Dedicated to every Marine that wears, or wore, the Eagle, Globe and Anchor insignia of the United States Marines Corps....
"If the Army or the Navy
ever gaze on Heavens' scenes;
They will find the gates are guarded
by the United States Marines."
My Proudest Moment!
It all began with a childhood dream
that one day I'd be a Lady Marine.
So off to Boot Camp at 'ole P.I.
where I was greeted by a stern faced D.I.
Up before daybreak, doing push-ups till dawn;
not a minute was allotted to stretch or to yawn.
We'd march all day 'till our feet were sore,
then stand at Attention for inspection at Four.
I learned about Midway, Montezuma and Hell;
memorized all the dates that our enemies fell.
There wasn't a bathroom, a wall, floor or bed;
just a bulkhead, a deck, a sack and a head.
We had no Names - we were known as "Recruits";
just nameless peons with spit-shined boots.
When the DI shouted we'd tremble with fear;
and sometimes I wondered..."Why am I here?"
But at last came the day I was striving for,
the day I'd become a part of the Corps!
With buttons polished and bursting with pride
I marched to victory with a cadenced stride.
In columns of four we passed in Review...
Saluting the General and the Red, White and Blue.
At last, At Last! - I was marching to fame!
No longer a "Recruit", I would NOW have a name!
And the "Proudest Moment" was without a doubt,
when the D.I. shouted..."Ok, MARINES, Fall Out"!
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Everybody knows the Marine Corps Hymn, but how many know the words of...
The "Women Marines" Song
"We're Lady Leathernecks
we're marching on to fame.
We're here to fight
to make things right,
and bring our men back home again.
To bring honor to the Corps,
is what we're striving for;
To wear the green of the U.S. Marines
and win the Peace forever more!"
Semper Fi...
Read more articles by Marilyn Schnepp or search for articles on the same topic or others.
The Marine Corps Birthday is less than a month away. Yesterday was October 23rd, 2006 or (in "Marine-speak" 23 October 06). That was a day that many of our finest died in Beirut. The guys that died replaced my guys. I had served a previous nine month hitch in Beirut. I came home, they got killed. As I read your poem I thought about all the events that led up to my becoming a Marine and all the events that took place throughout my career. It made me think of the fact that we each have a story to tell. Even the ones who didn't come back. Thank you for voicing some reference points that we can all agree on and smile about. Semper Fi.
NO ONE prays harder for peace than a person in uniform.
Pauly
Wow! Loved this from beginning to end. I've been tracking your writing and have been impressed by the quality of your pieces. They are all different and distinctive. The one thing that they all have in common is spirit! Thanks!
What a delight to be able to put one's memories into a poem, like this! But, we can tell a lot more than memories and writing skills went into what you have captured, here. It sounds like a lot of hard work! You have earned the right to be proud of everything!
