving up to the Team Leader position. For a time, I was actually assigned as the Platoon Sergeant; leadership positions I wasn’t sure if I was ready for though I felt there was a strong foundation from my team and time with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company.
Whenever you take on new charges an “initial counseling” is expected and required so that these Marines and Sailors understood exactly what their leaders expect of them through conduct and proficiency. While wanting to build this and make it my own rather than some regurgitated and overly official format, I also reflected on the many expressions, sayings, and “isms” (quips and unspoken rules) that my team at 1st Force Reconnaissance had lived by. So, while sitting at my laptop in the evenings during the Static Line Jumpmaster Course I decided to record them down, create a few of my own to round out the list, and utilize this as my initial counseling.
This list has been passed on to every team and platoon I have been placed in charge of, as well as many of my students in the Basic Reconnaissance Course. The list is not meant to be outright memorized, rather generally understood and then ingrained through practice. This list is also not meant to be credited to me, as much of it comes from the collective of my very first team in Force Recon and other inspirations of my early career in the Marine Corps. Some of the below may seem quite esoteric as it can be very specific to Reconnaissance Marines (including why I ultimately settled on 30), however, the idea is that each “rule” is a concept that can be applied to personal and professional lives; a philosophy to be understood in principle rather than strict adherence to text.
Enjoy, and stay dangerous!
Rules of recon
1. ALWAYS LOOK COOL (IF YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR JOB YOU DON’T LOOK COOL).
2. NEVER GET LOST; HOWEVER, IT IS OK TO BE A LITTLE CONFUSED FROM TIME TO TIME AS LONG AS YOU GAIN YOUR BEARINGS (ASK A DAMN QUESTION).
3. SWIFT SILENT DEADLY ISN’T JUST A COOL SLOGAN. IT IS OUR MANTRA TO BE PRACTICED IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE.
4. TOMORROW STARTS TODAY.
5. KEEP YOUR WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT CLEAN, YOUR KIT LOADED AND YOUR RUCK PACKED.
6. LOGISTICS CARRY THE DAY: BRING ONLY WHAT IS NEEDED AND HAVE REDUNDANT MATERIAL BACKUPS.
7. TWO IS ONE, ONE IS NONE, AND THREE IS A CROWD.
8. IF IT ONLY HAS ONE USE AND DOESN’T SHOOT, TRANSMIT, OR STOP BLEEDING: YOU PROBABLY DON’T NEED IT.
9. BE IN A HURRY, NOT A RUSH.
10. YOUR RADIO IS YOUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON; KNOW IT, USE IT.
11. MINDSET, MARKSMANSHIP AND MANUAL OF ARMS: THE GUNFIGHTER’S TRIFECTA.
12. REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU SEE. BUT IN CASE YOU FORGET, WRITE IT DOWN, TAKE PICTURES AND DISSEMINATE.
13. MISSION HAS PRIORITY. ALWAYS.
14. IF IT FEELS WRONG, IT IS WRONG: MOVE.
15. KEEP TO HIGH GROUND AS OFTEN AS ABLE, GO LOW WHEN THE SITUATION WARRANTS.
16. ALWAYS BRING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT, BUT ALSO BRING YOUR GUN.
17. SHOOT, MOVE, COMMUNICATE, REPEAT.
18. IF IT’S WORTH SHOOTING ONCE, IT’S WORTH SHOOTING TWICE.
19. ONLY SHOOT AS FAST AS YOU CAN DO SO ACCURATELY AND MOVE AS FAST AS YOU CAN PROCESS.
20. FIRE WITHOUT MOVEMENT IS A WASTE OF AMMO, AND MOVEMENT WITHOUT FIRE IS SUICIDE.
21. NEVER PUT A MARINE WHERE YOU CAN PUT A BULLET, AND NEVER PUT A BULLET WHERE YOU CAN PUT A BOMB.
22. THE BEST BATTLEFIELD MEDICINE IS FIRE SUPERIORITY.
23. GET YOUR BUDDY OF THE “X”, THEN STOP THE RED STUFF FROM COMIN’ OUT. IF HE CAN GET SHOT THERE, SO CAN YOU.
24. THE WELFARE OF THE TEAM COMES BEFORE THE WELFARE OF THE INDIVIDUAL, SUCK IT UP.
25. IF YOU’RE HIT, YOU’RE NOT DEAD, AND IF YOU’RE DEAD YOU DON’T KNOW IT SO KEEP FIGHTING.
26. MEDICAL SUPPLIES ARE MORE FINITE THAN BULLETS. SHOOT STRAIGHT AND MOVE WELL SO WE DON’T NEED THE FORMER.
27. YOU’RE A GROWN ASS MAN, YOU SHOULD NEVER ASK FOR PERMISSION TO KILL SOMEONE IF YOU FEEL THREATENED, OR YOU FEEL IT THREATENS THE TEAM.
28. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN AND PLAN FOR CONTINGENCIES, BUT NOTHING BEATS BEING ABLE TO THINK ON YOUR FEET.
29. NEVER ASK A MARINE IN YOUR CHARGE TO DO SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULDN’T OR HAVN’T ALREADY DONE YOURSELF.
30. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, GAIN FIRE SUPERIORITY, MOVE TOWARDS THE SOUND OF ENEMY GUNS AND DESTROY EVERYTHING IN YOUR PATH.
