Friday, November 9, 2012

Debunking the Infantry Marine...By a Marine...


                  As I went through this week I couldn’t help notice the election jabbering. As much as I tried to avoid it and ignore it, those darn ads kept popping up EVERYWHERE! On facebook, YouTube videos, in restaurants on the tv screen’s, heck even before the start of a movie I went to last week.  "As much as I do not like politics I will vote." So as I was sitting in my hour and 15 minute line, I couldn’t help but think of the impact this election will have on the Marine Corps, as well as the entire U.S Military. Fun Fact: Did you know I have officially spent more time in the Marine Corps than I have spent in college? It hit me like a brick as I was writing this...
"And It shows." It's interesting how we go through phases in life. You know, the one you had post-high school when you “cut-off” your high school friends because their “just doing the same old thing, not doing anything for themselves.” You’ll discover new ones right? Then when you graduate college, and become a young professional, you “cut-off” your college friends because “they don’t know what it’s like to have a job.” Then you most likely go back to hanging out with your high school friends because “they’ve been there for you the whole time.” Hah, yeah, those phases.
"But no matter where I go, I cannot cut out the Marine Corps from my life."  I can cut out people but I cannot cut out what It is I have learned from the Corps, along with that the bonds and experiences that I share with others. So many people have tried to ask me what it is like to be in the Marine Corps. I can only shake my head, because there are no words that I can form to describe “what it is like.” But what I will provide, is INSIGHT into a portion of the last 4 and a half years of my life of the Marine Corps...you may agree, you may disagree, and that is ok. I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts. So where to begin with the debunking of the Marine Corps infantry? Take note: The comments I share are only related to the infantry side of the Marine Corps. We'll get to the POGS later (Person other than grunt.) 
"FIRST." If you think that the commercials that you see on tv define who an infantry Marine is, you had better think twice. As far as I'm concerened, I've never met an infantry Marine in my career who has flipped rifles in a crisp dress blue uniform while standing on the shores of San Fransisco Bay or around the Grand Canyon for that matter.  I also I've never met an infantry Marine who has climbed the mountain, slayed the dragon and miraculously gets transformed into a Marine....yea...never met one of those. If you don't know what I'm talking about see the videos below. 

"Second. Infantry Marines are different." Most infantry Marines that I know smoke menthol or marlboro lights like there's no tommorow. They dip and chew tobacco, cuss like nobody's buisness, drink Monster or Rip it energy drinks like water, and hate Democrats (As they say, liberals are out to destroy the world you know.)  They are from no name towns that you never knew existed in whatever state they came from, and they are undoubtedly, cocky.  Most infantry Marines fail at not running their suck (mouth), and as a result you find out every piece of information about them-wether you wanted to know it or not. How many bones they've broken, how many girls they've made out with, how many times they got drunk and took on 6 guys at once (and miraculously made it out unscathed). You get my drift. The list goes on...We have family days in our unit where your supposed to bring your family to meet other infantry Marines...well, I guess every year it so happens to slip my mind to invite my family...Oops.
"The 3rd thing about Infantry Marines. We will complain about everything! Not enough chow, not enough ammo, not enough training time, not enough sleep, not enough gear, not enough funding, not enough time, not enough support...which, 10 out of 10 times is true."
Here's what those commercial's don't tell you about the Marine Corps...well, at least the infantry side. You'll dig more fighting positions (NOT foxholes) than you'll know what to do with. You'll walk more miles in your time in the Marine Corps than probably you will in your entire life, all with gear on. Your radio will 100% fail when you need it the most. Think it's cool to carry a Machine gun, Mortar tube, or SMAW? Try carrying it for 6 miles with 50lbs plus on your back. It's called being in pain. And then cleaning it.And Finally. EVERYTHING is a competition. Infantry Marines DESPISE POGS (person other than grunt), because according to us, all they do is sit at their computers, drink coffee, and obviously do nothing (which sometimes is true, but at other times isin't.) POGS aren't in misery like us. They don't have to sit out in the rain, snow, hot or cold. No, they get to go back to the barracks, and rarely ever go out to the field (training excercises). Even if they are in the field they bring tents (because usually they are smart enough.) They only shoot their rifles when they are on the rifle range, while we sleep with ours every night like our life depends on it. 

"The Marine Corps reminds me of having an ex-girlfriend." You hate it because of what it's done to you. Some days I feel tricked, manipulated, and at the mercy of the Marine Corps. I can't do anything but to just suck it up and keep plugging forward. But I still love it. Odd huh? It's because it is my culture.  This is the finest brotherhood in the world, where perfect strangers become brothers through the hardships and pain, and extreme rugged conditions.  It what ties it all together. The brotherhood is simple in the Marine Corps.  You are either in or your not.  All of it, the romanticism, values of idealism, it all blends into a perfect culture within the Marine Corps.  Knowing your brother to your left and right has gone through the same trials and hardships unites you.  Knowing your willing to risk your life for his, and his for yours, replaces any other hand that you’ve had in life.  You don’t think anything of it until you realize it: Only here are people 100% unfiltered and 100% themselves. 
"It’s crazy what the Marine Corps does." It’s one big brother family who sleeps and lives together every day and night.  Unity from the stories of family, friends, and girls, we are all united, and we are one close knit family.  As some people say: Every night with Marines is one big sleepover…with guns.  Finding people who live like you, who think like you, and most importantly are prepared to fight like you, combines all ideological values, and romantic aspirations all into one.  Culture:  It’s like we are our own private club with exclusive access, and we have filtered glass windows where everybody else lines up to look at.  We go through what nobody else has gone through.  The feeling of living together, talking, and struggling together unites even the Marines who hate each other.  We are all united, we are all one.   Everybody longs to be apart of something more, something deeper, something greater to share with others.  To some, it’s living average, well played out lives with the nice home, cars, and with the promotional jobs. 
For me, I have chosen a part of my life to ride strapped with a bunch of cocky, hard working, idealistic Marines strung out on monster energy drinks. That's where life starts getting interesting for me. I guess it's a Marine Corps thing...debunked?
 

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