So today one of the boot Marines came in and was submitting his leave for the leave block and someone asked, "How many days are you taking?" His response was something I feel that all Marines think about and probably all civilians assume.
"All of them. Just in case I die." Something that is preconceived about us as far as deployments. That most of us don't come back. I remember my dad talking to me before I signed my paperwork, "Marines are the first ones in and the first ones dead, you know?" Now my dad was looking out for me but I feel like that is something that everyone one thinks. But the truth is that most of do come home, thank God. Most of us, as far as Marines, are trained well enough to know what to do. Yes there are situations which we cannot predict, that we cannot train for, but we sure as hell do a damn good job of training.
Back to this Marine. I looked at and asked, why would you put that bad juju on yourself? Now Marines in general as people are not superstitious but when we are together there are certain things that are bad juju, or bad luck. The classic death note idea, charms (used to come in MREs and now don't. Eating certain ones would mean certain things would happen to your team or other such nonsence) and then assuming you are going to die. Just bad concepts that we don't want our brothers to think about. Now I am not going to say that I am a 100% sure that I am going to survive, but my first thought isn't that I am going to die. I trust my training, my NCOs and I trust myself and with that I know that I am coming home.
In my opinion, everyone who believes that Marines always die or die more often then other branches are ignorant. We only might, might being key, die more because we are more often then not we are in much more dangerous areas. But to counter act the idea that Marines die in combat, we have more deaths back here in the states then we do in war.
I give much praise to those who came home from 3/5 and honor all of those that paid the ultimate price over there, let no one ever assume that I don't.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
We Live Forever
Marines die, that's what we're here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.
The mythical GySgt. Hartman, USMC; portrayed by GySgt. R. Lee Ermey, a Marine Corps Drill Instructor using his own choice of words in Full Metal Jacket, 1987
The mythical GySgt. Hartman, USMC; portrayed by GySgt. R. Lee Ermey, a Marine Corps Drill Instructor using his own choice of words in Full Metal Jacket, 1987
Brothers
This blog is to put down the ideas that people have about what We are. Anything from tyrants to egotistical maniacs to sadistic angry men. This is a completely arrogant idea of people who do not understand what it means or what it is to be a Marine.
For example. The movie Brothers is about a Marine officer who goes to Afghanistan and while he is gone his brother does the brotherly thing and helps his wife and kids after they think that he is KIA. Well he wasn't killed and captured by, we'll call them the Taliban for lack of knowledge from the movie (no specific details were ever given about them other than they were terrorist) He and a Private are captured and at one point in the movie he is told beat the PVT to death or he will be killed. He kills the PVT and hours later he rescued. The point is that Marines are taught and have the knowledge and discipline to act like civilized men in these situations. Like when they are first captured the Captain tells the PVT that he does not have any family and that it is just him and the Captain. Reason being is that they will use the information you give them to torture you. Hence why the Captain beat the shit out of the PVT. To see his daughters. The Captain begins by doing the right thing by telling the PVT to keep strong. We as Marines are taught codes of conduct while captured. These codes of conduct include that the only you should say is that you are an American and your name, rank, social, DOB. NOTHING else. Another thing is to take favors or better treatment. This movie pissed me off in both regards for the fact that both of the Marines had no discipline and took favors that neither of them were going to receive there end of the bargain. (I.e go home to his kids, but he was rescued.) I am not saying that all Marines will follow these rules but there are reasons and never should anyone take the life of a fellow Marine/military member for favors. Let alone an officer taking the life of a PVT.
Now, speaking of brothers, my brother has friends that are Marines and myself as far as his knowledge base for his theory about what we are. During an argument one night he brought up the fact that we "are taught that we are better than anyone else. That we can take on anyone. Are stronger than anything." Know I can't say that I disagree with this for the simple fact that we are taught that we can be better than anyone else. We are taught that we are the best branch. I can prove this easily based on YouTube videos, budgets, and the unfortunately casualty to number of members ratio overseas. We are the best. No one can say otherwise. Now there might be specialty groups (Delta Force, Army Rangers, SEALS, MARSOC, RECON) that are better than Marines in a whole or better than our Special Forces but us as a whole with less people are a far better branch of service than any others. Now yes this is my biased opinion but I guarantee most people in other branches have nothing but praises to say about us. As far being able take on anyone or stronger than anything is yes a truth and an exaggeration. Together we can take on anyone. Chosin Reservoir, Falluhjah, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal. Stronger than anyone? No examples to give but we are. Just trust me.
There are many other movies that do show Marines in, as I call it, the correct light. Look at Heartbreak Ridge, A Few Good Men (referring specifically to the speak given by Jack Nicholson. All services have there own version of hazing that has been done).
I finish this post with a quote from one of the most famous generals of all WWII and from a Chaplain during the Koren War.
For example. The movie Brothers is about a Marine officer who goes to Afghanistan and while he is gone his brother does the brotherly thing and helps his wife and kids after they think that he is KIA. Well he wasn't killed and captured by, we'll call them the Taliban for lack of knowledge from the movie (no specific details were ever given about them other than they were terrorist) He and a Private are captured and at one point in the movie he is told beat the PVT to death or he will be killed. He kills the PVT and hours later he rescued. The point is that Marines are taught and have the knowledge and discipline to act like civilized men in these situations. Like when they are first captured the Captain tells the PVT that he does not have any family and that it is just him and the Captain. Reason being is that they will use the information you give them to torture you. Hence why the Captain beat the shit out of the PVT. To see his daughters. The Captain begins by doing the right thing by telling the PVT to keep strong. We as Marines are taught codes of conduct while captured. These codes of conduct include that the only you should say is that you are an American and your name, rank, social, DOB. NOTHING else. Another thing is to take favors or better treatment. This movie pissed me off in both regards for the fact that both of the Marines had no discipline and took favors that neither of them were going to receive there end of the bargain. (I.e go home to his kids, but he was rescued.) I am not saying that all Marines will follow these rules but there are reasons and never should anyone take the life of a fellow Marine/military member for favors. Let alone an officer taking the life of a PVT.
Now, speaking of brothers, my brother has friends that are Marines and myself as far as his knowledge base for his theory about what we are. During an argument one night he brought up the fact that we "are taught that we are better than anyone else. That we can take on anyone. Are stronger than anything." Know I can't say that I disagree with this for the simple fact that we are taught that we can be better than anyone else. We are taught that we are the best branch. I can prove this easily based on YouTube videos, budgets, and the unfortunately casualty to number of members ratio overseas. We are the best. No one can say otherwise. Now there might be specialty groups (Delta Force, Army Rangers, SEALS, MARSOC, RECON) that are better than Marines in a whole or better than our Special Forces but us as a whole with less people are a far better branch of service than any others. Now yes this is my biased opinion but I guarantee most people in other branches have nothing but praises to say about us. As far being able take on anyone or stronger than anything is yes a truth and an exaggeration. Together we can take on anyone. Chosin Reservoir, Falluhjah, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal. Stronger than anyone? No examples to give but we are. Just trust me.
There are many other movies that do show Marines in, as I call it, the correct light. Look at Heartbreak Ridge, A Few Good Men (referring specifically to the speak given by Jack Nicholson. All services have there own version of hazing that has been done).
I finish this post with a quote from one of the most famous generals of all WWII and from a Chaplain during the Koren War.
I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world!
General of the Armies Douglas MacArthur; Korea, 21 September 1950
You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are.
Father Kevin Keaney
1st Marine Division Chaplain
Korean War
General of the Armies Douglas MacArthur; Korea, 21 September 1950
You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are.
Father Kevin Keaney
1st Marine Division Chaplain
Korean War
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