President Bush gets a trap!

[jarhead]

I guess I'm not as much as a purist as you envision! Once the Government stopped sending me a paycheck, they considered me a former , ex, used-to-be marine....which is it?. My first wife was my former wife, ex-wife......which is more proper? I still have a close kinship to all my brethren in the green machine, but my last paycheck was in 1963 from USMC.

 

[CFICANFLY]

All the jarjeads I know always said there's no such thing as an ex-Marine, former Marine, or whatever. They say once a Marine, always a Marine. I thought that was pretty slick, but now I'm disillusioned to read about a jarhead who refers to himself as an "Ex-Marine"!

Good God, you're disillusioned?!?! Years upon years of goodwill between yourself & other Marines has vanished due to one post on a message board by a person unknown to you? As for the Navy types that jumped on his case for trying to correct someone whom from his training was technically inaccurate...these are your traditions that as part of the Navy we respect & try to uphold. We were caught unaware that there is a segment of your side of the service that is not bound to uphold certain segments of that tradition, & may come up with their own. None of us are perfect, but most of us will continue to uphold those traditions long after we have joined the "1st Civ. Div." because those traditions are a part of who we are. I for one, still stand at attention for "Anchors Aweigh" because as Marines that is one of the many traditions that are instilled in us.

Thank you, Jarhead, for your service to our Country as well as for continuing to live & uphold those traditions that we may truly represent "once a Marine, always a Marine!"

'canfly

 

[jarhead]

CFICANFLY

Just to clarify.......I have always been aware of the "once a Marine, always a Marine" mantra". It is true.....amoung the brethren. However, it would be misleading for me to state on a forum of total strangers, that I AM A MARINE. That would imply to all, that me, the poster, was still in active service, doing my "junk on the bunk" inspections, checking out on liberty, and all the other gedunk eating, slop shoot evenings that I used to enjoy. I, in fact am, a civilian now at the age of 63. Amoung my brothers in the Corps, Yes, I am still, and always will be, a Marine. But that's a bond for me and mine......not the public at large.

 

[CFICANFLY]

Yes sir, I realize that you are no longer an "active duty" Marine. My first clue was that you say you have not received a check since 1963. So either you are out, or hard charger you really need to go see your First Sergeant!

Semper Fi,

'canfly

 

[jarhead]

And Semper Fi to you as well CanFly. From my pen name on this forum as "Jarhead", you no doubt also can tell I still consider myself 'connected'.

Chesty Puller still lives!

 

[jarhead]

I don't doubt the veracity of your statement, Jim. Probably is acurate. Still, while wathcing G.W. Bush coverage by all the cable networks, I DID see and hear several sailors refering to the Abe Lincoln as "The Ship" and as being "on board ship" Not all, to be sure, but I heard it with my own ears on 5-1-03 on the TV from sailors, and News people.

 

[CFICANFLY]

Actually, all the Marines I knew in the carrier's MarDet and that floated around on the gator freighters called them boats too.

I too have spent my time floating around on different gator freighters, & yes, I've called them boats, tin cans, rust buckets (the Dubuque & Duluth come to mind), yet in the media or in conversation with those without a naval background & who wouldn't know better I would use the proper terminology, lest I be taken as a fool (or aircrewman!). Furthermore, I recall all non-standard phraseology as being somewhat derogatory (i. e. "when are we going to get off this **** boat!).

'canfly

 

[jarhead]

Good to know that stuff! Y'all will get an upper case "S" in the future.

 

[Chunk]

Wow...no wonder Sailors and Marines fight when we're drunk...we fight on BBS's sober about what to call a big hunk of haze grey and underway!

Boat, ship, rowboat, the point is..well..I don't know what the point is. More VA bennies, yeah, that's it! Gimme Gimme Gimme!

 

[CFICANFLY]

QUOTE]Wow...no wonder Sailors and Marines fight when we're drunk...we fight on BBS's sober about what to call a big hunk of haze grey and underway![/QUOTE]

Hey, anyone can call it anything they want...I was just coming to the defense of a fellow Marine who I felt was slighted for trying to do the right thing. Like I said, in boot camp they never said "It's a ship...unless you're talking with someone wearing brown shoes." Here is a definition of "boat" that I found on [Hazegray.org:

Boat - (1) Traditional term of reference for a submarine. (2) Traditional aviation term used to refer to an aircraft carrier. (3) Any small vessel incapable of making regular independent voyages on the high seas. The traditional differentiator is that "ships carry boats."

And "Brownshoe":

Brownshoe - Member of the aviation community. Refers to the brown boots or shoes which once were worn by aviation personnel with the Aviation Green uniform. Unauthorized footgear for a while, but recently re-approved for all USN service communities.

I guess that is one of the things that I love about the Marines. There is but one uniform. By looking at a Marine, there is no way of telling whether his MOS is cook or recon. We don't have different color shoes or beanie caps. I was livid when after the first Gulf War we had to actually put our names on our uniforms! Every Marine is a rifleman, after that some others have additional duties, but first & foremost they are all Marines.

'canfly

BTW: When you go to Hazegray.org check out the definition of "BOSNIA." Pretty funny I thought.