Marines are not like the rest of us–and that is a good thing.

Although Marines often fight side-by-side with Army Soldiers, they often also endure the hardships of shipboard life, something completely foreign to Soldiers hanging out at the barracks.

“The Crucible is the culminating event in recruit training. Working toward this point since the beginning of their recruit training, the only way to finish is through leadership, teamwork, hard work  and dedication,” said the Marine Corps description of the challenge. “The Crucible forces recruits to combine and employ everything they’ve learned over the past three months. Only after the completion of this event will they earn the title United States Marine.”