Retired Marines Should Be Called 'Former Enlisted' or 'Former Commissioned Officers'

" Once a marine, always a marine – even if you’re 80 years old, live in a senior living community and enlisted back when “I Love Lucy” hit the airwaves.

That’s the general point of view shared amongst Marines past and present, all of which firmly believe that while police officers can be ex-cops and firefighters ex-firefighters, a Marine is always a Marine, regardless of the calendar year.

"The expression "once a Marine - always a Marine" is hammered into every recruit who makes it through boot camp at either Parris Island or San Diego.," said FOX News contributor retired Marine Corps Col. Oliver North. "It is an expression derived from the Marine Corps motto "Semper Fidelis" which means "Always Faithful" in Latin.

North said passing boot camp requires recruits to embody 10 major attributes of dependability, courage, decisiveness, endurance, initiative, integrity, judgement, proficiency, selflesness and loyalty.

"If one is - 'Always Faithful' - to this 10-Point Marine credo, it is therefore impossible to be an "ex" Marine," said North."

Remaining article right here.

Sometimes I have to remind myself not everyone knows this - especially when I get called "Ex-marine" My supervisor during my chaplain training wrote it into one of my evaluations, and worse, attributed the quote to me! Something like "M. says that even ex-marines..." I believe I blogged about it last year if you are really interested in that story. Summary, I never said that and was very clear about it.

I suppose this entry is more of a headsup for the uninformed than anything. I dont have anything to add really. While I think of myself as a chaplain, and a dad as of the past few months, and a piano player, fencer, etc. the very core is marine. Always.

I will admit I did have a bit of a hard time equating myself to old leathernecks that really went through the grinder. Marines that stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima or fought in the Chosin Reservoir in North Korean, or through the jungles of Vietnam. My service record is not nearly that impressive (from my once view). That is, until I had a conversation from a WWII devildog who was probably as hard, tough and real as it gets (and just a fantastic man). He gave me a short interview when I confessed I never thought of myself on equal footing as he:

"You went to boot camp right?"
"Yeah"
"You got out honorably right?"
"Yeah"
"Would you have gone where they asked?"
"Of course"
"Don't ever let anyone say you aren't my equal then."

Made me feel warm and fuzzy, in that hoorah sort of way.