They use a different tack:
Then came the marine. He was fit and spit-shined. “My name is Sangster, ma’am. Rhymes with gangster.” As I remember it, that was pretty much all he said to me; his pitch was aimed at Zach. “The Marine Corps will make you puke, make you cry, and when that’s over, you’ll be sent to the most miserable, dangerous, godforsaken place on the planet. So let me ask you: Why should I let you join my corps?”
I opened my mouth to answer (“Goodbye!”) but was quelled by a sharp look from Zach. “Well … um, sir,” he said. “I think I’m reasonably smart. But I don’t work very hard. I want you to teach me to work.”
Sangster looked at him for a long moment. “We can do that,” he said.
You bet.
That’s my mom…the author sounds exactly like her (tone-and-attitude-wise). Not just her, but all loving mothers.
I think it was a wise choice to have the recruiters come to their home. Much less chance of being hurt or killed by a “peace” protester while at a recruiting center. Under this President, they were somewhat dangerous. I fear that pretty soon open season will be declared on all MILPERS in CONUS.
Yep! We just don’t do that “Let the Army join You” bull$hit.
We DON’T promise you a rose garden.
After retiring from the Air Force, I took a job as a teacher in the Hill Country in Texas (AKA God’s Country). My first year, I had a class the first period each day. In it was this cute, cheerful young woman who was in her senior year. Her most consistent characteristic was that she was ALWAYS late. Could be two minutes, could be 15, but she was late. Now, as a fighter pilot, where late was only slightly worse than not at all, I found this condition irritating. However, nothing I had been taught in the military had any impact on this young lady. So, we get around to early in the spring semester. It’s Monday, and things are going to Hell in a Hand Basket. In walks the young Senior, with a jaunty “Hello, Mr. Lang”, not a care in the world. It snapped. I growled, “Young Lady, do you know what you need?”. She pauses, blinks a few times uncertainly, and says “No, what?” I reply “You need to join the Marines!” Tears start gushing. She says “Why?” I say, “you need self discipline.” She bursts out crying. I’m thinking “Great, now you’ve done it. Arrest, Firing, Lawsuit, getting shot (it is Texas after all) all are in your future.” I look back at her after a few minutes, she’s back to her smiling bouncing self and it slips from my mind.
About 8 months later, there’s a knock on my classroom door. I open it and there’s a young Marine standing there. She’s dropped a few pounds, trimmed up a bit, stands quite a bit taller. I ask her what she’s up to and she says she just wanted to say thanks. I ask “what for” having forgotten the above incident and she’s says for “talking me into joining the Marines. ” Now, I remember. I said “Megan, I’ve got to ask a question, have you been late since you joined?” She replied “Well, I was a little slow getting off the bus, but they made sure I understood that that would not be acceptable behavior.”
And who says Teachers don’t get enough rewards?
You know what… the sad part of all this is that the Marines have planted these so-called “first person”, man/woman in the street… totally bull-sh*t stories themselvels ,so often , that they have come to actually believe the jive they are spewing themselves… Best
I see from Snake Eater’s comments the old Army-Marines thing still runs deep. LOL . My Father, being a WWII Co Cmdr in the 42nd Rainbow in the ETO used to mutter darkly all the time about the “damn Marine PR machine” every time a movie extolling the accomplishments of the Marines was shown on TV. Some things never change……Not to mention the Army-Navy game.
Hey Snake – remember that Truman once said that the Marine’s have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin’s.
‘Pears to still be workin’…
/best.
Padre Harvey, As you probably know old give-em hell Harry was a National Guard Arty Captain in WW1. His animus towards the Marines most likely dates from that time and in particular when the American press reported a great American victory ( forgot which) and credited the Marines, who were not there, instead of the Army, who were.
He also tried to abolish the Marines, when he was President in the late 40s…but the big green( read Jarhead) lobby machine nixed it… a good thing in retrospect… competition after all, is the American way … and both are better fighting organizations for it. Best
My son — dash two of the section — came to me about seven months ago to ask my opinion. He was considering joining the Marines, and wanted to know what I thought. Swallowed hard, and asked him what led him to that particular crossroads. Several things tumbled out — first were the inputs from a mentor, former Marine, about the life changing aspects (Matt didn’t put it that way, but I knew what he meant). He grew up in my household, so he wasn’t a stranger to doing the right things, without being asked. I’m sure his decision to slowly slide out of college for the big bucks as a young mortgage loan officer, and the subsequent denounement of that particular novel, had something to do with it. Probably the fact that his successful HS peers graduated this year, and the “others”, in finest NFWS speak, were waiting tables, and being his bar buddies. Seeing where that led forty years from now.
So now, a few more questions from the oracle — not knowing if he really wanted advice, or validation. “How long you want to stay in?” “Four years, then out.” “What do you want to do?” “I don’t know.” So, the oracle spoke — “You go down, and take the aptitude test, and tell me what they will let you do.” Came back with a maxed out ASVAB score, so all fields were open. He is now in week nine at MCRD SD — graduates the day before Thanksgiving. Called this week for some info for his clearance investigation — headed to be a SIGINT operator. He listened to the old man, who extolled the interesting work, being “in the know”, and the financial value of an SCI clearance, post enlistment.
But the reason for this isn’t to brag. It is to recognize, and honor, the reason I was willing to entrust one of my two most valuable commodities, to a nation at war. Had Matt said he wanted an enlisted career, I would have steered him to the AF or Navy. But when he said “one and out”, the Marines were the only choice, for one undeniable reason — Marine NCOs, and especially senior NCOs — embodied in the Sgt Purcell of this NY Times story, treat their junior Marines like their own children. They set high standards, but no higher than they themselves can meet. They call their charges to something greater than themselves, and change their lives in the process. I laughed at Matt this summer, telling him he was joining a cult — he replied, “It is a brotherhood.” Well, if it is a brotherhood, it is because of those Marine NCOs who are the keepers of the flame.
Its good to know that the most elite fighting orginization in the world is still able to continuously infatuate the human race. Something you will never truly understand until you MAN UP and attempt to become a part of it.
HUH Snake