On your right is Leatherneck Square, named for the combat zone in the northern I Corps Area in the Republic of Vietnam that was the site of numerous Marine Corps battles from 1966 to 1969. Here recruits undergo rigorous training to prepare them for hand-to-hand combat. Please feel free to observe any training in progress, but stay behind the concrete barriers. The Confidence Course is also located at Leatherneck Square. This course has been an integral part of recruit training since its conception in 1958. The purpose of this course is to provide recruits with enhanced self-confidence as they face formidable obstacles they must surmount. Constructed of logs, cables, pipe, and rope, the course tests coordination and endurance.
When you are ready to move on, continue down Shanghai Street. Turn left on Alaska Street. At the intersection with Panama Street, look left to see the famed “Where it all begins” yellow footprints. In another block, turn right on Boulevard de France.
