Comments on: Happy Birthday USMC!

by: Spencer

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:12:51 +0000

My experience was in 1973-75. You’re older than THAT? Sheeesh!

by: OldGeezer

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:16:52 +0000

“I found it about as close to USMC reality…”

I just don’t understand how one can really know all about something just by hearing about it, and without experiencing it. In the “Old Corps” we rarely went to sick bay, and if we did, we certainly didn’t relate any complaints and tales of woe, except as it might pertain to the medical condition which brought us there.

by: Spencer

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 23:35:43 +0000

With all due respect to the USMC, I didn’t say I thought I “experienced it”, just that I “got to know it”. Don’t forget that that at the regimental level, the “surgeon” spends a lot of his (or, now, perhaps her) time being a psychiatrist. The unit doctor, if sympathetic, is often the place (along with the unit chaplain–also a Navy officer with the Marines) the younger troops bring their complaints and tales of woe so I heard all of it I can assure you.

by: OldGeezer

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 14:15:34 +0000

Thank God for Navy Corpsmen and physicians!

However, and with all due respect, I doubt that one can truly experience “USMC reality” simply by serving as a treating physician to a bunch of Marines any more than a Marine can understand and appreciate the life of a Navy doctor merely by standing at attention in front of one and responding “Yes, Sir,” and No, Sir.”

by: Spencer

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 07:19:04 +0000

If you are in the mood to wallow in your Marine Corps experience, I recommend the movie “Jarhead” now playing at the Desert Sky. It’s definitely “R”-rated (some might even argue for an X or 2), but I found it about as close to USMC reality as any movie out of Hollywood I’ve seen. Check out this review: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/11/04/DDG2JFI1FP1.DTL&type=movies .

In case you’re wondering how I know anything about USMC reality, by the way, I’ll admit up front I was never a Marine, but I did spend a year and a half as the staff “surgeon” of a marine regiment (doctors are one thing for which the USMC has always relied on the Navy) which entailed getting to know their “reality” pretty well.