Todays Moto

[jinelson]

This simply outstanding explanation of Our Hymn is courtesy of our member Marine Bruce59. If this doesent motivate you to train hard to become one of us I don't know what will.

Jim


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IT'S NOT JUST A SONG, IT'S A HYMN

Bruce59

It echoes in the back of your mind, down the pages of history, the Hymn says who we are and what we stand for. It's inbodied in the words of the Hymn itself. The Hymn says we're the first to fight for right and freedom, that we're air, land and sea, a team. And to keep our Honor clean; important word Honor, Marines live it. We have fought in every clime and place, for the people of this country, it says we'll go anywhere to protect our freedom. We are proud to claim the title United States Marine, and no one else can make that claim. It's not just a song, it's a Hymn. And it will bring tears to the eyes of Marines when played. As Marines fought their way out of the Chosin Reservoir, never yelding to the cold or enemy, as they came down the road to the beach. these words were heard. OK Marines, dress ranks, stand tall, we're walking in like Marines. And from that column of Marines who had fought for weeks in the cold with frost bite and wounds, it started, low at first, then spread down the column. They walked in like Marines, and they walked in singing the Marine Hymn. They were not beaten, the Marines wanted to stay and take shelter under the big guns of the fleet, suck the enemy in and attack. But orders are orders and they were ordered out. Not just a song, a Hymn. We are proud to claim the title. We are now, and always will be, Marines.

[jinelson]

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Teufelhunden - "Devil Dogs"

Many historians agree that June 6, 1918 – the beginning of the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood – was the single most horrific day in United States Marine Corps history. The casualties suffered that day, and throughout the 20-day campaign to retake Belleau Wood, stand second only by the retaking of Tarawa in November 1943. However, their actions and success in retaking the three-mile square wood sealed the embodiment of U.S. Marine Corps tenacity, determination and dedication forever.

German General Ludendorff set the stage during The Great War for the Battle of Belleau Wood when he launched the Chemin des Dames offensive against the Allied Northern Front on May 27, 1918. The Fourth Brigade, American Expeditionary Forces, along with other allied forces moved north on May 20. 2nd Division Marines dug in along a defensive line north of the village of Lucy-Le-Bocage.
When advised to withdraw by a senior French officer retreating with his units down Parris-Metz highway, Marine Captain Lloyd Williams replied, “Retreat, hell! We just got here!”

The front finally settled with the 5th Marines to the west and the 6th Marines to the east. Most units deployed without machine guns, but 2nd Bn, 5th Marines showed the Germans the effects of their superior long distance marksmanship.

On June 6, the Marines make two assaults. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment attacks west of Belleau Wood and captures the strategically important Hill 142. Later the same day battalions of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments assault the woods from the south and west in an effort to capture the town of Bouresches.

The attack against the woods proper goes grimly. Crossing a wheat field where they are exposed to machine gun fire. Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly asks his men, “Come on ya sons-of-*****es, ya want to live forever?” The attack is only able to seize a small corner of the wood.
On June 11 after heave artillery bombardment, Marines succeed in securing two-thirds of Belleau Wood, again with heavy casualties.
Marines hammered their way through the woods until the Germans counterattacked with intense artillery fire and three divisions on June 13, almost retaking Bouresches. The Marines held, and on June 14, the German counterattack culminated in failure.
The lines did not change until June 24 when the French command committed sufficient artillery to reduce the woods, allowing the Marines to prepare for a renewed assault. On June 25, after a 14-hour bombardment, the Marines overran the remaining machine gun outposts. After fending off several early morning counterattacks on June 26, Major Maurice Shearer sends the signal, “Woods now entirely U.S. Marine Corps.”

The Marines gained more than small battered woodland. They stopped the last major German offensive of The Great War. In doing so, the Marine Corps earned the respect and admiration of our country and our allies. The 4th Brigade was awarded the French Citation, A L’Orde de L’Armee, and the wood was officially renamed, “Bois de la Brigade Marie,” in honor of the Marines.

German soldiers later referred to the U.S. Marines, respectfully, as “Teufelhunden,” or Devil Dogs, because of their fierceness in battle.
World War II.

[jinelson]

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FREEDOM

By: Sergeant Aaron M. Gilbert USMC

In my life, I have had wanted nothing more than what I now am, a Marine. A single 6-letter word that speaks volumes to multitudes. Just the name, Marine, carries pride, honor and courage. Many men join for many different reasons, but they all start off with the same goal along the way, to become a Marine. To be one of the few, the proud. Proud, pride, strength when united. Every background, every creed and every color. All come together under the same promise. The promise to protect this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. All who join have accepted this price, this calling. The price of having to leave all behind, to journey to a country where people hate you, and all you stand for.

The American Dream, Martin Luther King Jr's Dream and the Dream of our Forefathers. This dream of freedom and the right to preserve it. And who is called upon to undertake this task, the United States Marines. We rise to the call to lay down our lives. We fight and die for the freedom that some people cherish, some people spit upon and the very freedom that most people think they deserve. But who really deserves this freedom, the People or the Patriot.

Thomas Jefferson said it best when he said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the bloodshed of patriots and tyrants."

But how many really understand and believe that statement. How many know what it is like to sleep alone, cold, humbled and unappreciated. How many know what it is like to lose a friend or loved one who fought and died for the freedoms you were given. And how many have received a folded American flag, followed by a 21 Gun Salute. How many, we don't know. But whatever the number, they are the ones who gave so much for their Country and freedom that they lost it all.

Our Nation will see our conflicts on T.V., they will see our men and women, our sons and daughters who have openly accepted the possibility of death, and they will turn the channel without a second thought.

But you remember this. While you sleep at night with your parents, your wife, your children, there are always men out there awaiting the call to lay their lives down, and as J.F.K. said in his Inaugural Speech, "I do not cower from this responsibility, I welcome it."

[jinelson]

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The Four Rifles

By M.J. Siers

There were four shadows upon the sand
With a light breeze
That blew the chinstraps to and fro ---

Some had took a knee and bowed
While others, far off into the past,
Exchanged the noises, the fire, the loss ---
The twisting memories of what went on

Who was to blame --- maybe the slow? The less vigilant?
None, said the Lieutenant, who was with them all
The one with the bandage across his face
And yet, even in his youth, he seemed much more older
Weathered by the realities conflict brings ---

There were Sgts, Cpls, and Lcpls alike
Slowly --- ever slowly --- coming together in one formation
And then there was a shout ? followed by a unison salute.

The rifles, which were pointed and fired not more than 11 hours before
Now stuck firmly within the ground
With the names of their warriors wrapped around chains
And their details glimmering upon their metallic surfaces

Men whose lives only they will really understand
As those who will never know
Still march and enjoy the comforts provided
By these 4 shadows, stuck in a foreign land.

The ones whom knew them most had prayers --- and then honor
For they knew them by name and rank
And that they could continue what they started
Knowing that all wounds were in the front,
That neither brother big or small
Did not fail to do his duty --- that they earned mark
Within the long, list of names that rest
Within in tombs, yards, and sacred grounds
Within the lands, air, and seas around the globe.

[jinelson]

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Carrying a Gun

Cpl. Paul Scanlan USMC


On February 3, 2003
We arrive in the desert,
Away home from family.

Most of us young men
and some of us were old,
All of us ready to fight
Standing strong and bold.

March 19th came swift,
Thats when we began the fight,
The ground war was finally declared,
as we crossed the borders late that night.

We carried our Guns to battle
and always kept them clean
We were all experts with weapons,
Then again we're all Marines.

We were a few miles in
before reality struck,
When an RPG
Hit our 7-ton truck.

We picked up our guns and grabbed our ammo and rushed straight through to the front-lines,
All of us alert but scared to the bone, and never-the-less we charged in to fight.

From dusk til dawn battle was long but when it was over and done,
we'd look to our brothers to the left and the right, and pick up all our guns.

The people of our country
Who preach so much of "Rights"
Would call us murderers and killers
But they're not in the fight

However, enjoy your freedoms
My brothers paid for in blood,
because that is what we fight for,
Thats why we carry guns.

We hope that you live happy,
We pray your life is fun...
Because of us you'll never know,
What its like carrying a gun.

[jinelson]

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Life in a Marine Boot Camp

Why would a high school student on the path to college join the Marines? John Schaeffer, who just wrote a book about his decision, describes why he joined and what he learned.


By Corporal John Schaeffer USMC, Age 22

I was born in Haverhill MA, and raised in the small town of Salisbury north of Boston. I am a United States Marine and an author.

Don't let either of those facts scare you. I am merely a 22-year-old with a life that is a little unusual.

There is a government program requiring your school to give the armed services recruiters your address. Maybe my experience with what I found in the Marine Corps will help you get a little perspective on this issue.

In the spring of 1999 I decided to join the Marines. I felt alienated from many other people who would not or could not understand my decision to do something that seemed more quantifiable to me than striving to follow my older sister and brother into some "prestige" college.

My first days at boot camp on PI (Parris Island) were a blur -- a dark, brooding, olive-green blur of moving half-focused shapes and distant shouts. At one point or another every recruit looked over the hazy marsh to the lights beyond and just wanted to get the hell off. Our main fear was the fear of not measuring up. By the third week of training seven members of our platoon had been sent home.

Soon it no longer came naturally to begin any sentence with the word "I." All that mattered was group performance and accomplishment. The change that was being wrought in us by our DIs (drill instructors) was more mental than physical. Our minds were becoming tougher as we were slowly exercised to exhaustion. The Corps let each recruit know that if you came from typical selfish "nasty" America, it did not like you the way you were and would change you or break you.

As long as I could remember, it had always seemed to me that I was watching my life from a different perspective than even my best friends. I changed my sense of being withdrawn from events by watching the recruits around me experience boot camp. Seeing them being broken down to nothing, then rebuilt as self-confident Marines was much more powerful than experiencing this transformation myself.

No one would have mistaken my platoon for the kids graduating from my private high school the summer before. The "rich" recruits came from families with two cars, and a small home or apartment. Many were poor. The average SUV driven by the parents at my high school cost more than most recruits would earn in the four years they had signed up for in the Corps.

This is not to say that I joined the Marines because of some desire to cross the divide between the "upper class" private high school world where I grew up north of Boston and the typical less-privileged recruit. I was not "slumming" in the Corps. I joined because I was bored and sick of my lack of discipline; I didn't want to go right into college and wanted to do something different that didn't have all that much to do with my previous life.

If the recruiters had tried to explain the truth about the Corps to me before I signed up I would not have understood them. I got the message about being "the proud, the few," but it hardly told the story.

People enlisted in the Corps for selfish reasons: self improvement; because they were broke; because they had nothing better to do; had something to prove to fathers, mothers, and girlfriends; or for training that would "pay off" later in the civilian world, such as aviation electronics. Some bought into the nice uniforms or just wanted to belong to something, anything -- or to see the world.

After we recruits got to Parris Island, our reasons for wanting to be Marines changed and deepened, or we were sent home. By the end of boot camp each of us knew that we would be involved in military actions in which we had no say whatsoever. We knew we would do the job and do it well, not because we wanted to kill people or die, but because each Marine relies on another Marine watching his or her back.

That was the difference between the reasons most of us had for joining and the reality of what boot camp turned us into, and how it changed our thinking. That was what we never would have understood as civilians. For whatever half-assed reason we joined, by the time boot camp was done we were aware of our responsibility to the other Marines who depended on us.

The issue was not one of patriotism. Speaking for myself, I had no sense of the whole country. When I thought of defending something, I thought of defending the people I loved, Mom, Dad, my brother and sister and our home as well as my town and friends. "Patriotism" was too big a concept for me. I wanted to defend the things I loved, that I could grasp.

Most of all, loyalty to the Corps was something boot camp made tangible. By the end we were trying to be good Marines out of loyalty to the Marine standing next to us and to those who would follow us. On Parris Island, I came to see and believe what I was told; each mission is dependent on another that came before. When it came down to it, as any recruit could tell you by the end of his or her training, the Marine next to you is more important than you are.

Don't let the program requiring your school to give the armed services recruiters your address frighten you. The police are not going to show up and take you to the military in chains! All that will happen is perhaps a recruiter will call and try to sell you the all-volunteer military.

If it's not for you, then don't buy it. If you are interested, then I wish you the best of luck and hope that it will be as fulfilling for you as it has been for me.

[sparkie]

Love it... Right friggin on, Brother

[soraya4cb]

Absolutly Amazing Poems. It Makes Me Appreciate All That These Brave Man And Women Are Doing. I Could Never Understand The Pain And Suffering They Go Through. I Just Want To Say...thank You From The Bottom Of My Heart.



With Love And Respect

Soraya :)

[jinelson]

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"These Warriors"

By: Ashley Migliaro

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
These warriors will fight
For our lives and our right to be free

From the barren land of training camps
To the hell that is the war
These men never ask, just always do
Knowing its freedom they're fighting for

These heroes form an elite group
"The few, the proud" they say
And if you ever get to see them fight
You'd realize they just have a way.

It's in their stance, and in their eyes
The knowledge of where they've been
They stand so tall and walk with pride
Never doubting that they will win

Strong in heart, and strong in mind
Always valiant in answering the call
Never knowing whether they'll live or die They still fearlessly give it
their all.

They are part of a noble brotherhood
Don't call this "an army of one"
Semper Fi til you die is the motto of truth Always Faithful til this life is
done.

Never hesitate to tell a Devil Dog
That you're thankful for all that they do It's because of men like them that
you're free today So respect and honor them too

You never know where a hero has been
What he's done and had to have seen
But if you know a true warrior who knows how to fight Chances are he's a
U.S. Marine.

[jinelson]

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2007830516/$file/Picture%20102low.jpg

Our Corps

Submitted by: D. Cosbie

We're United States Marines,
And proud of this old Corps
Wish we had a thousand lives—
We'd give then all and more,
We're proud to wear the uniform,
We're full of pep and vim;
We all belong to Uncle Sam—
We're MORE then proud of him.

We've done a lot of drilling,
We've had our share of play,
We've ready to go to France now,
So send us any day.
Just give us a chance at the Boches
And see what we can do,
We'll never give up till we've beat 'em
And riddle their carcasses through.

We're tired of sentry duty,
Around the Navy Yard,
So give us a chance to make 'em dance,
We're going to hit 'em hard;
Then when the big fight's over,
And the battles have been won,
We'll be proud of the flag, Old Glory,
And the things that we have done.

[sparkie]

http://justminivodkas.com/usmc.JPG

[jinelson]

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Go Tell The Spartans

by Dr. Dennis J. Malone


TO ALL SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN
WHO GAVE ALL THEY COULD
SO ALL AMERICANS CAN LIVE FREE

Go tell the Spartans, thou that passest by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie.

Countries from the first till now,
Are born from stern to bow.

By men and women who sacrifice,
In the world of heat and ice.

Knowing from right and wrong,
Knowing our national song.

So our family can live free,
And strangers can honor and see.

Built a nation of many tongues,
A unified language is how it's run.

Respect the past where we came,
Americans now we are all the same.

We still fight and give our life,
Father, mother, husband and wife.

So our country will smile and sometimes cry,
Never in vain shall Americans die.

Go tell the Spartans, thou that passest by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie.

[sparkie]

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[jinelson]

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A Marine's Day in Court

By: Cpl. Andy C. Purchase USMC Retired


From the halls of Montezuma to the deserts of Iraq
We may bleed and die but the Corps has got your back

I read the letters telling of another standing at the Pearly Gate
It makes us sad but I'm quite sure St Peter is irate

Because they say that heaven is a place of peace alas
But just last week an old Jar Head kicked somebody's ass

As you might imagine this caused some great uproar
It's been since the days of Lucifer someone was shown the door

So in the High Courts of the Mighty his fate would be determined
Should we keep the trouble maker or send him to the burnin'

All rise they heard High Court is now in session
Our brother he stood tall heels together at attention

Defense was loud and long then came cross examination
Is it true Marine you proudly served your God your Corps and Nation

The answers they came quickly as the Sgt. spoke with honor
Two Purple hearts and a Silver star and I'd like to thank my Father

For teaching me to stand for what I believe is right
Even if that means I die I'll not give up the fight

And so before you ban me from this beautiful Home Base
You should know the one I fought with once used to roam this place

It was Lucifer himself I don't know who let him in
But I do thank God it happened and I'll explain just why I grin

In the Great Book it is written Satan pays the final sacrifice
Who better to get the job done now please take my advice

If you want this place to stay as peaceful as it's been
Let me stay here and guard it from the Devil and his Den

Case Dismissed was all you could hear then the gavel came down like thunder
The Mighty judge smiled at the prosecutor and his mighty blunder

Then He walked up to the stand where stood the proud Devil Dog
Semper Fi he said returned his salute and I'm proud to be your God

[sparkie]

http://www.imagemaker4u.com/Proofs/Gilmer-USMC-poster.jpg

[jinelson]

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Our Country

by Belinda L McCormick


Our flag gracefully sways in the breeze at half mast,
The Eagle symbol of America freedom weeps,
Terrorist have stormed our gates giving us reflections of fear,
We stand at attention strong one union steadfast.

We will mourn our dead who gave their life for freedom,
And tend to our wounded but we will never surrender!
The stars and stripes will long wave overhead in proud glory,
Our soldiers brave and fearless, will fight and never be tiresome.

Our country is knitted together with an invisible unending thread,
From Ocean to Ocean, dawn to dusk inspires us to spring forward,
Children are our future and hold our aspirations, we must keep them safe,
Our leaders congregate, conspire, enforce, leave nothing unsaid.

The America people a rare breed with deep roots that anchor,
The blood of our Pioneers flows amply through our veins as templates,
We are not defined by our past but our preparation for the future,
Terrorism will be stamped out and freedom will rise to conquer.

[jinelson]

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My Marine Poem

by USMC POOLEE DJ


I say SEMPER-FI
you say jarhead i say Marine
You SAY Die i say Fight
you say baby killer i say freedom fighter
you say death i say for freedom
you say no to war i say support the troops
you say dont go i say OOH-RAH AND SEMPER-FI
you say you love me i say i love you
you say for what i say for you
you say dumb ass i say DEVIL DOG
You say me i say us
You say no more i say i am going to war
you say i am proud of you i say i will make you proud
you say your corps i say my corps
that is my corps i will live and die for
Marines live for there GOD CORPS AND COUNTRY
OOH-RAH
and SEMPER-FI to all Marines Past present and Future

[sparkie]

Tempered by the fire of battle,
Tested by fear and doubt,
Held up by my God and my brothers.

I have suffered,
I have hurt,
I have bled,
I have lived,

And I have died.

I have wept for fallen brothers,
I have prayed for my family at home,
I have hoped,
And I have loved.

Though I've died, I yet live,
I am reborn in each new generation of my brothers,
I live in them,
They carry my memory in their hearts,
They honor me,
And they will never forget me.

This land I love,
I have given it all I had to give,
And I would do it again.

I am one of The Few and the Proud.
I am a United States Marine.

[Stackout]

The Final Inspection

The soldier stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.



"Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?"



The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.



I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.



But, I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.



And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.



I know I don't deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears.



If you've a place for me here, Lord,

It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't, I'll understand.



There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod.

As the soldier waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.



"Step forward now, you soldier,

You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell."


~Author Unknown~

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/206854.jpg

The Title

by Capt. R.P. Haskell, USMC

It Can Not be Inherited
Nor Can it Ever be Purchased
You or No One Alive
can Buy It for Any Price
It is Impossible to Rent
and It Can Not be Lent
You Alone and Our Own
have Earned It
with Your Sweat, Blood and Lives.
You Own It Forever
The Title
"United States Marine"
In Honor of Our Fallen
and Disabled Brothers


"The Title" was written with respect for all Good Marines. It acknowledges those Marines that are our Fallen and Disabled Brothers. At the time of it's writing, a particular Fallen Brother came to mind. This Marine (S/Sgt. RP Haskell), in my heart, is the epitome of what the United States Marine Corps produces. I was told that S/Sgt. Haskell died in Vietnam 1966-67. However, since "The Title" was written, I stand corrected. Capt. R.P. Haskell, USMC, Ret., is living with his family on the east coast after his 34 year career. S/Sgt . R.P. Haskell, for a time, was my Senior D.I., Plt. 172, 1st BN., Parris Island, formed Friday 13Sep63. Rank we find is irrelevant when we respect and admire any Outstanding Marine. Semper Fidelis.

[Master Sephiroth]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/206854.jpg





The Title





by Capt. R.P. Haskell, USMC





It Can Not be Inherited



Nor Can it Ever be Purchased
You or No One Alive
can Buy It for Any Price
It is Impossible to Rent
and It Can Not be Lent
You Alone and Our Own
have Earned It
with Your Sweat, Blood and Lives.
You Own It Forever
The Title
"United States Marine"
In Honor of Our Fallen
and Disabled Brothers






"The Title" was written with respect for all Good Marines. It acknowledges those Marines that are our Fallen and Disabled Brothers. At the time of it's writing, a particular Fallen Brother came to mind. This Marine (S/Sgt. RP Haskell), in my heart, is the epitome of what the United States Marine Corps produces. I was told that S/Sgt. Haskell died in Vietnam 1966-67. However, since "The Title" was written, I stand corrected. Capt. R.P. Haskell, USMC, Ret., is living with his family on the east coast after his 34 year career. S/Sgt . R.P. Haskell, for a time, was my Senior D.I., Plt. 172, 1st BN., Parris Island, formed Friday 13Sep63. Rank we find is irrelevant when we respect and admire any Outstanding Marine. Semper Fidelis.

Those new Marines certainly look hardened up. Those Drill Instructors did a good job on them it seems. Despite their (the DIs') highly dignified look, you can tell they're happy with their work.

[ggyoung]

I remember when on the Valley Forge in 65 we PTed on the flight deck. How the Navy guys were so scard that the CO of the ship would get ideas and make pt to.

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/240887.jpg

Dear Mom

by Pfc Jay Keck USMC


Dear Mom, I love you so, so if I go to war
Here are a few things I want you to know

Dear Mom, remember the good times
In my youth and in my prime

Dear Mom, I miss you so much
So please write letters and keep in touch

Dear Mom, please don't hate the enemy
He too will suffer the pain and agony

Dear Mom, I can tell you not to worry
But in our hearts we'll all feel the fury

Dear Mom, you were always there
Thanks for the love, thanks for the care

Dear Mom, when I kissed you good-bye
I could see your love thru the tears in your eyes

Dear Mom, you'll worry the most
But we must defend this land from coast to coast

Dear Mom, you must stay strong
With your love and understanding it will help us get along

Dear Mom, don't spend all your time worrying about me
And don't forget the rest of the family

Dear Mom, this time will pass
So please hang n there 'till I see you at last

Dear Mom, remember this, I love you so much
I'll see you soon, and look forward to your touch

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/270760.jpg

This Is Who I Am

Sgt. Raymond Plouhar USMC

This is me this is who I am
I am a Marine to the very end
I live by the motto that is Semperi Fi

I come to countries in far off lands
to fight for freedom for which most are to scared to stand

Do not judge me for what I do
for what I do I do for you

I will kill for those who cannot kill
I will die for those to scared to

I will leave my loved ones, my kids, my wife
I will leave them all behind to give you a better life

I have seen and done things that will haunt my dreams
I have given up many things for you to be free

Do not feel pity for me, for this is my choice
I chose this life so people like you can have a voice

I will die on my feet, I will not live on my knees
I will do this so America can stay free

This is me this is who I am
I am a Marine to the very end

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/2004110909a.jpg

Riflemans Creed

http://www.angelfire.com/mt/bulldog911/images/creed.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/m14rifle.jpg

[1stRad2671]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293090,00.html#

[jinelson]

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200781522746/$file/070813-M-3378S-006LR.jpg

U.S. Marines

Author Unknown

You can keep you Army khaki,
You can keep your Navy blue.
I have the worlds best fighting man,
To introduce to you.

His uniform is different,
The best you've ever seen.
The Germans call him "devil dog,"
His real name is "Marine."

He was born on Parris Island,
The where God forgot.
The sand is eighteen inches deep,
The sun is blazing hot.

He gets up every morning,
Before the rising sun.
He'll run a hundred miles and more,
Before the day is done.

He's deadly with a rifle,
A bayonet made of steel.
He took the warrior's calling card,
He's mastered how to kill.

And when he gets to Heaven
St. Peter he will tell,
One more Marine reporting sir,
I've served my time in Hell.

So listen all you young girls,
To what I have to say:
Go find yourself a young Marine,
To love you every day.

He'll hug you and he'll kiss you,
And treat you like a queen.
There is no better fighting man:
THE UNITED STATES MARINE!

[jinelson]

This is freakin MOTO!!!

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/315848.jpg

[Covey_Rider]

This is freakin MOTO!!!

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/315848.jpg



Haha that's freaking awesome...I know those DI's. They weren't with my platoon but they were with others in the Company.

[jinelson]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1060/1122998106_a7de2df602.jpg

Blue, White, Brown and Green

by GySgt Marvin Bush USMC Retired


We fly our planes high in the skies, our job is to protect you;
we are the United States Air Force and we wear the color Blue.


We man the guns on our ships and are always ready to fight;
we are the United States Navy and we wear the color White.


We fight our battles in mud and snow where ever the enemy is found,
we are the United States Army and we wear the color Brown.


We never retreat from a damn good fire fight and we are lean and mean;
we are the United States Marine Corps and we wear the color Green.

[jinelson]

http://www.militaryspot.com/gallery/data/505/medium/hatyao.jpg



THE AMERICAN DREAM

By: Sergeant Aaron M. Gilbert USMC


Through all the fires,
Through all the pain,
The Marines stand tall,
To fight once again.

Always on call,
The Presidents own.
Always fighting,
To protect our home.

My life for our freedom,
My freedom to you,
These are gifts that we give,
For the Red White and Blue.

We die for you,
We die for them,
We do not complain,
About where or when.

For this is our job,
To fight around the world
And give the gift of our freedom
To every boy and every girl.

And yes peaceful solutions,
Can not always be found,
To free a trapped people,
From the terror around.

So we fought in this war,
With resolve in our hearts,
To help Iraq's people
Have a new and free start.

So speak of your "Peace,"
And how war is so wrong,
But shut your face when we're called
To give out the freedom we've won.

For you did not fight,
And you did not bleed.
And you did not die,
For the American dream.

[Kegs24]

One of my favorite poem's by far!

[jinelson]

http://www.winecountrymarines.org/images/OldestMarine1WEB.jpg

The Rusty Marine
Author Unknown


The rusty Marine, born gallant and brave
To his country, his allegiance raised.
He served in war to honor and protect
In battle he did not defect.

Through foxholes, trenches, gunfire and hell
His honor and pride never fell.
For in his heart, his faith was strong
Yet for home he did long.

Now he sits, tired, forlorn
For his youth he does mourn.
Because it ran so quickly by
He often thinks, "How time did fly."

Then he dons his old dress blues
And in his spirit, a change of hues.
He straightens up and stands with pride
His great honor, he can not hide.

Then he begins to gently weep
The memories come, pile upon heap.
A single tear falls from his eye
As he whispers, "Semper Fi."

[jinelson]

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200781715218/$file/Dunham4(L).jpg

A quick ditty

by Chris Madeira


Semper Fl
Marine am I
Fashioned by my DI
San Dye-ego or P1
Gal or guy, bold or shy
Float or fly, sea or sky
Wet or dry, head held high
Eye to eye -- do or die
Sailor boy or ex-GI
Family or no such tie
Marching private
Quiet corpsman
Even so called
Sea-going doorman
Far or nigh
Curse or sigh
None deny
Sir, aye aye
Marine am I
Semper Fi

[jinelson]

http://www.writingshop.ws/assets/images/Marines-Fallujah.jpg

No True Glory
by Cpl. DeJohn USMC

No true glory was given to the men,
who fought in Fallujah, a terrorist den.

A cauldron of hatred and evil lived here,
and Marines were again at the tip of the spear.

Zarqawi's base camp was Fallujah's cancer,
and rooting it out was the only answer.

Neither politics nor patience could change this course,
so the order was given to eliminate the source.

Both Marines and Army fought side by side,
to crush a cruel enemy and to turn the tide.

Battalions 1/8, 1/3, 3/1, and 3/5,
the Army's 2-7, and 2-2 went into the hive.

Brave heroes were made as the battle did unfold,
but due to media bias, these tales were not told.

Casualties and Abu Ghraib was instead the news du jour,
with very few exceptions the reporting of valor was poor.

Many were wounded and many did die,
Brothers in arms, they won't be denied.

For warriors of the past there was no true glory,
if there were no songs or poems to tell their brave story.

Unsung, the noblest deeds will surely die.
To the men who fought this historic battle, we salute you - Semper Fi.

[immaproshooter]

Haha that's freaking awesome...I know those DI's. They weren't with my platoon but they were with others in the Company.


what are the names of those DIs?.... two of them look really familiar

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/pi5.jpg

Your Son

Gene E. Blant


To the Mothers and the Fathers
Of United States Marines
Who have fought and bled and died
So that freedom's bell still rings

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
From the alleys of Fallujah
To the frozen Yudam-ni

From the sands of Iwo Jima
To the hills around Khe Sanh
From the smoky hell of Belleau Woods
Your Son fought and won

Your Son battled dictatorships
Communism and tyranny
God's Son died to make men holy
Your Son died to make men free

There is a debt we owe Your Son
That we can never repay
We owe Your Son more than platitudes
Heard on Veterans or Memorial Day

Your Son is a son of America
One of the Proud and the Few
Your Son volunteered to do the things
Other men would not or could not do

Your Son was Semper Fidelis
Always Faithful to the end was he
Your Son was a shining example
Of what a man is supposed to be

Now Your Son has been reassigned
To stand guard on Heaven¹s streets
And when my tour of duty is over
I know that we will meet

I'll thank Your Son for my freedom
For keeping terror on a distant shore
I'll thank Your Son for our way of life
And the sacrifice he bore

So tonight when you cry out to God
While praying on your knees
Know that Hes a loving God
Who will listen to your pleas

To lose Your Son for freedom's cause
God truly understands
God sent His Son to die for us
So you can see Your Son again

[davblay]

Jim may have already posted this if so, sorry I copied it, if not---enjoy, I did!

--------------------------------

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was a vowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting." It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.



The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"



The Marine calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid crap and act like an Butthole. So, He sent me."

[jinelson]

http://www.i-mef.usmc.mil/DIV/_images/1MarDivLogo.gif


THE FIGHTING FIRST MARINES

OH SAY MARINE ALL DRESSED IN GREEN
WITH RIFLE BY YOUR SIDE
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THE TWO OF YOU
CAN TURN THE BATTLE'S TIDE
MISS IT ISN'T JUST THE TWO OF US
ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS THAT WAY
MARINES THAT GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR YOU
FIGHT WITH US EVERY DAY
AND SO YOU SEE THE ENEMY
DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A CHANCE
CAUSE THERE'S SEVERAL THOUSAND LEATHERNECKS
HERE TO KICK HIS ASS
OH SAY MARINE ALL DRESSED IN GREEN
WITH RIFLE BY YOUR SIDE
YOU MUST BE ONE OF CHESTY'S BOYS
YOUR HEART IS FILLED WITH PRIDE !

[jinelson]

http://www.marineparents.com/usmc/usmc-images/MCRD-PI-Graduates.jpg


A Marine Corps Poem

Author Unknown


There is a story, that I love to tell, of thirteen weeks of misery, thirteen weeks of hell, I was living in the city, working everyday, Until one day a man in blue, happend to cross my way, I signed my name, upon the dotted line, Packed all my trash, got on the plane, Off to serve my time. They sent me to an Island, Where they made Marines, They say a thousand boys may come, But only men may leave, They issued all my gear, Combat boots and skivy shirts, In a few short hours, They had me in the dirt, My Drill Instructor, Trained me rough and hard, He taught me how to fight, He taught me how to march. In three short months, As long as it had seemed, I finally had earned, The Title of Marine, How well I remember, Graduation Day, As I left I swore, I wouldn't be back this way, I went to my Drill Instructors, And gave them my hand, They made this boy a Man. I served my time proudly, Out in the FMF, But back at Parris Island, There was something I felt I left, So I'm back a second time, A smokey in my hand, Training U.S. Marine Recruits, The vary best I can, I found out what I lost, In the very end, The making of Marines, Down Where It All Began.

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/1965229_l.jpg

A Line in the Sand

By Mike Cunning USMC


There once was a President named Bush
Who was smarter than he look's
He took a job that's hard to do
Worrying about me and you

911 was hard to view
What should we do?
He gave a speech
He said what we felt
Gave action to our feelings

Men and women are fighting now
We hate the losses and how
It's a necessary sacrifice
To show our will
To crush the evil, more blood will spill

They only understand death
No way to reason now
We must continue
Until They know
We'll kill the wicked where ever they go

The only thing They understand
Is that a President named Bush
Has drawn a line in the sand!

[JWG]

Whoever said Bush was evil, needs to re-think their own lives.

The only thing I'm worried about is this next Presidency. Obama.. Hillary? Our COMMANDER IN CHIEF? Good Lord... God Help Us All..

Good motivating posts, SSGT!

[jinelson]

OORAH!!! Jon you are the one that inspired this thread to begin with, Im just keeping it going. Its great to see you online again pup.

Jim

[Cwalling]

Jim may have already posted this if so, sorry I copied it, if not---enjoy, I did!

--------------------------------

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was a vowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting." It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.



The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"



The Marine calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid crap and act like an Butthole. So, He sent me."

Greatest thing i have EVER read...

[HurricaneRJ]

Out of all the threads on this site. IMO this is the only one that really deserves a sticky.

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/1065156117_c1551aa533_m.jpg

ONLY THE FEW

Murl D. Long


Let me provide you a small glimpse of real life
Of a man preparing for coming strife
It begins with training unsurpassed
Compared to all others, far outclassed

It begins at 4 AM with the 'Devil' pounding a stick on a garbage can
We sit up straight in our bunks, to a man
Without question, for sure you are awake, to the head you run
Shower, shave, dress, police your area, the day has begun

Fall out in the dark of night
Straighten up the line, dress to the right
In cadence, run to the Mess
Chow down. What is this stuff? Take a guess

30 minutes. Fall back in ranks, back to the barracks in quick time you go
Brush your teeth, wash your face and assemble again. What next? You don't know
86 men learn to march in sync
They move as one, in tandem they think

The day wears on, every minute used to learn
No time to rest, not one second to burn
Lights out exactly at 10.
Rest 6 hours, another day will begin

Proper dress, hygiene, history, protocol, chain of command
Weapons, survival, defense-hand to hand
Repeat it over and over again, until
The 86 move as one, body and mind, at will

You trust and respect that comrade by your side
He, too, has taken this most difficult ride
77 days out of the pages of 'Hell'
You, and the other 86 have similar tales to tell

About pain, sweat, doubt and fear
There is a powerful mystery born right here
Nothing you have learned will you ever forget
An inner strength has been formed, you will never regret

A hundred years you may be allowed to live, God willing
Your life has been forever changed, indeed, fulfilling
Like a fine steel from the hot forge of fire
Your goals will always be higher

Only those who have weathered this gut-wrenching test
Will be referred to as "The Best"
What sets this man apart from all others who strive for perfection, as we have seen
The answer is simple, dear friend. He's a MARINE!

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/1053242324_acf210e865_m.jpg

"SO THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO"

by Sgt Ray Garcia USMC

Six simple words that convey so much, I never personally knew the man who spoke them, but in reading them my passion for writing once again has stirred.

Why did I join the military?
Why did I give up an easy life?
Why did I swear to protect my nation?

SO THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO

Why did give up my life for so many years?
Why did I leave my parents and brothers and sisters at home?
Why do I leave my newlywed wife at home?
Why did I leave my children at home?

SO THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO

Why do I put my life on the line for people I dont even know?
Why am I willing to sacrifice my life?
Why did i go over to Iraq?
Why did I die?

SO THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO

A lot of people dont understand why
Some cant fathom it at all
The simplest reason I can give you is this

"SO THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO"

This is the answer Lcpl Lopez would give his friends when asked why he was going over to Iraq
Lcpl Hugo R. Lopez USMC
WIA Nov. 20 2005
Died Jan 27 2006 from his wounds

Lcpl Lopez is survived by his mother, his brother and his sister

FALLEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
RIP BROTHER

[Dave Coup]

A Veteran whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve, is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/325677.jpg

THE CALL


The blood of men flows ever out
As raging rivers to the sea
There seems to be an endless source
From long lost memory
The young men come to volunteer
To shed their blood once more
They've heard the call to bleed again
Upon some distant shore
Why is the call to die so strong
That men will heed the call
Or do they think they're not the ones
Who'll take the final fall
It's always someone else who dies
Not we who volunteer
We think we'll never be the one
And laugh to hide our fear
But deep within our inner souls
We know we may be wrong
That death may be around the turn
Our life may not be long
But never mind we heard the call
We line up in our ranks
And a grateful nation will be there
To give us all their thanks
They'll build for us a monument
Young boys will come to stare
And they will be the next to go
To shed their blood somewhere

[sparkie]

More needs to be said about that blank check. I wrote one at 17. I did not expect to come back. That is the blank check. I felt honored.All you Marines justify me. Thank you.

[jinelson]

http://www.grunt.com/images-stories/poem/bandofsisters.jpg

Band of Sisters

PFC Golden


We are a band of sisters
Sent out to you,
With nothing to lose…
Until the day we came to you…
We were just kids if you knew.

Packin' pounds, hurtin' feet,
Pushing sisters til they succeed
Letters adrift, and friends we miss…

We are a band of sisters,
Straight out of high school…
Thought we were rough..
Proved to ourselves that we can be tough.

Momma don't sit by the T.V. screen,
There's nothing to be seen…
Daddy please don't cry for me,
I guess it was meant to be…

We are a band of sisters,
The fewer than the few…
We were just kids if you only knew…

Fighting for freedom in a strange kingdom,
Fighting… just for you…
Sisters die… it's not fair…
But, they don't seem to care…

We were kids once, if you only just knew…
fighting these wars, all for you…

[Marine84]

OOHRAH!

WMs RULE!

[jinelson]

Its your birthday Kim so run with it and enjoy it. But like Gunny Highway says "Just because we're holding hands doesn't mean we're gonna take warm showers to the wee hours of the morning, you hear me?"

Jim

[Dave Coup]

Happy Birthday Kim. Just because Jim isn't available for those warm showers
doesn't mean I'm not. LOL;)

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/1053239908_3ae3ec9155_m.jpg

If I Ever Go To War

by CPL Derrick R Williams USMC

If I ever go to war Mom,
Please don’t be afraid,
There are some things I must do,
To keep the promise I made.
I’m sure there will be some heartache,
And I know that you’ll cry tears,
But your son is a Marine now; Mom,
There is nothing you should fear.

If I ever go to war Dad,
I know that you’ll be strong,
But you won’t have to worry,
Cause you taught me right from wrong.
You kept me firmly on the ground,
Yet still taught me how to fly,
Your son is a Marine now Dad,
I love you Semper Fi!

If I ever go to war Bro,
There are some things I want to say,
You’ve always had my back,
And I know it’s my time to repay.
You’ll always be my daybreak,
Through all of life’s dark clouds,
Your brother’s a Marine now, Bro,
I promise I’ll make you proud.

If I ever go to war my Friends,
We’ll never be apart,
Though we may not meet again,
I’ll hold you in my heart.
Remember all the times we had,
Don’t let your memories cease,
Your friend is a Marine now, Dear Friend,
And I’ll die to bring you peace.

And when I go to heaven,
And I see that pearly gate,
I’ll gladly decline entrance,
Then stand my post and wait.
I’m sorry Sir I can’t come in,
I’m sort of in a bind,
You see I’m still a Marine Sir,
So I can’t leave them behind.

[Master Sephiroth]

Great find, Jim.

[jinelson]

http://marinepoetry.homestead.com/files/marinesiraq03.jpg



Desert Troops

by Cpl. Robert L. Cook USMC



Over and through

The berms

They plunged,

Their tracks

In full advance.

Their armor closed

To all the world,

They took no

Gambler's chance.



The far horizon

Drew them near

As harm's way

They pursued.

The enemy lay

In wait,

No one knew

What e'er their

Fate.

War is not

Predictable,

As day to day

They go.



What lies behind

The berms ahead?

What weapons

Will they find?

Will they be

Ravaged by

The blast

Of some super mine?

Will they have time

To cover up

If faced with

Toxic gas?



Or will germs come

On vaporous wings?

Will they die

In choking gasps?

Will their faces burn

In blisters?

Will the stuff

Invade their mask?

Will the heat

That surrounds them

Smother breaths

That are their last?



Oh, I have fought

In jungles steaming,

With the heat

And all the rest.

But I never had

To keep

All covered,

Never carried

No gas mask.

So I say,

With empathy

And with feeling

For The Few:

If the Lord

Were only willing,

We'd all be there

With you.

[jinelson]

bump

Jim

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/DomsBootCampPics019.jpg

"What Is A Marine"

By: Jessica Torres


What is a marine people ask
It is a special person with a life long task
A person who goes through days and nites of training
No matter if the sun is shining or if its raining
This person works to earn a special name
From the time they join they know life won't be the same
They face alot of things alone
While the ones they love are back at home
They come home then they are gone
Sometimes for awhile, sometimes not so long
They are put in places to fight for our country
Their lives are on the line for us to live free
They are some of many heroes in this world
Whether they are men, women, boys or girls
It takes a special person to make the decision
To fufill the duty and take on this special mission
This person has honor, courage, respect, dignity, and pride
Its a new life, almost like they put theirs aside

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/marinehonorgrad.jpg


A Marine

by Cpl. Louis A. (Tony) Gilman


As you scrambled off the bus
And raced toward the yellow footprints
The Drill Instructors yelled at you to reach,
You began to change.

You suffered intense pain, physical & mental anguish
For the next 12 weeks and took it all, because you wanted to be
One of the best. You must have run hundreds of miles with those
Crazy men in Smokey Bear hats yelling at you to move your ass,
Pick up the pace, you maggot!
80 of you at the beginning, learning to work as a team,
to overcome, to adapt, to win.

Now you are at the rifle range, learning how to shoot,
To kill the enemy, to march 20 miles or more with full pack,
Learning hand-to-hand combat in case your weapon jams.
Now there are 60 of you.

You are polishing your close order drill, your rifle a part of you,
And you take the orders from your Platoon Commander as he yells
Right shoulder arms, left shoulder arms, and the platoon now acts as a unit,
A well oiled machine. You are fit, strong, a bad SOB now, and
Graduation is not far off now. You learn you are going to Vietnam,
And you are ready, willing, and able to fight for your country.

Graduation is here, and the 50 odd men of your platoon are excited to leave.
The Platoon Commander yells Platoon 2104, Dismissed!
You say one sir, two sir, aye aye sir! And turn around, throwing you hat in the air.
You are FREE ! You are now a MARINE ! You grab some of your buddies and scream
URRRAAHH ! The three men who made you the man you are today are crying,
With joy and sadness, for it has been a long 12 weeks!

Now you are in Vietnam, as many of us were sent, bullets and motor rounds all around you,
You deploy your men, make sure they have effective fields of fire, and fire back at the enemy.
Someone yelling Medic, I'm hit! Pvt. Martinez, who you never liked, but he is a Marine,
So you make your way over to him and apply first aid. Suck it up, Martinez!
Help is on the way.

You serve two tours in Nam, are wounded twice, and receive two PURPLE HEARTS.
You come home, try to raise a family, your duty to God and Country done.
As you get older, you are no longer that young wild-man, that life taker and heart breaker.
But you stay true to your word, and are a man of Honor.
Now you are in your 60's and your health is getting worse,
But you keep your raunchy sense of humor, your kindness, your smile.
You never turn away a friend in need or a stranger down on his luck.
The word on the street is if you need a place to crash or something to eat
Go see Doug, he is always willing to help someone.

Now you are having trouble getting up the stairs, and are as weak as a kitten,
But you still have that laugh, that sense of humor, that kindness, that Doug smile.
Then the day comes when The Lord visits you and takes you into His loving arms,
And God Says:
"Come Home with Me Marine, you have served your time in hell."

[jinelson]

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2007831191027/$file/MIL_Marines_Few_Proud_lg.jpg

ONLY THE FEW

Murl D. Long

Let me provide you a small glimpse of real life
Of a man preparing for coming strife
It begins with training unsurpassed
Compared to all others, far outclassed

It begins at 4 AM with the 'Devil' pounding a stick on a garbage can
We sit up straight in our bunks, to a man
Without question, for sure you are awake, to the head you run
Shower, shave, dress, police your area, the day has begun

Fall out in the dark of night
Straighten up the line, dress to the right
In cadence, run to the Mess
Chow down. What is this stuff? Take a guess

30 minutes. Fall back in ranks, back to the barracks in quick time you go
Brush your teeth, wash your face and assemble again. What next? You don't know
86 men learn to march in sync
They move as one, in tandem they think

The day wears on, every minute used to learn
No time to rest, not one second to burn
Lights out exactly at 10.
Rest 6 hours, another day will begin

Proper dress, hygiene, history, protocol, chain of command
Weapons, survival, defense-hand to hand
Repeat it over and over again, until
The 86 move as one, body and mind, at will

You trust and respect that comrade by your side
He, too, has taken this most difficult ride
77 days out of the pages of 'Hell'
You, and the other 86 have similar tales to tell

About pain, sweat, doubt and fear
There is a powerful mystery born right here
Nothing you have learned will you ever forget
An inner strength has been formed, you will never regret

A hundred years you may be allowed to live, God willing
Your life has been forever changed, indeed, fulfilling
Like a fine steel from the hot forge of fire
Your goals will always be higher

Only those who have weathered this gut-wrenching test
Will be referred to as "The Best"
What sets this man apart from all others who strive for perfection, as we have seen
The answer is simple, dear friend. He's a MARINE!

[jinelson]

http://marinepoetry.homestead.com/files/CountryStore01.jpg

I Found Our Flag

by Cpl. Robert L. Cook USMC

I found our flag a hangin’

On a small town general store.

It was faded and ragged,

A thing we do deplore.


But when I saw the owner

Asittin’ on that front porch,

I knew why it flew there

For he was a man of yore.


Beneath his rolled up shirt sleeve,

An arm of steel exposed,

The Eagle, Globe and Anchor

That was a part of

His private world.


His head was bare,

Bereft of hair,

Except for a grey expanse.

His grizzled face

Bore the trace

Of time's slow advance.


It was plain to see

As it could be,

He was a man

Of steel.

For below the knee

You could not see

What he had left behind.


That ragged flag

Told more to me

Than I could hope to know.

It was to him

A symbol of

The land that he loved so.


The land that he had

Fought to save

In wars long gone

To pages.

No more will he

Bear arms though he

Is still courageous.


Among the men

Who fought the wars

That was our undertaking,

Let’s keep them in

Our memories

While memorials

We’re making.

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/207770.jpg

Marines my Marine

By Red I. Swanson

Marines my Marine is keeping me safe
His eyes are on those that harm

Marines my Marine is keeping me safe
His arms caress the peacekeeper

Marines my Marine is keeping me safe
His intelligence dictates his action

Marines my Marine is keeping me safe
His loyalty has no price

Marines my Marine is keeping me safe
His tenacity is unforgiving

Marines my Marine is keeping me safe
His compassion spreads to the enemy

Marines my Marine is keeping me safe
His return is anxiously awaited

Dedicated to my husband, Doc Swanson, USMC

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/07Company01.jpg

Training for the Corps

by Ms.V2Lo (A Poem For My Son, Lcpl David)


He's off to Parris Island where
He'll train to fight the war.
My son, my heart, a piece of me
Will be a child no more
Before he left I hugged him
Every time he passed me by
I told him that I loved him
As a tear fell from my eye
I'm proud of him, it's what he wants
I cried and held him tight
And pray to God to keep him strong
Please guide him through the fight
And though I had prepared myself
I never felt such sorrow
As that day he left for boot camp
For we wouldn't hug tomorrow
And yes I miss him selfishly
But one thing that I'm sure
Is all his dreams are coming true
He'll soon be in the Corps.

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/Bushtears.jpg

Corporal Bishop

by Del Abe Jones


Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Adam Bishop

A hero to all who knew him
He loved all, but Family the best
He excelled in everything he did
Until he passed this final test.

He gave all for his Country
A true Patriot, that's true
With three tours of duty
Trying to do all he could do.

He'd served as a Scout Sniper
And been out on many patrols
But was sitting at a desk
When he joined his comrade's souls.

Ironically, should have been safe
But evidently, was his time
But, the loss of another great one
Just, really seems a crime.

Birdie and (late) Gray are his parents
He was the baby of six born
Married Emma Katherine last year
And now, each of them will mourn.

And his loss touches each of us
Whether we knew him or not
Another casualty of this war
A loss of the best we've got.

He leaves a legacy behind
Of accomplishments galore
Good deeds to friends and family
Now, who could ask for more?

Well, all of us could ask
Although it will never be
But, he left his mark on this Earth
And will dwell Up There for eternity.

A final Salute with Honors
As he is sadly, laid to rest
Once a Marine, always one
Who has passed, his final test.

Rest in peace, Corporal.

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/news03.jpg

This Life

Cpl Figueroa USMC


This is the life that he has chosen.
Do I choose to be a part of it?
I must. It is my duty as his mother
To always send my love and care
No matter where he is needed.

Overseas, in the deserts, over the fifty states,
No matter where, he needs to be, I will be as well.
His life is mine and that will never cease.
That will never change.

If I want nothing to do with this path he has chosen
Then I chose not to have a part in my son's life
And God forbid I lose my son,
And I was not there for him, in this life,
Than I was no mother to him.

His life is my life. And that will never change.
I will always be his mother.
He will always be my son.

Always faithful, Semper Fi

[Haffner]

Hey, I know Cpl. Fig. That's freakin' awesome. I'll have to let him know 'bout this.

[jinelson]

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20079715719/$file/070904-M-7696M-191_low.jpg

With a Rifle in my Hand

By Melissa Wood Former Corporal, USMC


I was just a private with a rifle in my hand
Along with fellow Marines, we go to make our stand
The plane ride took forever as the tension filled the air
To a place called Vietnam, our country sent us there.

I've been on base, we're packing up our ammo and some knifes
Heading out into the foreign fields where we could lose our lives
The jungle all around us, we're crawling on the ground
The enemy is very near, and the sun is going down

That night was just the first of many, the death roll moving on
The men I fought with side by side was also someone's son
Time just kept going by, everyday slower than the other
I yearned to see the smiling face of my dear old mother

The blood shed and the smell of death from villages we would roam
Hoping that we were closer to the day we're going home
Two years in Vietnam had come to pass when it finally caught up with me
I saved a soldiers life by taking out my knee

They flew me back to the U.S.A. I was going home at last
In a wheelchair with half a leg that was wrapped up in a cast
But what was waiting for me when I got home made me sick as I could be
People were protesting against this war. Is this reality?

I watched my fellow Marines die with honor and valor, in a country far away
For the rights of your freedom, their lives they had to pay
Words like liberty and honor you'll never understand
We provided you these privileges with our rifle in our hand

Semper Fi! Dedicated to all the Vietnam Vets.

[ElDiablo]

WOW! Looks like I have two months worth of moto to catch up on!:)

[ruthlesspoolee1]

Sir, The poem "The United States Marine" is brilliant. I loved it.

[Dannycanterberr]

Outstanding Mottos, Very Motivating!

[jinelson]

http://www.september11news.com/111wtcreutersitaly.jpg

FREEDOM

By: Sergeant Aaron M. Gilbert USMC


In my life, I have had wanted nothing more than what I now am, a Marine. A single 6-letter word that speaks volumes to multitudes. Just the name, Marine, carries pride, honor and courage. Many men join for many different reasons, but they all start off with the same goal along the way, to become a Marine. To be one of the few, the proud. Proud, pride, strength when united. Every background, every creed and every color. All come together under the same promise. The promise to protect this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. All who join have accepted this price, this calling. The price of having to leave all behind, to journey to a country where people hate you, and all you stand for.

The American Dream, Martin Luther King Jr's Dream and the Dream of our Forefathers. This dream of freedom and the right to preserve it. And who is called upon to undertake this task, the United States Marines. We rise to the call to lay down our lives. We fight and die for the freedom that some people cherish, some people spit upon and the very freedom that most people think they deserve. But who really deserves this freedom, the People or the Patriot.

Thomas Jefferson said it best when he said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the bloodshed of patriots and tyrants."

But how many really understand and believe that statement. How many know what it is like to sleep alone, cold, humbled and unappreciated. How many know what it is like to lose a friend or loved one who fought and died for the freedoms you were given. And how many have received a folded American flag, followed by a 21 Gun Salute. How many, we don't know. But whatever the number, they are the ones who gave so much for their Country and freedom that they lost it all.

Our Nation will see our conflicts on T.V., they will see our men and women, our sons and daughters who have openly accepted the possibility of death, and they will turn the channel without a second thought.

But you remember this. While you sleep at night with your parents, your wife, your children, there are always men out there awaiting the call to lay their lives down, and as J.F.K. said in his Inaugural Speech, "I do not cower from this responsibility, I welcome it."

[kbs95125]

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MCG/FW863~September-11th-Posters.jpg
http://www.bikerlawblog.com/media/blogs/all/memorialday1.gif

http://www.raysimonart.com/gpx/art/mil_lg/marinesmonu/marinemonumentweblg.jpg

[kbs95125]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/xcutthroathopex/03.jpg

[jinelson]

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2007910215631/$file/070830-M-1750A-017-lil.jpg

This Veteran...Thanks You!

By Bob Beskar


I wrote this poem, to thank you for…
Each day we have, much like before.

You're on our minds both day and night…
And we support you in this fight!

Your sacrifices aren't in vain …
And many of us know your pain!

Because of you, our freedom's strong…
But there are some who get it wrong!

They think because it's here today…
It's always going to be that way!

But you can see the jest of that…
And know just why we're in Iraq!

Have we forgotten our big threat?
Have we not learned our lesson yet?

Terror is what drives this war…
And must be stopped at its front door!

"911" showed us that…
Have we ignored that brutal fact?

Make no mistake, I stand with you…
Until we see this mission through!

[jinelson]

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/nov2005/photoessays/pi20051110b1.jpg

COMRADES IN ARMS

Murl D. Long USMC


Tonight, we gather to honor the birthday of the Corps.
Our ranks are thinned, some in peace, some in war
Those assembled are your friends, having borne similar training as you
Those memories will never leave our mind, no matter what we do

Look around you and share your stories with them-laugh and smile
Knowing some are whoppers and grow all the while
Still, you embellish your experiences with great flair and style
Like crawling on your knees with the pack on your back, that last dusty mile

Those of us who date back fifty years, or more, have a concern. Who is to carry on?
Who, in ten years will fill this chair--who will tell those stories when we are gone?
Fear not, I am here to say there are tested veterans coming along the way
They will take our place and carry the banner unfurled some fine day

Their training was the same, their duty and honor as strong as ours ever will be
Fear not, we will be replaced by women and men of which we will be proud, you will see
The honor of our Corps will always be held high for all to admire
Each one has been tested by the steel forge fire

Lift your glass and join me in a toast to those who have fallen in days gone by
To those who have joined us to celebrate this day---and those yet to die
Ours is a comradeship others admire for it's strong resolve, love of country-
determined will-and rigid spine
The strength of this brotherhood is very hard to define

God has saved the greatest honor which he will kindly bestow
On those who have served their time in "Hell" where others feared to go
When we take our last journey to Heaven's gate, so serene
We will see it is guarded by none other than a MARINE

Murl D. Long
November 10, 2005

[PooleeAdams 1]

I hope you don't mind me posting this SSgt. I got it from my GySgt and He got it from his SgtMaj. (Pardon the foul word, it's a quote) As the Gunny put it, if the hairs on the back of your neck don't stand on end, you might reconsider your career choice.


Marines take the time and read this and show it to your Marines……………

Ask a Marine what’s so special about the Marines and the answer would be “Esprit de Corps’, an unhelpful French phrase that means exactly what it looks like – the spirit of the Corps, but what is that spirit, and where does it come from?

The Marine Corps is the only branch of the U.S. Armed Forces that recruits people specifically to fight.

The Army emphasizes personal development (an Army of One), the Navy promises fun (let the journey begin), the Air Force offers security (it’s a great way of life).

Missing from all the advertisements is the hard fact that a Soldier’s lot is to suffer and perhaps even to die for his people, and take lives at the risk of his/her own. Even the thematic music of the services reflects
this
evasion.

The Army’s Caisson Song describes a pleasant country outing. Over hill and dale, lacking only a picnic basket.

Anchors Aweigh, the Navy’s celebration of the joys of sailing, could have been penned by Jimmy Buffet.

The Air Force song is a lyric poem of blue skies and engine thrust. All is joyful, invigorating, and safe.

There are no land mines in the dales nor snipers behind the hills, no submarines or cruise missiles threaten the ocean jaunt, no bandits are lurking in the wild blue yonder.

The Marines Hymn, by contrast, is all-combat. We fight our Country’s battles, First to fight for right and freedom, we have fought in every clime and place where we could take a gun, in many a strife we have fought for life and never lost our nerve.

The choice is made clear. You may join the Army to go to adventure training, or join the Navy to go to Bangkok, or join the Air Force to go to computer school. You join the Marine Corps to go to War.

But the mere act of signing the enlistment contract confers no status in the Corps.

The Army recruit is told from his first minute in uniform that “you’re in the Army now”, Soldier. The Navy and Air Force enlistees are Sailors or Airmen as soon as they get off bus at the training center.

The new arrival at Marine Corps boot camp is called a recruit or worse, but never a MARINE. Not yet, maybe never. He or she must earn the right to claim the title of UNITED STATES MARINE, and failure returns you to civilian life without hesitation or ceremony.

Recruit Platoon 2210 at San Diego, California trained from October through December of 1968. In Vietnam the Marines were taking two hundred casualties a week, and the major rainy season operation of Meade River had not even begun. Yet Drill Instructors had no qualms about winnowing out almost a quarter of the 112 recruits, graduating eighty-one. Note that this was post-enlistment attrition; every one of those who were dropped had been passed by their recruiters as fit for service.

But they fail the test of Boot Camp, and not necessarily for physical reasons; at least two were outstanding high school athletes for whom the calisthenics and running were child’s play. The cause of their failure was not in the biceps nor in the legs but in the spirit.
They had lacked the will to endure the mental and emotional strain, so they would not be Marines.
Heavy commitments and high casualties not withstanding, the Corps reserves the right to pick and choose.

History classes in boot camp? Stop a Soldier on the street and ask him to name a battle of World War One. Pick a Sailor at random to describe the epic fight of the Bon Homme Richard. Everyone has heard of McGuire Air Force Base. So ask any Airman who Major Thomes McGuire was, and why he is so commemorated.

I am not carping, and there is no sneer in this criticism. All of the services have glorious traditions, but no one teaches the young Soldier, Sailor or Airman what his uniform means and why he should be so proud of it. But ask a Marine about World War One, and you will hear of the wheat field at Belleau Wood and the courage of the Fourth Marine Brigade, fifth and sixth regiments.

Faced with an enemy of superior numbers entrenched in tangled forest undergrowth, the Marines received an order to attack that even the charitable cannot call ill-advised. It was insane. Artillery support was absent and air support had not yet been invented, so the Brigade charged German machine guns with only bayonets, grenades, and indomitable fighting spirit. A bandy-legged little barrel of a gunnery sergeant, Daniel J. Daly, rallied his company with a shout, “Come on you sons of a *****es, do you want to live forever?”

He took out three machine guns himself, and they would have given him the Medal of Honor except for a technicality: he already had two of them.

French liaison officers, hardened though they were by four years of trench bound slaughter, were shocked as the Marines charged across the open wheat field under a blazing sun directly into the teeth of enemy fire. Their action was anachronistic on the twentieth-century battlefield; so much that they might as well have been swinging cutlasses. But the enemy was only human; they could not stand up to this. So the Marines took Belleau Wood. The Germans called them “Dogs form the Devil.”

Every Marine knows this story and dozens more. We are taught them in boot camp as a regular part of the curriculum. Every Marine will always be taught them! You can learn to don a gas mask anytime, even on the plane in route to the war zone, but before you can wear the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor and claim the title you must know about the Marines who made that emblem and title meaningful. So long as you can march and shoot and revere the legacy of the Corps, you can take your place in line. And that line is unified spirit as in purpose.

A Soldier wears branch of service insignia on his collar, metal shoulder pins and cloth sleeve patches to identify his unit. Sailors wear a rating badge that identifies what they do for the Navy

Marines wear only the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, together with personal ribbons and their CHERISHED marksmanship badges. There is nothing on a Marine’s uniform to indicate what he or she does, nor what unit the Marine belongs to. You cannot tell by looking at a Marine whether you are seeing a truck driver, a computer programmer, or a machine gunner.
The Corps explains this as a security measure to conceal the identity and location of units, but the Marines’ penchant for publicity makes that the last likely of explanations. No, the Marine is amorphous, even anonymous, by conscious design.

Every Marine is a rifleman first and foremost, a Marine first, last and always! You may serve a four-year enlistment or even a twenty plus year career without seeing action, but if the word is given you’ll charge across that Wheatfield! Whether a Marine has been schooled in automated supply, automotive mechanics, or aviation electronics, is immaterial. Those things are secondary – the Corps does them because it must. The modern battlefield requires the technical appliances, and since the enemy has them, so do we, but no Marine boasts mastery of them. Our pride is in our marksmanship, our discipline, and our membership in a fraternity of courage and sacrifice.
“For the honor of the fallen, for the glory of the dead,” Edar Guest wrote of Belleau wood, “the living line of courage kept the faith and moved ahead.”

They are all gone now, those Marines who made a French farmer’s little wheat field into one of the most enduring legends. Many of them did not survive the day, and eight long decades have claimed the rest.

But their actions are immortal. The Corps remembers them and honors what they did, and so they live forever.

Dan Daly’s shouted challenge takes on its true meaning-if you lie in the trenches you may survive for now, but someday you will die and no one will care. If you charge the guns you may die in the next two minutes, but you will be one of the immortals.

All Marines die; some in the red flash of battle, some in the white cold of the nursing home. In the vigor of youth or the infirmity of age, all will eventually die. But the Marine Corps lives on. Every Marine who ever lived is living still – in the Marines who claim the title today. It is that sense of belonging to something that will outlive your own mortality, which gives people a light to live by and a flame to mark their passing.

Long Live the Corps!!!

[jinelson]

PooleeAdams 1 you are welcome on this thread to post. Your post is full blown moto. Thanks for sharing it with us. I look forward to your contibutions to the forum until your ship date.

Jim

[PooleeAdams 1]

Thank you sir. And I guess the person you should really thank is whoever wrote it but I don't know who that is. So I guess the SgtMaj will have to do. I hope you don't mind but I have been using some of these for readings I do at my church. If it's a problem I'll stop asap.

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/header32.jpg

For My Brother, A United States Marine

By: Tracy Crowe


The announcement was sudden and quite unexpected
My dad stood motionless, my mom looked dejected
My eyes filled with awe; I stared at my brother
He had made this decision without asking another

My dad, troubled but proud, hugged him and asked,
”Have you thought this through? Are you up to this task?”
“You are 26 years old with a college education.”
The words of a father, voice of contemplation.

Dad joined the Marines in 1964.
He knew what lie ahead and what John was in for.
The reprimanding, commanding and constant direction,
the intensity of training and demand for perfection.

John is strong in body and stable in mind
This test would leave his courage defined.
He had made his decision, signed up as a recruit
It seemed this was final and not up for dispute.

Mom had been silent in complete disbelief.
Her eyes filled with sadness and heart filled with grief.
She barely could talk as she choked back her tears,
“When giving birth to a son, this was my greatest fear.”

John held her close and said not to be scared.
He knew what to expect and felt very prepared.
“The world is calm now and no need for war,
I’ve always wanted to join the Marine Corps.”

He left the day after Christmas in 1996.
It was a terrible moment, one I’ll never forget.
Boot camp awaited and it was time for goodbye
We prayed that three months would soon fly by.

John walked to his car and gave me a wave
I wondered aloud how he could be so brave
I wanted to stop him and beg him to stay
We waited for letters and prayed everyday

Graduation soon came and we anxiously waited
To see our Marine this Corps had created
Soon came an announcement and he marched into sight
“There he is, There he is,” we exclaimed with delight.

Who was this thin, strong, strapping young man?
“Didn’t they feed him and look at that tan!”
We smothered him with hugs and words of adoration
Emotions ran high during that graduation.

A 6-year commitment with five years complete
He’s a man of 32 with a new career at his feet.
The word came by letter and asked them to report
They had 48 hours to get ready to deport.

I arrived at my grandmas; she greeted me at the door
I looked in her eyes and braced myself for
The news that awaited and despite my prayers
They needed more in Iraq and John soon would be there.

I fell into her arms and she held me so tight
“He’s tried to reach you and will call back tonight.
Now Tracy, be strong for your Mother’s sake”.
I nodded, breathed deeply, yet felt my heart break.

Her eyes glistened with tears and they fell down her face
“This never gets easier, no matter the case.”
Her husband, her son and now her grandchild,
Yet somehow she managed to keep emotions compiled.

This must come with wisdom, experience and age
For I felt myself reeling and seething with rage
Yet I knew she was right, keep positive perspective
Face down our fears and maintain objective.

My parents arrived and I stared at the door
awaiting their reactions, wondering if they knew more
My mom’s eyes were red, tired and swollen
My dad’s face was blank, yet full of emotion.

We were all still in shock and unsure how to feel
Not sure whether to believe if this news was real
The Marine Corps is famous for changing their plans
Yet deep-down we knew it was all in God’s hands.

The phone rang and I knew it was John on the line
I picked up the receiver and tried hard not to cry
He sounded the same, calm and collected;
If he was afraid, his voice didn’t reflect it.

He was gathering his things, making last minute plans
Moving his belongings, saying goodbye to his friends.
My voice began to crack and tears filled my eyes
“Don’t worry Trace, I’ll be just fine.”

Days and nights passed and plans changed a bit
The departure delayed but not canceled yet.
Soon the inevitable came and he called with goodbye
His voice strong and steady yet different this time.

It was late in the afternoon when I arrived home that day
Dialed my voicemail and I heard him say,
“It may be some time before I call again
We’re boarding the plane, but don’t worry and when
They give us a chance, I’ll be in touch,
Have a good summer and I love you so much.”

I phoned my parents and mom answered the line,
“Tracy, we just have to believe that John will be fine.
He’s being strong for us, so we will do so for him,
I know in my heart, we will see him again.”

Mom bought yellow ribbons and we hung them from trees
They flow ever so gently with each passing breeze
There they will stay until John returns
As a reminder of our love, hope and concerns.

It was almost a month before the first word arrived
He was doing ok and trying his best to survive
The harsh desert heat, lack of showers and shelter
Sleeping in tents, his life all helter-skelter.

My dad grows more anxious with each passing moment
Questioning the motives of each political proponent
Are his son’s well-being & innocent Iraqi’s worth such destruction?
Is this truly about Saddam or just oil production?

Time moves so slowly as we wait for each call or letter
Just praying he’s safe and that conditions get better
We go through the motions, trying hard every day
To stay strong and have faith while he’s so far away.

His friends call and write to ask how he’s doing
To find out the latest and what plans are ensuing.
Many send their prayers, love and concern;
All wanting to know, of course, when he’ll return.

We’ll remain optimistic until that days comes
And continue to pray to The One up above:
God, bless him, keep him and protect him each day
Please help him and guide him to find the right way
May danger avoid him and hardship be gone
Please bring him back to us, where he belongs.

I love you, John. I miss you more everyday.
May God protect you and bring you home soon.
Your loving sister,
Tracy
6/03

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/header10.jpg

My brother left for San Diego on August 13, 2006 which is my mother's birthday. So I wrote him this poem, and I just wanted to share it.

Boot Camp

Author Unknown

We learn to fight
Down at dusk up at dawn
Building our bodies
Gaining brains, gaining brawn

I learn of my rifle
And all of its strengths
I crawl, and I climb,
And I run great, great lengths

I remember my home
And I miss its smell
If only I had known
This would be such hell

My girl, my girl
How could I leave her side
If only I were there
I would make her my bride

But now I must go
And put thoughts of home behind me
My world is right here
And the rest of the world is blind to me

Graduation is closer
Every single day
I wish it were here
These words I pray

Once it is over
I will have become a man
They say I will be strong
Strong enough to fight for this land

But in my mind
I am learning to fight for my home
That is where my brightest light
Has always shone

My family and friends
Will say where’s your canteen
But my dad will say
Have you met my son “The Marine”

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/DSCN0165sm.jpg


I Am A Marine

by Paul Posney USMC

I am a Marine, I stand tall and proud

This I say, to my enemies out loud!

I serve my country, where she needs me

The Heart of the corps, is its fidelity

We are the best, at what we do

Which my friend, is protecting you

We fight for freedom, and our flag

This is a fact, not just brag

We've been called leathernecks and jarhead too

We're first to be called, when there's fighting to do

We're known as... lean, green, fighting machines

But, I prefer... The few, the proud, a U.S. MARINE


Once a Marine, always a Marine-Semper Fi

Dedicated to all Marines, past, present & future

Paul (ChryWizard) Posney 2006

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/20070918_p091807cg-0623jpg-515h.jpg


My Baby, My Son, My Marine

by A Marine Mom

It all started in such a hurry
When you arrived 6 weeks early
On 9 - 11 - 86
You thought you'd enter just for kicks

You were always full of fire
That made a mother tire
The one a little crazy
To make my days so hazy

The one so independent
And always a defendant
You never set a schedule
Cause you're such an individual

From the time you left
It feels like a theft
You've always showed your true colors
And now your with the others

Red, White, and Blue
An American true
You've seen the light
And now, a Devil Dog in site

With Honor, Courage, and Commitment to all
You'll never surrender to the fall
Knowing how high you can fly
You'll forever be, Semper Fi

I pray for you day and night
So God will keep you safe in the fight
You fight to let our freedom ring
I know the Angels will start to sing

I know you're the best that you can be
And if the time comes, God wants you or me
I'll forever be so proud of you
You'll forever be my 3rd True Blue
My Baby, My Son, My Marine
OO-RAH!

[jinelson]

Cpl Jerrod USMC spent seven months in Fallujah during 2004, the photo was taken on the day he returned home. The little girl in the photo wrote the poem on Veterans day as a tribute to him and the brave men and women of our armed services.

Jim


http://www.grunt.com/images-stories/poem/waffird.jpg


A Tribute "One Day"

Am I just anyone?
In this foreign, land
Battered and homesick
My breathing uneven
With a gun in my hand

Could I be anyone?
Yes, in times of peace
When the fire no longer rolls
And the ground no longer shakes
For these rare times are the ones I seek

But I am not just anyone
Not when pieces are remainders of the sky
And there is death at every corner
Taunting me, slurring me
Trying to bring madness into my bloodshot eyes

For I am someone
Who never flees
Strong through my terror
Faithful until my end
Fighting to keep my country free

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/header12.jpg

Semper Fidelis

by Breann Arant


Drawing closer and closer
to where our new home would be
Parris Island came in to view
for all recruits to see

a funny felling in my stomach
grew as we drew near
a feeling i've often felt before
a feeling know as fear

the funny feeling grew and grew
as we were swallowed by the isle
my hands were growing clammy
my heart pounding wild

the sky was black as black could be
the air was slightly chilled
fear, excitement, adrenaline
my heart was completly filled

quickly and quietly we gather our things
as all recruits hurriedly piled out
our eyes bombarded by darkness
our ears invaded with shouts

we were issued standard clothing
allowed one phone call home
to tell out parents we were ok
and make our presence known

the weeks that followed were crammed with work
as we all longed for home
all we did was drill and drill
although none were alone

the time went by so very slow
graduation so far ahead
thats all we ever dreamed about
at night when we lay in bed

before we knew it ten weeks had gone by
the final test drawing near
i felt a feeling all too familiar
a feeling known as fear

reville was sounded at three a.m
the crucible comming soon
we gathered our equipment and our strenght
as we marched as one platoon

we overcame our obstacle and solved our problems
we did it as a group
we made it through one of the toughest days
with little time to recoup

with little food and little rest
we pushed on harder and harder
our final goal was in reach
so we went farther and farther

we fought with courage and with pride
as the final march was done
we had achieved our goal with honor and commitment
all out battles won

all platoons lined up in formation
as the ceremony proceeded
tears came to everyone eyes
because we knew that all had succeeded

i recieved my eagle globe and anchor
i shook my drill instructors hand
i realized i was no longer stranded at sea
but that she alone had led me safely to land

i now serve our country proudly
in the air, on land, at sea
I have been more proud to claim the title
of UNITED STATES MARINE

Semper Fidelis

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/marines-at-yellow-footprints.jpg

Our Corps

by: D. Cosbie


We're United States Marines,
And proud of this old Corps
Wish we had a thousand lives—
We'd give then all and more,
We're proud to wear the uniform,
We're full of pep and vim;
We all belong to Uncle Sam—
We're MORE then proud of him.

We've done a lot of drilling,
We've had our share of play,
We've ready to go to France now,
So send us any day.
Just give us a chance at the Boches
And see what we can do,
We'll never give up till we've beat 'em
And riddle their carcasses through.

We're tired of sentry duty,
Around the Navy Yard,
So give us a chance to make 'em dance,
We're going to hit 'em hard;
Then when the big fight's over,
And the battles have been won,
We'll be proud of the flag, Old Glory,
And the things that we have done.

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/1053241582_fa7ffbd4e2_m.jpg


SACRIFICE

CWO CEVALLOS USMC

No one ever thought
That our troop hearts will be
For many and for all

War is not easy and just
But if they can make a difference
Their mission will be done

Not many people agree with
This conflict afar
But their honor and commitment
Drives their courage within each other heart and pride

Years have passed and they continuing
To fight this battle away from our land

Many are hurt and many are gone
But their humble heart remain
As the symbol of their humility
And virtues endowed from above

If we can only hold their valor
With faith and hope

Fear not their fate
But the thunder in their spirit of success

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/DomsBootCampPics019.jpg

"LEAN - MEAN & SEVENTEEN"

By: "Rocky" Fortner

Let me share with you a story, bout a young man seventeen,
Who had plans & dreams of joining the United States Marines . . .

He had taken all the pre-test at a small recruiting store,
Where they told him he had qualified for infantry and more . . .

He was off to San Diego where the sun is scorching hot,
To see if he might have the grit to be what he was not . . .

The days turned into weeks, then months and muscles to turned to steel,
a sense of pride & honor filled his heart & soul with zeal. . .

He had conquered all his dragons; he had finally seen the light,
He knew now, what it really meant to be the first to fight . . .

He was Lean, Mean & Seventeen when he donned the Tan & Green,
he had paid the price to earn the name UNITED STATES MARINE. .

He knew that war was looming in some far off distant land,
with heat and bugs and other "demons" buried in the sand,

So, he said a prayer & packed his bags, what else was there to do,
Like so many gone before him, he would fight for me & you . . .

The sweat, the blood, the loneliness were often hard to bear,
A buddy lost within the ranks, the "1000 meter stare". . .

But the kindred spirit of the Corps and all those that he knew,
would help to keep him focused on the job he had to do . . .

He has stepped into a BROTHERHOOD that few have ever seen,
And wears the Anchor, Globe & Eagle of a UNITED STATES MARINE

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/marinehonorgrad.jpg

War

Bethany Sisk


I sit and try not to cry
It's my brother thats there to fight.
He protects me and my rights
thats why he fights.
You protest not to go to war
Thats what he fights for.
He wakes not knowing if he'll live
but his life he is willing to give.
Its our flag my brother stands for
Thats why he went to war.
For us to excerise our rights
Thats why my brother fights.
My brother is there to fight
Think of that next time your excercise your rights.


My little sister wrote this poem while I was in Iraq.
Hope y'all enjoy it.
Cpl Sisk

[jinelson]

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x157/usmc3537/185310.jpg

Reassigned

by M.K. Mull
In memory of L/Cpl E.A. Schroeder
KIA Iraq 08/02/05

From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam,
We may not make it back here but be sure we made it home.

You may sorely miss us as your lives are rearranged,
You see, we've had a transfer and our orders have been changed.

Not fighting in some desert land beneath a burning sun,
I fear no desperate bomber or some sniper's deadly gun.

And God will ease the pain you feel as you must say goodbye,
'Cause still He's always faithful-as we say, "Semper Fi."

Some day you'll understand it when you look on Heavens' scenes,
And find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/247611.jpg

Our Fight For You

by Adam Billings


We fight for what many won't
Our bodies battle like many don't

We save lives in the field
Knowing that we may be killed

Freedom is saved by what we do
You don't understand that it's all for you

We take the punishment to help the others
Our mission is to save our brothers

Mothers at home worry about us every day
Just so you can have everything your way

Some people at home put us down and call us names
While miles away we fight for freedom so that our nation can reign

We see the blood of our brothers
But we keep on fighting for all the others

We never give up and we always try
When banded together we will never die

Know this peace lovers,
war haters,
sad mothers,
and mob creators

We fight the war for you as well
We take the bullets in our chests and go through all the hell