PDA

View Full Version : Those Marine: by Lt. Col. D.W. Szelowski (USMC RETIRED)



Roberto T. Cast
05-16-03, 12:21 PM
Who are these MARINES?


Subject: Those Marines


I wonder how many times during Operation Iraqi Freedom that the phrase
"******* Marines" was uttered? Even in the best of times, Army and Air
Force officers have been heard muttering some epithet about Marines,
invoking either heaven or hell. Interestingly enough, we Marines find it
all rather reassuring and, at times, amusing.

Most of the time, Marines do not go out of our way to be obnoxious; we are
just doing what Marines have done for over 200 years. A good example is the
fact that Marines always raise the American flag over mountains or cities
they have conquered. From Mt. Suribachi to the City of Hue, to Kuwait City
to Baghdad, U.S. Marines have raised the Stars and Stripes -- in the latter
examples, much to the chagrin of higher headquarters. You don't get these
kinds of problems with the army.

So what is it about the U.S. Marines that they stick U.S. flags on
everything and do more with less, a less that is either old or an army
hand-me-down? We call it Esprit de Corps , but it goes deeper than
that. We learn and maintain myths of the past, which also means living up
to those historical examples. Marine Corps boot camp is the longest of the
services; it is where we mold young men and women into the mythical image
called a Marine. You can be in the Army, you can join the Air Force, but
you become a Marine. All of the other uniformed services have songs; the
U.S. Marines have a hymn. The basic pattern of Marine Corps uniforms comes
from the late nineteenth century; our emblem "the Eagle, Globe and Anchor"
has remained largely unchanged since 1868. The buttons on our dress blues,
whites and greens date back to the founding of our corps. The Marine Corps
is the only service that requires its officers to carry a sword, whose
pattern dates back to 1805.

I think that the path of being a Marine was established long ago. On the 10
th of November 1775, the Marine Corps was first established...in a tavern.
To this day, no matter where in the world, Marines celebrate the founding of
our beloved Corps, much to the confusion of the other services.

A few years ago, a congresswoman from Colorado felt that the Marine Corps
was radical and extreme. She contended that the Marine Corps was not
politically correct, nor did we seem to be part of the Department of
Defense's transition to a "kinder and gentler" military. She was correct,
and the Marine Corps took it as a compliment.

But the proof is in the doing, and during Iraqi Freedom the Marines
demonstrated what Marines can do. I watched with some amusement as a
reporter asked a young lance corporal about being in Iraq and under rifle
fire. "Love it, sir!" was his response. The reporter was taken aback and
asked, "No, really." The Marine then tried to explain that this is what he
was trained to do, he looked forward to doing it and was now happy to be
doing it. No doubt in boot camp he was told that he was "a minister of
death praying for war." Contrast that with the poor U.S. Army Apache pilots
who said that if they had to take life, they would do so reluctantly. You
are either a warrior or you are not.

Marines are mission oriented. Live or die, the most important thing to a
Marine is accomplishing the mission. Whether taking the bridge, river or
town, accomplishing the mission is the Holy Grail of being a Marine. How
the mission is accomplished is not so important, as it is expected of all
marines to accomplish the mission with the tools available. This is
probably why we heard that Marines in one
engagement were fighting with knives and bayonets. This was hardly high
tech, but it was effective. These Marines now have bragging rights, for
they have proven that they talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk. I doubt there is
a single Marine who is not envious.

Marines are practical, as well. I enjoyed hearing two reporters
interviewing each other, one embedded with the army, the other with the
Marines. The reporter with the army noted that the sandstorm had blown down
many of the soldiers' cots. The other reporter countered that the Marines
did not have this problem because they slept on the ground. The Marine
learns to live with what he can carry on his back. He expects to be moved
around on the battlefield via his two black Cadillacs (boots). If he is
lucky and gets a ride on an amtrack, so much the better -- but it is not
expected. At the end of a mission, the priority for cleaning is weapon,
then equipment, and finally, body. When the other services talk about
"quality of life," they are referring to housing, clubs and food. Marines
are talking about better weapons, equipment and training, winning the battle
and coming home alive is considered "quality of life."

All of this translates into combat power. In comparison to the U.S. Army's
3 rd Infantry Division, the Marines of I Marine Expeditionary Force were
lightly equipped. Yet, they battled through the heart of Iraq, fought to
the center of Baghdad and then moved off to Tikrit, taking that city as
well. The press was so enamored with the Marines that in the final days of
the war they even credited the Marines with deeds actually accomplished by
the army. Little wonder we heard "******* Marines!" so often.

So we need to give the Marines some slack when they do something
politically incorrect, such as raising the flag or appearing insensitive
when killing the enemy. In the field, they look sloppy compared to the
army, but are aggressive in the attack and generally unhappy in the defense.
Marines take pride in their work, even if that work is war. We are just
Marines and that is what we do.

Lt. Col. David W. Szelowski USMCR (ret.)

firstsgtmike
05-16-03, 03:11 PM
Quote
"You can be in the Army, you can join the Air Force, but
you become a Marine." End quote.


Once THAT is understood, there is nothing more that needs to be said.

It answers ALL questions.

Q. What is a Marine? A. It is something you become.

Q. Yes, but WHAT is a Marine? A. It is what I AM!

Now you know. Define ME and you define MARINE!

If there are no further questions, this audience is ended!



Mike Farrell
First Sergeant of Marines

greensideout
05-16-03, 08:02 PM
Twenty some years ago I went for a job interview.

It was all looking good as I had worked my way in the process to the final interview with the owner of the company.

I entered his office and we made the usual greetings, etc.

He looked down to his desk and reviewed notes from his staff an flipped through my resume then looked up and gave me a hard eye to eye stair.

"I see that you served in the Marines", he said.

"Yes sir I did", I replied.

"He came back with, "I was Special Forces".

I was thinking that this is really going good!

Then he said, "I hate Marines".

I let out a little laugh thinking that he was makeing a joke. "Why do you hate Marines?", expecting the punch line to follow.

He continued,"As Special Forces we were sent on many missions into nearly unknown areas occupied by the enemy. Every time that we went we learned that you Marines had already been there. That's why I hate Marines."

Well, the interview kind of went down hill from there.

As I left his office I had to grin a little to myself and thought, "I don't want to work for someone who's always coming in second place anyway!"

Semper Fi