Marine Stare

[sylviekell]

Yeah but how could I sleep if I didn't at least give it my best shot?

Some are not worth answering....but maybe this one warrants an answer....she did follow protocol except for maybe the wrong forum....but if I saw Ask A Marine as a civilian or dependent unless I knew otherwise I would probaly post in the same thread.

My question is for real, and I didn't know where else to ask it. This happened a month ago, but I can't stop thinking about it, it's really the first time I encountered this and it freaked me out a little bit.

Thank you, Phantom Blooper, for your answers. I never thought of just being concerned for my safety, DC is not a safe city for sure. I am older, in my early 50s, so possibly is was just concern.

[Nedward]

One thing you should understand about Marines.... Most Marines have taken peoples lives, and seen their friends lives taken from them. Seeing these things changes you forever.

To expect that a Marine would handle taking lives differently than your average man is to say that you expect every Marine to be a sociopath. Not the case. The man was probably just as suspicious as you were of him, given the dark alley scenario.

[Marine1011]

yes, of course the question is for real (?)

[Old Marine]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[Marine1011]

The award for oddest thread of the year

[SgtJane08]

Reading this reminded me of an Army Stare experience I had recently, where I was crossing a street in Washington DC and an Army guy looked at me, and I looked at him, and we went our separate ways, but I wondered if anyone had a Navy Stare happen to them recently. I didn't know what to think about this experience of mine until I saw this series of posts, so Im glad mine was not an isolated incident. There must be many such occurrences.

[sylviekell]

How did you guess the Marine in DC was younger than me? I did not put my age in my profile.

[sylviekell]

Reading this reminded me of an Army Stare experience I had recently, where I was crossing a street in Washington DC and an Army guy looked at me, and I looked at him, and we went our separate ways, but I wondered if anyone had a Navy Stare happen to them recently. I didn't know what to think about this experience of mine until I saw this series of posts, so Im glad mine was not an isolated incident. There must be many such occurrences.

This was different. He kept standing next to me and would not leave until I said I wanted to walk down the other side of the street. He leaned into me a little bit too.

[Omegaham]

This was different. He kept standing next to me and would not leave until I said I wanted to walk down the other side of the street. He leaned into me a little bit too.

There's weirdos in the Marine Corps too, you know. We aren't all stalwart wholesome All-American guardians of freedom, regardless of what the propaganda says. There ARE scumbags among us.

There was a dude in my shop who was getting kicked out with a OTH right as I got here. He thought he was a vampire (had the pointy teeth and everything) and got NJP'd for repeatedly stalking female Marines. Weirdest guy I've ever met.

Luckily, those guys are a pretty small minority. But they're out there.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he was concerned for your safety (that section of DC is a complete and total crap-hole) or maybe....he has hearing loss and couldn't hear you (thus explaining the leaning towards you....)

Since I have a dose of PTSD AND hearing loss/tinnitus, I have both the 'stare' and the 'lean' and it will sometimes freak people out. I'm not trying to be an azzhat, I just can't hear them!

Plus I'm hypervigilant, and would be espicially so in SE DC.

Quite frankly, I don't think he was trying to do anything but be helpful in the best way he knew how.

[sylviekell]

There's weirdos in the Marine Corps too, you know. We aren't all stalwart wholesome All-American guardians of freedom, regardless of what the propaganda says. There ARE scumbags among us.

There was a dude in my shop who was getting kicked out with a OTH right as I got here. He thought he was a vampire (had the pointy teeth and everything) and got NJP'd for repeatedly stalking female Marines. Weirdest guy I've ever met.

Luckily, those guys are a pretty small minority. But they're out there.

Omegaham,

I think you have given me the most honest answer yet. The marine had a hot body, I'll give him that. But the stare freaked me out. Oh, I may have forgotten to mention that his face was expressionless as well, until I declined to walk down the street with him; then, he suddenly smiled and said "Oh, OK."

After he gave me the directions and then stood there and stared me down, I kept thinking, "Why won't this guy leave?"

I'm from NYC, if someone asks directions, we give them fast then walk away not knowing if the person reached their destination and not really caring either. If someone stares us in the eye, he means trouble. That's why it freaked me out.

BTW, what do OTH and NJP'd mean? I'm a civilian, so I don't know Marine talk.

Thank you for your honest answer.

Sylviekell

[sylviekell]

Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he was concerned for your safety (that section of DC is a complete and total crap-hole) or maybe....he has hearing loss and couldn't hear you (thus explaining the leaning towards you....)

Since I have a dose of PTSD AND hearing loss/tinnitus, I have both the 'stare' and the 'lean' and it will sometimes freak people out. I'm not trying to be an azzhat, I just can't hear them!

Plus I'm hypervigilant, and would be espicially so in SE DC.

Quite frankly, I don't think he was trying to do anything but be helpful in the best way he knew how.

It's possible; but, if that were the case, it would have been nice for him to say "I'm sorry, I can't hear you."

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Most of us don't. You also have to realize that some of us don't want to admit we can't hear everyone, depending on the tone of your voice, ambient noise, etc.

OTH is "Other than Honorable" discharge.
NJP is Non Judicial Punishment. Sorta like Municipal court.

[Nedward]

I'm from NYC, if someone asks directions, we give them fast then walk away not knowing if the person reached their destination and not really caring either. If someone stares us in the eye, he means trouble. That's why it freaked me out.

This is the difference between your average Marine and your average American citizen.

Your average American doesn't give a damn whether or not you make it to where your going, your average Marine will.

[SgtJane08]

Are we done yet?