Bonus Material for Kids

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PREPARE FOR RECON MARINE TRAINING?

I got to interview Gunnery Sergeant Travis K. Nardi for my LIFE IN THE MARINE FORCE RECON book (Bright Point Press). He was so helpful. Not only is he a Recon Marine, but he was also a staff sergeant who helped train perspective Recon Marines. He even trained Alexa Barth, who went on to become the first female recon marine. They swam miles in the ocean and learned to navigate in the ocean and on land. They drove boats, jumped out of planes, and had a lot of physical and mental challenges.

If you want to know how to prepare to become a Recon Marine, he wrote an excellent book called ALL IT TAKES: BECOME A RECON MARINE available on Amazon. Hint: Sergeant Nardi says youth wanting to join the Recon Marines need to learn to swim well. He says it also helps if future members have experience with being a team player. He said playing sports is helpful because it teaches physical endurance, resilience, and the ability to adapt to changing situations.

Remaining perfectly still in a dug out hole to get recon for greenside missions, where they’re trying to spy on the enemy and get valuable recon, is both amazing and hard. Sometimes they have to dig in and remain perfectly still for two or three days. They even roll over to pee in their dug out hole, or other hiding spot. “Everyone wants to do special forces until they’re doing that,” says Travis.

But being a Recon Marine is rewarding for Travis. Many times he couldn’t talk about his missions, but he knew he was making a difference with every one. Thanks for your service Sergeant Nardi!

Me giving one of the first book copies to Sergeant Nard

Do you know what hippotherapy is?

I wrote the book Hippotherapy: Using Horses to Heal which was published by Mitchell Lane Publishers and created a youtube to go with. Thank you Car-Ynne 4 kids for allowing me to film.