In boot camp, Marines had the presence of drill instructors to motivate them while running but after graduation day Marines are on their own. The motivational tool of choice is fast becoming a set of earphones attached to an MP3 player, yet Marines are not authorized to jog and jam. The argument behind the ban on earphones is safety. With earphones in your ears, you may be less likely to hear sounds that could warn you of danger. I would argue that the streets and trails on Quantico are the safest in the area and that they are the best place for Marines to jog and jam.

The measures to protect runners on Quantico, whether wearing earphones or not, are already in place. While running, all runners are required to wear a reflective vest or strap and all pedestrians, whether running, jogging, or walking, shall be on the left shoulder of the roadway, facing traffic, at least three feet off the traveled roadway. This allows drivers to see the runner and the runner to see the driver. If a Marine were to run outside the gates of Quantico where there are no rules about wearing reflective vests and earphones Marines could get hurt as the drivers on Highway One aren’t looking out for runners the same way Marines look out for one another aboard the base.

If Marines can’t run with earphones in their ears because the music is distracting, should we also ban singing cadences while running? The loud chanting prevents the runner from hearing any possible dangers around, yet the Marine Corps encourages this practice as it is motivating. Right?

There should be no difference between Marines running in a formation of any size and a single motivated Marine running on his or her own singing to himself using an MP3 player. And what about our hearing impaired Marines, those that have worked around artillery and jet noise, should we prevent these Marines from running on the streets of Quantico?

They may or may not be able to hear sounds of danger. The point is, runners aboard MCB Quantico don’t need to be able to hear in order to run they really only need to be able to see, to see pot holes, rocks and upcoming hills. As long as the runner is not in the actual roadway it is not the responsibility of the runner to watch for the car and driver. Quantico has a policy for drivers concerning runners, with signs as drivers enter the base at each gate. These signs do not say, ‘‘Watch for runners singing in formation.” It says, ‘‘Watch for out for runners.”

Just as earphones are synonymous with runners, running is synonymous with Marine Corps bases. Let’s not prevent those runners who wish to jog and jam from doing so. A possible compromise is that runners on the streets be authorized to wear one earphone in order to hear any possible dangers. Runners on trails be authorized to wear earphones in both ears as there is no danger of being hit by a car.

A note to my fellow runners who prefer to jog and jam, protect yourself and be conscious of your surroundings, jam with the volume low enough to hear the sounds of horns, sirens, or screaming.