You joined the Marine Corps because

[Sparrowhawk]

You wanted to fight!

Sgt. Striker, "The Sands Of Iwo Jima,

now playing on AMC

[thedrifter]

Thanks Cook......

Glad to see you are relaxing........


Sempers,

Roger

[Devildogg4ever]

I had Uncles and cousins, together, served in all the branches. That was the thing to do. I had only one cousin, out of the whole family, served in the Corps! The day he came home from basic, I already saw something in his eyes different from the rest. He carried his self different also. I had an Uncle that could get mean with you. He was a big guy, with big arms too! Well, when my cousin came home from Nam, he was without a doubt a Marine!
I decided the Marine Corps was for me!! What topped it off,was one day while my cousin was home on leave, he took a nap on my parents couch, (They lived with us at that time) and my Uncle decided he didn't need one! Well, when he grabbed ahold of my cousin, he ate the floor! Didn't know what hit him for 10 min. I knew then it was the Marine Corps :marine:

Semper Fi!

[Roberto T. Cast]

I joined the Marine Corps becuase I had a friend who went in before me. Also the draft was close behind. I said to myself if my friend can make it , I can also make it. I did not want to be drafted in any other service. I joined the Marine Corps more or less in a dare. I have never regretted my decision. I felt great when I graduate from booth camp. I also got my Private First Class stripe in booth camp.:banana: :marine:

[Barrio_rat]

Originally posted by Shaffer
I joined for the chow! LOL

SF,
Jerry

Sucker! LOL Yeah, all you can eat - all you can eat in two minutes!

I actually joined out of patriotism. Yep, looked at all 4 branches and even the Coast Guard. Okay, I went in with some bias, I had always wanted to be a Marine - but I gave each of them a fair shake. Air Force wouldn't talk to me until I was a senior in high school. Army paid no attention to me until I was a junior and then wouldn't keep their appointments to come to the house and talk to me and my parents. Navy let me listen in when I was a freshman and sophomore but only seemed to want me to be on a nuke sub and didn't give me much other info. The Marine recruiters would tell me that what programs they had at this time (when I first showed interest) may not be available to me when I decided to join - but that I was always welcome. The USMC just had more to offer me and, I thought, expected more out of me if I wanted to join them.

When I graduated from Boot Camp, I knew I'd made the right decision.

Of course, after eating at an Air Force base I had a momentary laps in which one I should have joined... Now THAT's who you join for the chow! LOL

[Sgt Sostand]

I joined the Marine Corps because i want to join the best Fighting Force in the World. out of 7 Brothers i was the only one join the Marines the Rest was Army and one Airforce they where all older that me and i use to get into their s*** when i went home on leave heheheheh :marine: Even now they still Respect me

[Barrio_rat]

Originally posted by Shaffer
You had 2 minutes??? WTF. We only had 1 minute :D

SF,
Jerry

That was an average over 6 years.. Boot Camp plus Fleet time - swing with the wing! Yeah, I know, we had it easy! LOL

[CAS3]

NOW GERALD...
What kind of crap are you tryong to stir up around here!! HEE HEE
I LOVED MY HUMVEE!!!!
MOTOR T, MOTOR T!!

Oh I joined because I didn't want to be a bank teller anymore. I went to the recruiting station and the only door open was the Marine Corps. I left two weeks later.
Greatest quick decision I ever made. Since then, I have not made any good quick decisions!

[CAS3]

ROFLMAO
You know me sooo well....
But it was a Honda Accord not a Chevy!!!

[Barrio_rat]

Geeezzzzz Shaffer! Who gave you the stick? LOL

Just makin' friends all over the place....

Hair winger, huh? I'll have you know, not once (except maybe - just maybe - a couple times on extended leave, but never in uniform) did my hair touch my ears in my 6 years of service - okay, except when I went on terminal leave. Though, there was a time when my hair on top got so long it'd touch my nose.

A hippie I've never been. No tie dye t's, no sandles, no weed, no vw bus and the footprint of the American chicken is not allowed in my house.

[CAS3]

Again you are correct...it is all Cook's fault!!
What was he thinking? Now, he is sitting in his living room watching TV with the nachos and salsa by his side.

[Barrio_rat]

It's all good Shaffer - Was thinkin, though I've been out for 12 years now, my USMC trainin' came in handy a few days ago. I was scheduled to work a double (16 hours) and had to be to work 8 hours earlier than I normally get there. Well, I slept through my alarm - including the radio which I'd turned up to help wake me. I planned to wake up around 0500 but instead woke up at 0600 - had to be on post by 0640. Good thing I showered and shaved the night before - in 10 minutes I was fully dressed and down stairs. Well, I'd done some other planning the night before - lunch & dinner was already packed and I had cooked up some bacon and placed 'em on some frozen waffles that I set in the toaster oven for breakfast. I figured, I got time - set the toaster and poured some milk, ate breakfast - put the dishes in the sink and was on the road by 0620. I was on post with 3 minutes to spare!

Good thing I didn't have to hurry! LOL

Only down side is - they tend to frown on "power naps" inside a correctional facility... go figure!

[wrbones]

Sergeant Stryker was a light weight and a wimp!

I did like the scene where they hit the beach and Stryker kicked back and lit a cigarette while rounds were flyin' everywhere, though!

I used to think fighting was a lot of fun myself....despite the elegance of the use of a rifle to reach out and touch someone, I always liked the mano a mano open handed approach myself.

CAS is tempting me again, btw. Too easy to flirt with that woman!! :D

[CPLRapoza]

I joined the Corps because it is where I'm meant to be. I had my first set of fatigues when I was 3, got my face painted with Man Makeup the first time at the age of 5. My dad is also a Marine Scout Sniper, Force Recon, Veitnam Vet, who I truly admire. The Stories he would tell me about the Corps inspired me to be a Marine.

[badbob]

That's simple; in 1964 when I enlisted, the U.S. Armed Forces totaled 2.9 million members.

Of the 2.9 Million total, the Marine Corps had 189,777 members.

The Corps maintained just a little over 7% of the total Men & Women in Uniform, and upon my successful completion of Boot training, I instantly went from an average guy with an average mind and average abilities to one of the Best trained and toughest top 7% in the Country.

It was a simple decision for me, I've always hated mediocrity, and there aint nothin mediocre about a Marine.

Semper Fi,
Bob

www.3rdmarines.net (http://www.3rdmarines.net)

[Sparrowhawk]

To get away from her, and I figured I was going to go to Nam so I might as well get the best training possible so, the Corps was it.

Then, two years later, it was a women at a bar on base at the Concord Naval Weapons station and me in my M.P. uniform, that made me realize what the Corps had done for me... LOL

I walked out that club with her at my side that night, took off my wedding ring and flung it clear across the parade deck.

From then on, my ex-wife was out of the picture and I was sold on how great the Corps was.

Sure wish I could remember that girl's name who was at that bar that night, but I do beleive she was a redhead..... LOL

[NEWB]

Drifter,
I can remember when I was about 10 years old and found a old trunk in our attic. Being a kid and nosey as well, I opened it up and discovered my fathers dress greens. I kept digging and found his 5th Marine Division Book. I was called the "Spearhead."
As I sat in the attic looking through the pages, even at 10 years of age, I began to see my father in a whole different light. The pages showed many young men on transport ships and then a picture of a island called "Iwo Jima". As I thumbed thru the pages I got my first glimspe of what the "Horrors of War" are all about.
I finished leafing through the book and dug farther down in the chest. I then found his purple heart and his bronze star. All I could do was just stand there and wonder how the man I called "DAD" could have all this stuff and not want anyone to know.
Well, 9 years later, I found out. I had orders to Nam. I was sitting with my father and he turned to me and he had tears in his eyes. I asked him what was wrong and all he did was just hold me. I left and when I returned home I got the same thing from him, that is when "Earn This" really hit me.
Dad has been gone for over 15 years now and when I saw "Saving Pvt. Ryan" all I could say was "Thanks Guys and I love you Dad"

The above is a copy of one of my first posts here at Leatherneck. I think I will explain why I joined the Corps.

[badbob]

Hawk, a long time ago you and I talked about Red heads.

Those damn Red heads!!!!!!!!!!!

Semper Fi, Bob

[greybeard]

To kill, maim, massacre, rip open dead burned bodies, eat hearts guts, livers & get veins in my teeth? To overwhelm leftwing radical militants intent upon subversive overthrowal of the United States in a violent means for their own self benefit? To stem the rising tide of the red commie horde? (how many ppl does it take to make a horde anyway? more than 5 ?)
Nah!! What's a 17 year old know of such things?
For fame & fortune of course. Both eluded me. Oh well, such is life.
ditto on th redheads. Watch your 6

The very 1st Marine Corps liberty I ever had was right after ITR at Pendelton. Cinderella liberty, & ended up going to movie theatre outside Camp Onofre-maybe in Riverside?- showing Sands of Iwo Jima. It was so crowded, there were Marines hanging off the rafters.