View Full Version : Marine Arrogance??
"Arrogant or a just a Proud US Marine??
A Marine Sergeant wrote this in response to an Army soldier who posted a comment on a Marine Corps site that he was sick and tired of "Marine Arrogance."
The Sergeant says...
"I think that's what makes Marines special, if only in our own minds, is that elusive Quality of Esprit de Corps. It's the fact that we, as individual Marines, don't feel that we are individual Marines. When we wear our uniform, when we hear our Hymn, when we go into battle, we are going with every other Marine who ever wore the uniform.
Standing behind us are the Marines who fought during the birth of our nation. We're standing with the Marines who fought in WWI and gave birth to the legend of the "Teuful Hunden," or "Devil Dogs." We are standing with the Marines who took Iwo and Tarawa and countless other blood soaked islands throughout the Pacific.
We are standing with the "Frozen Chosin" and our beloved Chesty Puller. We are standing with the Marines who battled at Hue City and Khe Sanh and the muddy rice paddies of South East Asia. We are standing with the Marines who fought in Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom and now are fighting in Afghanistan.
Like real brothers, their blood courses through our veins, and when we go into battle, we would rather lay down our loves than be a disappointment to them. We carry on our backs their legacy, their deaths, and their honor. We carry that for the rest of our lives.
The Marine Corps uniform doesn't come off when our active duty is over.
We wear it daily in our attitude and our love of Corps and country. We wear it on our tattoos and our bumper stickers.
We wear it on our hearts.
It's why, no matter where we are in the world, on November 10th, every Marine celebrates the Marine Corps birthday. It's why we'll never be an army of 1. It's why we never stop being Marines. It's why, for most of us, being a Marine isn't something we were. It's something we are.
It's the most important part of who and what we are. Some say we're arrogant. We say we're proud. We have a right to be proud. We are the United States Marines, the most feared and ferocious group of warriors to walk the face of this earth.
When America's enemies formulate their battle plans, they plan on going around Marine units because they know D-mn well that they can't go through them. We are what other branches wish they were.
We are the modern day Spartans. This isn't bragging. It's written in the battle history of our country. When there's a parade and the Marines march by, everyone pays a little more attention.
Some say, "arrogance."
We call it "pride."
It's why, in a crowd of servicemen, you can always spot the Marine.
Why are Marines special?
I don't know. We just are.
-Semper Fidelis-
advanced
10-16-15, 08:19 AM
About 10 years ago while en route to DC for Rolling Thunder my friends and I stopped to get gas. There were a lot of other bikers there and one of them with army patches on came up to me and said "Welcome home soldier." I respond to him by saying "I was not a soldier, I was a Marine."
He got angry and muttered something about Marines were all alike, I smiled and said for him to stop disrespecting me by calling me a soldier. He muttered something else and I told him he was now seeing the difference. He did not understand. Just saying.<script type="text/javascript" src="safari-extension://com.ebay.safari.myebaymanager-QYHMMGCMJR/f7ef8277/background/helpers/prefilterHelper.js"></script>
USMC 2571
10-16-15, 10:10 AM
Chuck and Russ---I think Army people (Ain't Ready to be a Marine Yet) mistake pride for arrogance. Second, they have no idea what the Corps is or how boot camp is, or what causes that pride. So they're basically ignorant about anything concerning the Marine Corps---not knowing anything about it, they figure that what their opinion about it is, has to be true----classic case of hey, I don't know, therefore, I don't like it, whatever it is.
USMC 2571
10-16-15, 10:23 AM
And just as an aside, even if it IS arrogance (which I don't think it is) , Marines would have good reasons for feeling that way.
Tennessee Top
10-16-15, 01:29 PM
I will add my 2 cents to this thread. I was the Special Security Office (SSO) Chief while with the US Central Command J2 Directorate, MacDill AFB, Tampa FL (and the CENTCOM forward deployed headquarters during Desert Storm).
CENTCOM is a joint command. As the SSO Chief for two years, I had enlisted soldiers and airmen in my shop (my boss was a USAF major). The major insisted on calling his airmen by their first names (despite my continuous attempts to get him to stop for obvious reasons). Leading those troops was the biggest leadership challenge of my career, and resulted in my decision to retire when I did. Every day, I had to remind myself they were not Marines, so it was not realistic for me to expect them to look, act, and perform as such. It's a challenge to lead anyone with those expectations.
29palms
10-16-15, 01:43 PM
I look at guys around where I work at and boy, the Marine Corps would have had FIELD DAYS with these guys. They'd love to have them. No comparison. Some of these guys never spend a day in a boot camp environment, and to be honest with you, half wouldn't make it as Marines. It's hard to look at some of these guys and respect them when some don't even respect their own selves, much less, don't have what it takes to "Get it done". They hide behind a union protection and know they can't get fired. If they were in the Marine Corps assuming they made it through boot camp, they would feel the same way I do right now about everyone else. Call it a "Superiority complex", call it "Anal", or call it "Arrogance". Whatever it is, its way better than what I see out there.
TolzerVman
10-16-15, 05:43 PM
If you are going to use the word Soldier to describe a Marine, at least say Sea Soldier or Soldier of the Sea. Those words are in MCWP 6-11.
Or maybe he still thinks it is 1798:
Established: Under joint administrative control of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy, by an act of July 11, 1798 (1 Stat. 594).
But I doubt it since most Soldiers do not know Army history very well.
This says it best:
There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion.
Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army<o:p></o:p>
USMC 2571
10-16-15, 07:01 PM
Exactly what I meant. People who know zero about the USMC are liable to come up with all kinds of mistaken opinions--and they don't seem to care that they're mistaken.
mexbearlll
10-16-15, 09:42 PM
When We are all out somewhere with the Whole Family, My Wife and DIL will correct someone as not to call Me or My Son, a soldier , so one of US don't go off on them. My DIL now knows how My Wife feels, after My Son got of boot camp. Because We both wear Hi-n-tights , We asked if We had to wear our hair the same since We where Marines and Father and Son ? Go figure . S/F
thegimprider
10-17-15, 11:16 PM
I spent 5 years trying to join because cancer at 17 was a deferment. Talked to many veterans and a pattern developed. Marines saw nasty combat and survived while many army saw light combat and died, why? Marines take care of their own! Army had a bad habit of putting the cherry on point, that endangered the whole platoon. When a cherry died no one missed him because they insulated themselves out of self protection.
FistFu68
10-18-15, 11:50 AM
My Paw Paw was a lifer @ end of His Career he was an Advisor w/MACV in RVN had SEALs US Army & USMC @ his disposal told me many X's...Those Jarheads always did More w/less & never Pi$$ed & Moaned 'bout Anything...now I'm married 2 the Oldest Daughter of a Brigade Commander of the 101st Airborne WW11 Korea & Vietnam...as many a X's as I've made her Eyes roll around 2 the back of her head from Pleasure this Point Man has given Her it Speaks 4it self Semper Fi that :p
You might just want to back it off on the union bashing. I spent 30 years as a union plumber and pipefitter. I worked on a lot of powerhouses, refineries and other big jobs where the rubber meets the road hundreds of feet above the ground. Along the way I ran into hundreds, plumbers, fitters, ironworkers electricians who were proud of their trade skills and proud of being Marines. I went on to finish my career in disaster response where I met a lot of union firefighters, cops and EMT's who also Marines or Corpsmen.
29palms
10-18-15, 02:21 PM
I am not anti-union by any means. But I'm not all like raving over them either. For me, its the lesser of two evils. In our situation.
joseywales
10-18-15, 02:59 PM
topic stray
josephd
10-18-15, 03:29 PM
Obviously we Marines are biased but having the opportunity to work with all branches in a combat zone opened my eyes to why we, as Marines, have the confidence, arrogance, pride, swagger, choose your adjective we do.
My route clearance team/platoon was Army, EOD team was Air Force, and rolled with and did some hasty PB builds with Navy SeaBees. On more than a few occasions we would hit IED's and/or take contact....Marines were the only ones who knew how to move with purpose, communicate properly(clear, concise, and loud), direct fire, and do everything else that would need to happen in order to survive and complete a mission.
One of the gunners in my platoon in another security truck(a LCpl) got out of his turret to run about 75 yards to a wrecked(IED hit) Army Striker vehicle to yell at tell an Army Lt and Sgt 1st class to get their $hit together after they took over an hour to get their serialized gear, personal gear, and what-not out of their truck.....it was pretty funny to watch, kinda had to be there.
Anyway...my point is, out "arrogance" isn't without good cause...no one else gets it because they haven't had the privilege of going through what we go through(boot camp, SOI/ITB/MCT, etc..) as Marines. And most boot Marines won't understand what being a "combat veteran" Marine means either...kinda where the Corps is now
USMC 2571
10-18-15, 04:34 PM
Well said as always, Joe.
topic stray
Is this a violation notice for being website politically incorrect?
* HiJack Alert* HiJack Alert*
It's Tony not Jack, Ed. Anyway there's not much left to hijack here, you should appreciate a little levity, the way things look for winter up there, you're gonna need something to chuckle about while your shoveling the snow.
29palms
10-19-15, 04:04 PM
Yea, what happened last year in Boston. I'm the snow coming in at you.....wham wham wham wham wham......you want more eh? Here......wham wham wahmmmmm
I have a "Very considerate wife" ,
EveryChristmas, she gives me a
brand new snow shovel.
I spent 5 years trying to join because cancer at 17 was a deferment. Talked to many veterans and a pattern developed. Marines saw nasty combat and survived while many army saw light combat and died, why? Marines take care of their own! Army had a bad habit of putting the cherry on point, that endangered the whole platoon. When a cherry died no one missed him because they insulated themselves out of self protection.
That was something I saw on on a documentary about WWII. Dudes were like "let some new guy go weve been here long enough!" and yeah they were army cats and I just couldnt believe they would think like that. It made me sick. Some army guys have the right mentality and would have em next to me as much as a Marine, but it was really a lottery on whether or not that would be the case cause I probably saw more that were not. Im not even going to get into discipline and just a general respect for rank as that was a joke.
My Paw Paw was a lifer @ end of His Career he was an Advisor w/MACV in RVN had SEALs US Army & USMC @ his disposal told me many X's...Those Jarheads always did More w/less & never Pi$$ed & Moaned 'bout Anything...now I'm married 2 the Oldest Daughter of a Brigade Commander of the 101st Airborne WW11 Korea & Vietnam...as many a X's as I've made her Eyes roll around 2 the back of her head from Pleasure this Point Man has given Her it Speaks 4it self Semper Fi that :p
Stay classy FF
Is this a violation notice for being website politically incorrect?
Draw fire Jimmy jr.
FistFu68
10-23-15, 07:52 AM
You Kiss a lot of A$$ Shaft ?
thegimprider
10-23-15, 10:56 AM
Confidence is easy to mistake for arrogance
I'd say that a lot of Marines that I served with in Nam felt like they'd been there long enough when they rotated...I was one of them.
FistFu68
10-24-15, 08:48 AM
Amen
Baker1971
10-27-15, 11:46 AM
"Attitude is Everything". I got the T- Shirt from Sgt. Grit...
FistFu68
10-27-15, 01:16 PM
Yessir Master GunZ..."Can Do"Attitude...When them Colors are Cracking in tha Wind~~~~~~them Battle Streamers do all the Talking 4 us Semper Fi :flag:
OlMarine
11-02-15, 12:46 AM
Bottom Line... The resounding majority of US military service-members consider their enlistments to be a "job". THIS :usmc: denotes a way of life. Carry on, Marines! :evilgrin:
Jim Grove
06-11-18, 08:56 AM
0341 and Proud of it! Nothing better than a Grunt Marine! :evilgrin:
advanced
06-11-18, 01:00 PM
0311's lead the way.
Mongoose
06-12-18, 05:53 AM
Grunts who served in Nam have many stories to tell....most aren't good. We lived a hellish life in the bush. We never waited for the enemy to show up......we were constantly searching for danger. It takes a different kind of Man to look for something that might kill 'em. That being said.....we would have been useless without all the Marines in support.