Blood Stripes

[Sgt Hulk]

I became an NCO on ship in 1992 and the blood stripe ritual was brutal. My colar bones were bleeding and I could not walk hardly for a week or so. I was always told on ship was a bad place to pick up Corporal because there is no place to get away...it was true. 24 hours of pain!! But what does not kill us makes us stronger!! Anyone have any other stoies? And is this ritual still permitted today? I hope so.

Semper Fi,

[SGT VAS]

I was on the 31st MEU a few years back and we had about 21 NCOs in the platoon. Needless to say when me and about four other of my fellow Marines picked up Corporal in Guam, we got the living sh*t kicked out of us by all 21 NCO's lined up in a row. I could not even climb into my LAV because my leg didn't want to reach over the tire!

[egbutler1]

Picked it up in 05. Well it sure hell isn't allowed today but it always happens. Man my chevrons where imbedded so deep into my collar bone i thought i'd never get em' out. I couldn't walk for like 2 weeks or run for that matter so yeah it looks really good for a fresh Cpl to be limping his ass off falling out on Company PT runs. Good times though I took it with pride and than when my marines went up in rank I gave it with pride. KILL!

[sgtgrunt0311]

I have never heard of such atrocities, I was an 03 and in from 1985-1992 and we would have never ever done any thing like this. I am shocked to hear this even goes on.

BTW I seen a good friend get his leg broke. All I know is that right after he passed me he fell and couldn't walk any more.

[Big Jim]

Yeah, it took me a day or two before I could run PT with the unit, I had bruises on my legs for a couple of weeks!! The same happened for when we were given our jump wings!! My Gawd, they beat the sh!t out of us!! There were 8 in our class that graduated with jump wings and they hit this other kid so hard and so much they bruised his heart! He was on convelescent leave for a month!! I still have the scars!! I'll bet we all still have them! Good memories though!

[crate78]

When the heck did this BS start? I made Corporal in 1955 and the only thing that happened was I went to work the next day with two stripes instead of one.

crate

[thewookie]

I picked up Corporal on April 1st 1994 in Kaneohe Bay, and I had to be carried upstairs to my room after they got done.

They had a ritual, a line of NCO's formed on each side of you and each one got a shot in the arm (after the old -- one, two, three) and then a knee in the thighs, then each one would go around and face you, and congratulate you while they would "push" the chevrons in a little.

It was painful, my outside thighs and biceps area was much worse then the pain coming from my collar bone area. Walking wasn't an option for several hours.

That was a good day

It might be the only day in your career where you can get so focked up and belligerent later on at the e-club that they won't bust you, just smack you around a little and send you to the rack. Not that I would know,,,,,,

[Duke1970]

I picked up Corporal in 1972 and did not have to go through anything. When I picked up Staff NCO, that was another matter.

[Crusader20]

Picked up Corporal in 1994 and had the entire company NCO come to my room to "welcome" me to the club. I too was not able to run PT for a week. Gunny covered for us (There was two of us that picked it up) though. :O

[MarineNCO]

I will not allow this behavior to go on in any unit I am in. If the wrong person gets wind of this kind of behavior then all persons involved can kiss their butts goodbye. It is one thing to wish a person well and a good solid clap on the shoulder.!!But something else entirely different to inflict pain on a fellow Marine. To be proud to stand there and take that kind of physical abuse is moronic. In my mind it is akin to standing there and letting a LCpl chew out a Sgt.

Don't remember who told me all of this but he was one pi$$ed individual when I walked in the day after getting promoted.

[MotivatorOfTheGuard]

I don't necessarily find anything cruel and unusual about it. It is tradition, and the Marine Corps is built upon tradition. Being a new NCO in the new Corps i was a victim of the kindler gentler mentality. I got mine, however, it was secretive and amongst trustworthy NCO's that understood the point of the tradition. However, it seems, as the years go by, things change. There are many Marines in the Corps now that would gladly take this tradition, and use it as a tool to ruin careers of Marines because they do not understand the tradition. I don't want to say that the Marines today are at a lower standard than Marines from the old Corps, however, i would say that the youth today have a problem with attitudes. Those who are still active know what i'm talking about. When i showed up as a PFC to the fleet, i stood at parade rest for everyone, and everyone was called by their ranks. irreguardless. I haven't even been all that long, but from the time i came in to now, Marines have changed a lot. Less respect for senior Marines, and less understanding of traditions. That is why you don't hear about a lot of those types of ceremonies anymore. The reason it's probably gone a way in a lot of places is because NCO's took it too far, and Marines got hurt beyond the extent of just blood stripes and chevrons.

Semper Fidelis

[outlaw3179]

I got the living s*it kicked out of me for a lack of a better term. I was standing out on the catwalk , and I knew it was coming but I thought it was going to be later on , when I was drunk. I was talking to another NCO outside and him and I were just shooting the breeze....He was distracting me.....While him and I were talking another Sgt. came up on the right side and smashed my leg. I almost crumpled over and looked over to his side. Then the other NCO on the other side cracked my other leg. This time I did drop. All of a suddent like som g'damn Ninjas all the NCO's showed up from nowhere drug me in a room and commenced to congratulate me. Needless to say I coulnt walk for about 2 days and no PT for a week. Awesome.

[sgt tony]

Heck when I pick up Cpl the CO, XO, 1stSgt on down lined up with all staff and NCOs to pin on my stripes. It was tradition in 1976 I was a 0311 then.

[Dave Coup]

In my day all new stripes got 'pinned' on and there were plenty of sore arms but there wasn't any Blood Stripe pinning that I remember.

[TyCaldwell]

I read "Blood Stripes" and my quadriceps started palpitating.