Tampons

[ItzAlex]

So... I was at a poolee meeting whith fresh graduates. We were chatting and when somehow the topic came to me asking if he was active or reserve.
He replies "Hell no, I aint no tampon."

For those of you that dont know, tampons is the nickname for reserves because they go to base once every month...

This just gets me thinking, isnt earning the title Marine the important thing? Why would an activive duty Marine look down at a reserve Marine if they have earned the same Title and gone through the same 13 weeks of hell? Being a reserve dosent make you any less of a Marine...
To me it just seems like such a contridiction when i watch the Marine comercial some guy said "When a brand new PFC joins the company, we treat him like any other Marine..."

Bottom line is why wouldnt reservists deserve the same respect as active duty Marines. I'm going to be a reservist because I want to finish college.

[PerXes]

Don't let these people talk down on you. Reservists do deserve the same respect as everyone else. We fight and die like everyone else, and we make sacrifices like everyone else when our country needs us to. If someone gives you ****, just ignore them, they're retarded.

[HurricaneRJ]

So... I was at a poolee meeting whith fresh graduates. We were chatting and when somehow the topic came to me asking if he was active or reserve.
He replies "Hell no, I aint no tampon."

For those of you that dont know, tampons is the nickname for reserves because they go to base once every month...

This just gets me thinking, isnt earning the title Marine the important thing? Why would an activive duty Marine look down at a reserve Marine if they have earned the same Title and gone through the same 13 weeks of hell? Being a reserve dosent make you any less of a Marine...
To me it just seems like such a contridiction when i watch the Marine comercial some guy said "When a brand new PFC joins the company, we treat him like any other Marine..."

Bottom line is why wouldnt reservists deserve the same respect as active duty Marines. I'm going to be a reservist because I want to finish college.

From my expereince with the Marines who return after bootcamp, they refer reservist as tampons because how women need them at least once a month.

Don't buy into the crap, Marines on reserve status are no longer called "Reservist". They went to the same schools, they've done the same training as active duty Marines. If and when you earn the title your a Marine! bottom line.

[SkilletsUSMC]

As far as earning the Title Marine being the important thing, I say Yes and No. Being a reservist is nothing like being active duty. You rate the respect of being a Marine, but the AD Marines will talk down to you. (Sometimes out of jealousy ) The Marine Corps is a place where people are brutally honest. Active Duty Marines will look at you like a weekend warrior, and say you have honor courage, but no commitment. which is somewhat true, somewhat bogus.

Being a Marine doesnt mean no one talks **** to you anymore. If anything the **** talking gets worse. Thats why you need thick skin.

"When a brand new PFC joins the company, we treat him like any other Marine..."

I heard that and busted out in laughter.

[Marine84]

I don't think it's so much a disrespect thing or being looked down on. We DO realize that Reservists go through the same bootcamp and everything HOWEVER they DON'T do it 24/7/365. They are no less of a Marine in my book and the tampon thing is more of a joke - if you think about it, you DO only need a tampon once a month and once a year you may have things thrown "outta whack" and you'll need them for a couple of weeks.

A lot of us just had bad experiances with Reservists - since they don't do it all the time, some really didn't give a fat baby's a$$ if they did it for that weekend either or couldn't keep their minds on what they should have for the 2 weeks they were commited - makes for bad morale.

Marines are competitive as hell too - even between us AD ones - it's ALWAYS one group against another over something. Don't take it personally when somebody calls you a tampon - just a little ribbin'.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

I am going to let all of you poolees in on a secret. Boot Camp is the easy part of the Marine Corps. Sure, you're tested and pushed- but it is what it is. Active duty Marines will continue to go through the fire for their entire career. You are always training to be better. You are always being pushed to your limits. You are always being watched. Life isn't always fun and games. There are the times when your platoon sgt is fighting with his wife, so you get to work on Saturday. Someone will fail a field day inpection, so you will empty your entire room and field day on Saturday starting at 0530. You may PT five times a week- and in the fleet runs are much faster and longer than they are in boot camp. The list goes on and on.

As a reservist you show up on Friday or Saturday, talk to some friends you haven't seen in a month, then you go on a camping trip. My time in the reserves did not include one moment of stress the entire time I was doing it. In the fleet we would have thought it was a waste of time to go to the field for two weeks. We often went for months at a time. But, as a reservist they took a vacation at the end of CAX to go to Vegas. Instead of training for those additional days, they went and had a party. Sorry, but it isn't the same thing.

As a reservist you are a Marine, and you deserve to be treated as such. But, it is not the same as being on active duty and it is an insult to the people that do it day in day out 365 days a year to pretend that there is no difference.

[sgt tony]

Yep you all are Marines but then you have the full timers and then you have some timers. Just like Grunts and Wingers

[Robert Browell]

Well I've been both a Grunt and a winger,both terms refer to MARINES. whilst stationed at Santa Ana,we had reservist from Olathe KS as our "guest".at that time a lot of people joined the reserves to avoid both,the draft and westpac orders.the boys from Olathe,were the most undisciplined mob that I have ever seen.Before they left us,one of their corporals,got to be a private again.I guess he didn't know I was a grunt retread!yup it was me that got him.Direct disobedience to a lawful order!! they tread lightly around me after that.Maybe thats why the wingers called me Sgt. Ogre.

[yellowwing]

Every Marine has a job to do and a Duty to himself and The Corps.

[PerXes]

I don't think anybody will be giving a **** when the rounds are coming downrange whether the guy with you is a reservist or an active guy. All this stuff is just bored, nothing better to do bull**** talk.

I'd be willing to bet anything that when it comes to fighting(where it all really matters), reservists fight just as well as anyone.

Here's a Chesty Puller quote for you: "I think the only thing we active duty guys are good for is keeping the weapons clean and ready for you reservists."

[killerinstinct]

As far as earning the Title Marine being the important thing, I say Yes and No. Being a reservist is nothing like being active duty. You rate the respect of being a Marine, but the AD Marines will talk down to you. (Sometimes out of jealousy ) The Marine Corps is a place where people are brutally honest. Active Duty Marines will look at you like a weekend warrior, and say you have honor courage, but no commitment. which is somewhat true, somewhat bogus.

Being a Marine doesnt mean no one talks **** to you anymore. If anything the **** talking gets worse. Thats why you need thick skin.



I heard that and busted out in laughter.

HAHAH yup every pfc is the same once they hit the fleet

[drumcorpssnare]

I have one interesting memory from boot camp, regarding Marine reservists.
Our series was in ITR (1972) at Camp Geiger. Our drill instructor marched us to chow. Granted, we weren't yet Marines...but our $hit was tight. We were squared away.
Standing outside the mess hall was a company of Marine reservists. They were in utilities. None were starched. Some were dirty. Boots were unshined. Some had their trousers bloused; others not. Most needed haircuts. When their Capt. came out and called the formation to attention, a few continued to flap their dick-smokers. Some were still smoking cigarettes.
Our drill instructor was HOT! He ran right in the middle of the reservist formation and got in this guys face! When the Capt. said something to our drill instructor, he ignored the Capt.
Then our drill instructor gave our platoon the command, "About face!" He then went on and on about how he didn't want HIS recruits to see the $hitbag weekend warriors, contaminating HIS recruits, "...they should be ashamed of themselves..." etc.
I thought to myself..."Whoooa!"

drumcorpssnare

[SkilletsUSMC]

I don't think anybody will be giving a **** when the rounds are coming downrange whether the guy with you is a reservist or an active guy. All this stuff is just bored, nothing better to do bull**** talk.

I'd be willing to bet anything that when it comes to fighting(where it all really matters), reservists fight just as well as anyone.

Here's a Chesty Puller quote for you: "I think the only thing we active duty guys are good for is keeping the weapons clean and ready for you reservists."

By the time rounds have "gone down range" the said reservists will have been activated for quite some time, and thus become active duty.

Theres no way, any way that a reservist unit can be as well trained, as an active unit. If you have never been acitve, then you cant really know, but for those that have gone reserves after having been active duty see the difference.

[rktect3j]

Everybody here has already said the obvious. We are all Marines. But even though we are all Marines, there is still a pecking order of sorts. Just the way it is. Mostly done out of fun though.

[Soon2BeVIP]

As a reservist you are a Marine, and you deserve to be treated as such. But, it is not the same as being on active duty and it is an insult to the people that do it day in day out 365 days a year to pretend that there is no difference.

That's what I was thinking as I read this. Of course Reserve Marines are still Marines and are awesome people. They are Marines and staying prepared, but they are staying prepared for when they are needed to go active. The whole point of reserves is to keep them prepared for active. So of course someone active has it alot harder.