The few. The proud. The CBS “Marines.”
CBS’ David Martin and Mary Walsh were in the Mojave Desert for “60 Minutes,” following a group of young Marines going through the final test of the Marine Corps’ 86-day infantry officer course–the grueling test that Marines must endure to become platoon commanders.
The Marines were willing to let “60 Minutes” come along for the two-day, 110 degree hike in the desert–but there wouldn’t be any air-conditioned media tent available. So they put on their boots–the heat was so intense, the soles of Martin’s boots melted–and joined the hike.
“Basically, it was to prove to the Marines that we were ‘all in’ on this story,” Martin said in a “60 Minutes Overtime” interview. “They weren’t going to just give up their secrets for a drive-by story where somebody came and shot a few frames.”