From the Officer's Guide

I had a text conversation earlier today with a formerly-enlisted Marine that made me think he had eaten way too many crayons.
Save the green ones for face paint, will ya?

Still, those enlisted guys and gals are great! :D
 
Maybe this sign is exactly right. We had our neighboring couple over for dinner last night. They're both NCIS agents at Camp Lejeune. A portion of the conversation revolved around how stupid young Marines can be. Can't wait for DS to return home for Christmas and have them over again. I'll just sit back with the popcorn and listen to the stories as they fly back and forth! :D
:popcorn1:
 
how stupid young Marines can be

While I agree with the comment (and I could tell a boatload of stories) I do want to say that the sentiment (and the original post) can easily be applied to junior officers as well. Put a bunch of senior SNCOs and Officers together and you will hear all kinds of stories of stupid things done by young Marines (enlisted and officers).

My experience is that most of this stuff is in garrison and off-hours. When it comes to getting the job done, enlisted and officers perform exceptionally well.
 
how stupid young Marines can be

While I agree with the comment (and I could tell a boatload of stories) I do want to say that the sentiment (and the original post) can easily be applied to junior officers as well. Put a bunch of senior SNCOs and Officers together and you will hear all kinds of stories of stupid things done by young Marines (enlisted and officers).

My experience is that most of this stuff is in garrison and off-hours. When it comes to getting the job done, enlisted and officers perform exceptionally well.
No doubt, many officers bear watching as well. The "Ensign watch" is a well known event in the Navy. Second lieutenants are notorious for being dum dums, regardless of pedigree. The spirit of a warrior without a war needs direction. I posted the quote from the 19th century officer's guide as a joke but wonder what year it might have been taken out. I believe the current officers view the enlisted force as competent colleagues. I know my son does. He is loyal to his boys and defends them at times to a fault.
 
As an Adjutant DD saw all the stupid ones. One after another after another and another and another and another.
 
My son dreaded the days following a random drug test, the other was after the Christmas Exodus for DUI's. He heard of an occasional officer getting dinged but they were handled by others above his pay grade.

Back in the dark ages I mostly dealt with bar fights, barracks fights, and those that would come back to base smelling like a weed shop. DUI's were sort of swept under the rug back then, not saying that was a good thing.
 
My career as a Corpsman spanned the post-Vietnam 70s until retirement in 2004. I spent time “green side” part of all four decades, from E-3 to Senior Chief. I was also ship’s company on four ships. Serving as an IDC on a ship without a physician, lab, X-ray, CT, or MRI is both thrilling, scary, and the biggest ego surge imaginable.

I was once one of those enlisted who needed to be watched. I grew up in poverty, barely graduated high school, got in trouble and was a slow starter in the promotion game, and still defied authority leading to mid-career. I was always though, in love with the job and lore of the Corps, the only enlisted corps in the Navy, the Hospital Corps. Most FMF Corpsmen will claim that green side is best side and I don’t disagree, but being haze gray with the smells, camaraderie, rumble of the deck under your boondockers, and the excitement of both leaving and entering port which ranks equally up there with your best fantasies is also a great life.

I finally got my head out of my backside and served in challenging jobs at sea, instructor duty, earned my living in killing zones, two headquarters commands, and somehow stayed married and helped bring up two marvelous children. I could not have asked for any higher honor than to maintain the sea services’ most valuable weapons system, the US Sailor and Marine.
 
Promotions and awards were bumped up to the top of the chain of command.
 
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