MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Nothing like a blast of habanero pepper - one of the spiciest natural substances there is - to open your eyes to the rigors of military security.

"Getting sprayed with pepper spray hurt more than getting hurt with shrapnel in Iraq," said Cpl. Jonathan E. Park, part of a temporary security detail attached to the Provost Marshal's Office.

Park was one of nine students on Friday who learned to become overpowering, though not lethal, in one day.

They took the condensed version of a two-week NonLethal Weapons Course offered by the 1st Marine Division.

PMO conducts the abbreviated course 75 to 100 times a year for Marines assigned to various security details on base, including area guards, military police, brig staff and game wardens.

The course consists of baton training, pressure-point control tactics, escort positions, takedowns and handcuffing.

Students also get a dose of pepper spray while running a five-station confidence course.

"I enjoy teaching other Marines this course, because it's hands-on, and the knowledge gained here could benefit them inside and outside the Marine Corps," said Cpl. Felipe E. Juarez, a non-lethal weapons instructor for PMO.

Juarez says the course, which serves as many as 20 students, is especially beneficial for those seeking a career in law enforcement.

Juarez - currently the course's only instructor - is certified through the Defense Department's Nonlethal Weapons Course in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

"I feel confident in the instructor's ability to teach. I'm pretty motivated about the course," said Lance Cpl. William T. Griffin, a personnel clerk with the 11th Marine Regiment.

In case Griffin and his classmates needed more confidence, they took a run on the confidence, or obstacle, course. A blast of pepper spray at the outset made each stage a little tougher to negotiate.

Most who were sprayed became disoriented - and had to be led wheezing and groaning to the first objective.

If they ever catch a whiff of their own spray while trying to subdue a suspect, they'll know what to expect, said Juarez, explaining the drill.

That way, they might still be able to apprehend a suspect, whether in pain or not, he said.

"What I really enjoyed about the course was the whole inflicting pain on each other while we motivated each other to get through it," Griffin said.