Exhausted and out-of-breath, the toughest Marines pushed forward while others were forced to stop altogether.

“Not second squad,” yelled Cpl. Ryan J. Carlisle to his squad. “Do we stop to puke? Hell no, second squad doesn’t stop to puke!”

Marines of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division held an Infantry Skills Endurance Test squad competition here May 27. The winning squad received a free dinner at a local steakhouse.

Everybody loves a prize, but it isn’t so much about the steak as it is about unit cohesion and good training, said Lance Cpl. Nelson L. Smith, a fire-team leader with 1st Bn., 1st Marines.

“First off, we learn what their weaknesses are and how they react in a stressful environment,” Smith said. He said knowing his Marines’ weaknesses helps for retraining purposes and then comes into play later in a combat environment.

“Having that knowledge before we get in country is a necessity,” Carlisle agreed. Carlisle, a 23-year-old from Sheridan, Ind., will soon lead Smith and the rest of his squad into Iraq and the rigors of desert combat.

“We need to know who our strong guys are and who our weak guys are, because it better enables us to accomplish our mission,” Carlisle said. The exercise also showed the younger, less experienced Devil Dogs what the Marine Corps expects in today’s combat.

“These are basic infantry skills which we should all know inside and out, and it shouldn’t even faze us if we’re tired, out of breath or sweating,” Carlisle said.

The exercise spanned approximately eight miles and tested the Marines in six primary facets of war-fighting knowledge. Assembly and disassembly of weapons, land navigation, calling in a casualty evacuation, marksmanship, anti-tank rocket handling, hand-to-hand combat and an obstacle course all stood in between the Marines and their steak dinner.

“It tests our endurance and our squad cohesion, under a timeline during strenuous activities,” Carlisle said.

Running in full combat gear from station to station fatigued the riflemen, whereas written tests on weapons and cultural awareness forced them to focus. The Marines had almost five hours to complete the entire course. Carlisle’s squad finished in four.

As for the squad’s place or the prize, these leaders didn’t care much for free steak, they had a different prize in mind.

“It’s up to you to teach them what you know,” said Smith, a 21-year-old from Winter Springs, Fla. “So they come back alive, so that you don’t have to explain to their parents why they didn’t.”