" The man who will go where his colors go, without asking who will fight a phantom foe in jungle and

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" The man who will go where his colors go,
without asking who will fight a phantom foe in
jungle and mountain range, without counting
and who will suffer and die in the midst of
incredible hardship, without complaint, is still
what he has always been from Imperial Rome to
sceptered Britain to democratic America. He is
the stuff of which legions are made. His pride
is his colors and his Regiment, his training hard
and thorough and coldly realistic to fit him for
what he must face, and his obedience is to his
orders. As a legionary, he held the gates of
civilization for the classical world.... he has
been called United States Marine. LtCol T.R.
Fehrenbach, US Army- in This Kind of War
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"A Marine is a rain cooled, foot powered, spam
fed, semi-automatic fighting machine, never known
to have a stoppage. M/Sgt W.Lord, Retired
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All militaries harden their recruits, instill the
basics, and bend young men to their will. But
the Marine Corps provides its members with a
secret weapon. It gives them the unique culture
of pride that makes the Marines the world's
premier warrior force. "The Navy has its ships,
the Air Force has its planes, the Army its
detailed doctrine, but culture '---the values
and assumptions that shape its members---is all
the Marines have." They call this culture
"esprit de corps." "Alone among the U.S.
military services, the Marines have bestowed
their name on their enlisted ranks. The Army has
Army officers and soldiers, the Navy has naval
officers and sailors, the Air Force has Air Force
officers and airmen----but the Marines have only
Marines.
James Bradley
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HOGS-- TO THE CORPS ELITE TO THAT SPECIAL BREED
OF SKY DEVIL KNOWN AND FEARED THROUGHOUT THE
WORLD-- THE MARINE DOG FIGHTER. TO THE BRAVEST
MEN THAT EVER LIVED THERE IS NO FORCE THAT CAN
DEFEAT US IN BATTLE. DENY US VICTORY OR INTERUPT
OUR DESTINY MARINES
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DEFINITION OF A MARINE Marines come all
sizes, weights, states of sobriety, misery and
confusion. He is sly as a fox, has the nerve of
a dope addict, the stories of an old sailor, the
sincerity of a liar, and the appetite of horse.
He is unreliable, irresponsible, and
indestructible. A Marine is a magical
creature You can lock him out of your house but
not your heart, You can take him off your
mailing list, but not your mind. Marines are
found everywhere in bars, in battle, in love,
on leave, and in debt. No one could write so
seldom and yet think so much of you. No one
else could get so much enjoyment out of one
letter, civilian clothes, or a six pack of
beer. A Marine is lazy with a deck of cards, a
millionaire without a cent, brave without a brain
of sense. He is the protector of America with the
latest copy of Playboy in his pocket. When he
wants something it is usually a 3 day pass, a 5
dollar bill or a standby at home. Girls love
them, mothers tolerate them, the United States
supports them, and somehow they manage to live
together. No woman can tame him, no man can
beat him. He likes girls, females, ladies, dames
and members of the opposite sex. He dislikes
answering letters, wearing uniforms, his
superiors, getting up for reveille, Marine
Corps chow, basic training, and the week before
payday. You might as well give in. He is
your long distance lover, your bright eyes,
your bundle of worry. Even all of your shattered
dreams become insignificant, when he comes home
to you and greets you with those innocent spoken
words, Hi! written by GEN. WILLIIAM
THORNSON, US ARMY (l956)
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U.S. Marines are the most peculiar breed of
human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat
service as if it was some kind of cult,
plastering their emblem on almost everything they
own, making themselves look like insane fanatics
with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths,
worshipping their Commandant almost as if he was
a god, and making weird animal noises like a
gang of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs
at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a
little action, and are the cockiest sons of
bitches I have ever known. Most have the foulest
mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits,
but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood
set them apart and, generally speaking, the
United States Marines I've come in contact with
are the most professional soldiers and the finest
men and women I have ever had the pleasure to
meet...
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Being a Marine is a state of mind. Its an
experience some have likened more to a calling
than a profession. Being a Marine is not a job,
not a paycheck its not an occupational
specialty. Its no male or female, majority or
minority. Nor is it a rank insignia. Stars,
bars, or chevrons are only indicators of the
responsibility of authority we hold at a given
time. Rather, being a Marine comes from the
eagle, globe, and anchor tattooed on the soul of
every one of us who wears the Marine Corps
uniform. Its a searing mark on our innermost
being, which comes after the right of passage
through boot camp or Officer Candidate School.
When a young man or woman is allowed for the
first time to say Im a United States Marine,
unlike physical or psychological scars, which
over time will tend to heal and fade in
intensity, the eagle, globe, and anchor only grow
more defined, more intense the longer you are a
Marine. -Lt.Col. Jeffrey Wilkinson as quoted in
the December 1997 issue of Marine Corps Gazette.
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"There are only two kinds of people that
understand Marines Marines and the enemy.
Everyone else has a second-hand opinion."
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US Marines No Finer Friend No Worst Enemy
Sign Entrance into Camp Rhino, Afghanistan