Some things I learned as a Marine

[yellowwing]

We've covered the Esprit de Corps elements of earning The Title and its life long benefits. Here are some mundane lessons I have learned that apply to the civilian life.

First and foremost, basic first aid, and some secondary aid. You'd be surprised how many poeple don't even know about the principals of direct pressure or basic CPR.

Personal safety. The ability to assess the threat helps a very long way in NOT being a victim of crime.

Related is personal assumptions. The assumption that other people actually care about your safety is fallacy. When I drive, I assume the other drivers have no idea what hell they are are doing. Zero accidents in 39 years. My insurance company loves me!

The instinct to act. When civilians are frozen in shock and fear, the Veteran knows what to do, and is already doing it before the civilians even decides what to do next.

Basic respect. Whether it is a business colleague or a 'booty call', basic respect also goes a long way.

Related is personal hygiene. The morning sh*t, shower, and shave. Personal appearance and bearing is invaluable in all endeavors! How many coworkers or fellow students do you see that look like sh*t?

Continuing to contribute to society. Veterans have already answered the call to national interests. It would take a million pages to list Veterans who are Neighborhood Watch leaders to US Presidents.

Related is expectations. Veterans don't expect or shoot for media coverage or the Medal of Freedom, to do these things. We do it because we feel it needs to be done for our community.

Please jump and remind me what I've missed!

[LivinSoFree]

Adapt and Overcome. "Can't be done" is a phrase that will seldom find its way into a Marine's vocabulary. Long hours, no breaks, no problem, 'cause it sure can't be as bad as boot camp or combat. My boss loves me, because when she wants something done, she knows I'll make it happen, and not bother her with the details.

[Sgtj]

J
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[Ingrahamcj]

BAMCIS

[MillRatUSMC]

Putting others before self,
Assuming the responsibility with no thought of an reward,
Words such as "Honor, Duty and Commitment" mean more to us than many others in our society.
God, to most of us isn't a dirty word.
Many of us were raised believing in the Ten Commandments, they are not to be hidden from view because its not PC.
Many of us do not see any "color" other than Maribe Corps green.
Memorials mean more to us than the rest of our society.
Love of Corps grows deeper everyday that you get older.
The title "Marine" never wears off, once earned, its a responsibility to serve, honor and obey the laws of the Nation.
Times, we stretched to the max because of what some write, draw or do because they think its their right.
Yet we know that it was our service that gave them that right.
Core Values to us means doing what is right.

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

[Timber]

Semper Fi

Doing the job right and not cutting corners, Marine lives may depend on it.

Death Before Dishonor.

No Marine I know wants to let down those who have been before and set the mark.

[USMCrow]

Heard this one from an airwinger..."Semper Gumby" = Always Flexible. He said it in jest, but it holds some truth. When it comes to an obstacle, you don't always have to go through it. You can choose to go around, over, under or through. The Corps helped us to see differnt ways to overcome problems/challenges.

[Sgted]

The ability to keep a level head in emergency situations.
Organizational abilities that shine both in my personal life and in dealing with others.
Clear thinking when tackling any task.
The drive to try again and again at any task when others will throw their hands up in defeat.
Discipline, discipline, discipline.
Adaptation & consideration.
Level headed always.
Focused thinking.
Geared towards the team.

[rockhopper]

Originally posted by MillRatUSMC

Love of Corps grows deeper everyday that you get older.




Isn't that the truth. It's probably pretty common with lots of us, but I didn't even realize how special it was to be a Marine, and to have these values, until I left active duty and entered civilian life, and saw how things were out there...

[yellowwing]

One of our apartment neighbors got into a drunken arguement with her boyfriend. He ended up pushing her down in a chair and started to choke her.

I pulled him off and told him to settle down. Things were escalating really fast.

She comes out of her kitchen with a knife! Oh sh*t!

I'm out in the hallway in an instant and hoping the boyfriend is behind me. Nope, he' still inside.

She ends up stabbing him in the shoulder. The blood suddenly sobered both of them up!

I grab a towel from the bathroom and apply direct pressure to his wound. She's babbling to 911 and I end up having to talk to the dispatchers.

"Hold this as hard as you against the cut!" I tell her. But as I make sense to to 911, she freakin' keeps pulling off the towel to look at the cut! After directing 911 to what's going, I take over again.

Finally when the cops and paramedics arrive, the bleeding had actually stopped. Get this, she actually was surprised when the cops arrested and handcuffed her!

After giving my statement to the officers, I asked how it was going to go in the courts. They said, "Well, it sounds like she was defending herself but the courts will sort that out."

Fvkin' drunk civilians!

[Timber]

Know that situation all too well. See that kind of "BS" almost everyday on duty. Last week had a guy that could not tell, or would not, us what happened and didn't understand why we were in a hurry to get him to the ER. Guy had 12 wholes in him, 8 through-n-through. lucky the guy shooting did not hit anything major.

[Old Marine]

Organizational skills are one of the better things I was
taught while on active duty.

Since I retired in 1973 nothing supprises me in this cluster fvck world of civilians who do not seem to have any sence of direction or organizational skills at all. It's no wonder that these companies go belly up. Then to top it off, no one has the nads to take responsibility for anything.

[femalemarine_89]

well yellow since you sent me this I guess I will put in my learning experiences. I have to say one of the biggest things that I learned was Discipline. I have to say that I was a rebel before going in. I also have to say that I also learned to be more organized, I also learned a job skill which is used in the outside world. I learned that no matter what I will always be a part of the family. I have learned what SEMPER FI was all about. Not only is it to be used inside the Corps but should also be used in the everyday world.

[HardJedi]

first and foremost, I learned that i CAN DO IT! no matter what "it" is.


a silly yet usefull thing? Never get personalized liscence plates. makes you stand out too much and makes you too easy to remember

[Cole11]

our beloved Corps gave me CONFIDENCE! A CAN DO ATTITUDE!

[yellowwing]

The most mundane has to be knowing how to properly field day a head! When my wife and I clean the house, the bathroom is always my responsibility. I can get it done faster (and more sanitized) that she can swab the kitchen!

[yellowwing]

PRINTING IN BLOCK LETTERS.
POST 11 ALL SECURE - 0945, 22 DECEMBER 2004

Any Marine that has ever stood watch, knows how to neatly print. It is a must for NCOs and above.

[HardJedi]

hell yeah Yellowing! but, to be honest, I got shewed out for almost eh whole time I was in Security Forces for keepng a darn near illegible log book! Not easy writing clearly at 3 AM in a typhoon on Guam! LOL

[woodman]

My #1 lesson.........Lead by example. That seperates Marines from anyone else. Marine PFCs and Lcpls have more responsabilities than most army corporals or navy petty officers, because our chain of command goes down to the individual fireteam level. Which means that it's not if you have to be a leader but when.

semper fi

[yellowwing]

Weapons safety. A really important lesson. Never assuming a weapon is unloaded.

Also the Four Life Saving Steps:
1. Stop the bleeding
2. Start the breathing
3. Protect the wound
4. Treat for shock.

Then our Combat Instructors taught us the Four Life Taking Steps:
1. Start the bleeding
2. Stop the breathing
3. Open the wound
4. Inflict maximum shock!

[Phantom Blooper]

As the old saying from the old T.V. show Kung Fu . You done well,grasshopper! Semper-Fi! "Never Forget" Chuck Hall

[MTWHITE1]

THE MARINE CORPS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST THINGS IN MY LIFE. YES (MY WIFE) MARRAGE IS GREAT, BUT NOTHING WILL COME CLOSE TO THE DAY I WAS PROMOTED TO SGT!!! CIVILIAN LIFE SUCKS, IF YOUR ONE OF EM'. BUT FOR THOSE RESERVISTS (ONCE ON ACTIVE DUTY AND NOW PART OF THE "WEEKEND GUN CLUB") I MISS THE ACTIVE SIDE MORE AND MORE THAN EVER. I JUST PUT IN A PACKAGE TO GO BACK TO ACTIVE DUTY, CAUSE I MISS IT SO MUCH. THE MARINE CORPS AS A WHOLE IS A GREAT THING, SOMETIMES PEOPLE IN IT, MAKE IT TUFF, BUT I'LL TAKE THAT OVER THE CIVILIAN WORLD ANYDAY!! OUR HISTORY, OUR TRADITIONS, THE MARINES IN IRAQ AND AFGANISTAN... THEY ARE DOING SOME AWESOME THINGS OVER THERE. SAY A PRAYER FOR EM... REMEMBER THEM, CAUSE WHEN SOME STUPIED A@# PUNK STEPS UP IN MY FACE AND TRIES TO TELL ME WHAT ME AND THE OTHER MARINES DO IS WORTHLESS, I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THOSE GUYS RIGHT THEN, AND I KNOW DEEP DOWN IN MY HEART, WHAT THEY ARE DOING, DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THAT WHAT WE HAVE ALL DONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE. MY MARINE GRANDFATHER (GUNNY BARRY, 24 FOR YEARS IN) REMINDED ME BEFORE I WENT TO BOOT CAMP IN 1998, TO ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST. EVEN IF YOUR SCRUBBING TOILETS OR SWABBING THE DECK, GIVE IT YOUR ALL, AS A MARINE. THAT'S WHAT I HAVE LEARNED!!! SEMPER FI. ANYBODY WANT SOME MOTOVATION, WRITE BACK AT matthewtwhite10@excite.com... OOH-RAH

[Tom Hansen]

Being a Marine taught me many things in life, mainly life is what you make it to be. That you create your breaks in life good or bad, how you deal with them tells folks a lot about you. That says a lot to employers, friends, and family which opens the door to other avenues.

[jgorosco]

A friend of mine emailed this to me thought I could share it with everyone


It's Standing Up And Believing.........................


This is the kind of thing that PMO! Did you earn it? Have you
earned it! H&ll! I did twenty years in the Marine Corps, retired
for Christmas sake, and I don't know that I've still have earned
the right to call myself a Marine! Not when you think in terms of
those that have gone before me and those that have come after me!
I know, that each and every day that I crawl my azz out of the
rack, I've got to go out and earn it again! I'm big on Honor and
Integrity! You question my Honor, my Integrity, my honesty, my
truthfulness, my fidelity, I get fighting Mad! You would have come
out better calling me something else! That's the thing! Once
you've made it through boot camp, that doesn't make you a Marine!
What makes you a Marine is how you're going to get you're azz out
of the rack everyday for the rest of your life and live your life
by what the Marine Corps taught you! Trained you to do, and to be!
Everything that you need to get through, to survive in this life,
the Marine Corps has taught you! EVERYTHING! We can start with
HONOR and INTEGRITY! Its called doing the right thing ~ in all
things and with all things and with everyone that you come across
in life! Its standing up and being counted for, and calling BS,
BULL****! Its standing up and believing in something greater and
larger than yourself, if its nothing else but the guy next to you!
Forever more its about sacrifice, and putting those less fortunate
and weaker than you before yourself! Its about acknowledging that
life is tough, but its tougher if your stupid! Its about growing,
and about continuously learning, and about being tested! Its about
never being complacent! Never satisfied! That your best is never
is going to be good enough! Perhaps to your parents, to your wife,
to your children, but never to yourself! And before God! Its about
never quitting, no matter how hard it gets! Its about not whining!
No matter how tough it gets! Its about sucking it up, and giving
110% each day, every day! Its about living up to the standard! And
the bar is set pretty d*mn high! Its meant to be! If it was easy,
H&ll, everyone would be a Marine! That's the thing that a lot of
soldiers and a lot of sailors, and a lot of airmen don't get! Once
you become a Marine, the discipline is self-perpetuating! The
discipline of the Corps becomes you're self-discipline! Many, and
I mean many fall to the wayside! I truly believe, that the final
and ultimate test as to where or not you're a Marine, comes the
day you report into Heaven with your PCS orders, and Saint Peter
tells you, "Enter Marine!" To me, whether you did 2 years or 20 or
more, the test of whether you're a Marine or not is how you live
your life! Did you make a difference? Or did you lay your Honor,
your Integrity, your spirit, your soul upon the alter of the
almighty dollar, or (fill in the blank). Can you go to your grave
and before God, and honestly say, "I did my absolute best! I gave
all!" Can you stand before God come Judgment Day and say, "I am
righteous and I did righteous, and I fought for righteous all my
life!"

You need not lay your life down nor become crippled from the
physical wounds of war! The fight to be fought, is the fight of
righteousness! Did you do right! Did you do the right thing, in
all things! Did you stand up for the down-trodden? Did you defend
the weak? Did you defend the less fortunate?

It matters not that you did two nor twenty in the Marine Corps,
what matters is that you applied that which the Marine Corps
taught you~! What matters is that you stood on the side of Lady
Justice, and Righteousness! What matters is that you made a
difference in your life and for being in this life!

The fact that you enlisted in the Marine Corps speaks volumes!
Most young Americans these days don't enlist into the military!
H&ll! They won't even enlist into the Army Reserves or even the
National Guard! Let alone the Marine Corps! The fact that you did,
speaks volumes thus far about your character! VOLUMES! But that is
nothing more than a foundation for which to build the rest of your
life!

Do you measure up? No! You don't! And the day that you believe
that you do, you're done as a Marine! I did 20 years in the Marine
Corps, retired! Guess what? I still don't measure up! Why? Because
you're best isn't and never will be good enough! You do the 3 mile
PFT run in 19 minutes, then you need to have you azz out on the
road, working on 18:59~! You shoot 245 on the rifle range, then
you need to start working on 246! You get a noteworthy on an
inspection, than you need to get working on "beyond noteworthy"!

Everyday that you're in the Marine Corps is a "test"! I've seen
Marines that had 12-14 years in the Marine Corps, and kicked back
on their heels, thinking that they had it made! You Don't! Guess
what? Those guys, got kicked out! You can do everything to
perfection for 18 years, and you screw up one time and its your
azz!

That's the way it has to be! You don't get paid for screwing up!
You don't get paid for saying, "My mistake! I forgot! I screwed
up, nor 'My Bad!" Why? Because in most of the MOS in the Marine
Corps , you screw up you get someone killed! Just that plain, just
that simple!

But, you know what? That's the way it is out here in civilian
life! Even more so! Either be part of the solution, or part of the
answer or,...................BE GONE! That's why Marines excel so
well out here in civilian life,.............we understand that!

Where I work at now, we've got two part-time college students
working for us, in less than a week, I've heard from both of them,
"Its not my problem, I'm not going to worry about it!" Well guess
again Slick! It IS your PROBLEM!

Attitude is everything! Life is 10% of what happens to you, and
90% of your attitude! Its all about how you perceive it! How you
look at it! Its not so much about what you've been through, nor
what your going through, its about "What the **** are you going to
do about it, and how are you going to handle it!"

That's the thing about being a Marine! Marines are renown for
finding themselves in a world of ****! The thing about Marines is
that they get off their azz and get busy doing something about it!
It might not be pleasant, it might not be pretty, and it might not
be fun, but they do something about it! They get busy! Marines
aren't know for sitting around and holding "pity party's" They get
busy getting "BUSY"

Marines aren't too big on "sympathy" If you're looking for
sympathy, about the only place you're going to find it in this
world or lifetime is in the dictionary! Get use to that fact and
you'll do well in life! For every problem you've got, I promise
you, someone has got it worse! For every trouble you've got, I
promise you someone is worse off! You may be uglier than h&ll, I
promise you! There's someone uglier than you! You may be dumber
than a fence post, but I promise you, there's someone dumber than
you! You may be dirt poor, but I promise you there IS someone
poorer than you!

When you find yourself counting your troubles and your sorrows,
etc, etc, etc. STOP! Count your blessings~!

[sgt.lane]

That was AWESOME!!!!!Thanks for sharing.....

[jgorosco]

Welcome.

[yellowwing]

Do you measure up? No! You don't! And the day that you believe that you do, you're done as a Marine! I did 20 years in the Marine Corps, retired!

Guess what? I still don't measure up! Why? Because you're best isn't and never will be good enough! You do the 3 mile PFT run in 19 minutes, then you need to have you azz out on the road, working on 18:59~!

You shoot 245 on the rifle range, then you need to start working on 246! You get a noteworthy on an inspection, than you need to get working on "beyond noteworthy"!


Yes, the drive and determination to be better Marines than we were last week. Still it is in all of us.

How could we not with the likes of Chesty Puller, Jimmy Howard, and now Brad Kasal leading Our Tradition?

Talking to a Bro last week about this...Did we ever really get out? We are still doing our duty no matter what our Separation Date was.

Semper Fidelis! :marine:

[yellowwing]

Not mewling and bemoaning what life has unexpectedly thrown at you. Get on to solving the problem and taking the necessary actions!

[ggyoung]

There is a time and a place for B.S. Combat is not one of them.