How the Marine Corps' values show contempt to those of the American society

The Marine Corps transforms young civilians into a life of values: honor, courage, and commitment. These values are instilled in each recruit as they go through the eleven weeks process of boot camp. According to Marines these values are to the Corps and "comes before self" (p. 55). In American society we work to better ourselves first rather than as a whole.

Drill Instructors strip all your old values and Marine Corps values are formed. "There is no 'I', 'I' is gone" (p.60). To be a marine you must shed all thinking as "I" and "me", and think as "we" and "recruit". In American society, striving for independence is a goal for most people, and instea

Recruits do not have access to alcohol, cars, candy, radio's, television and many other privileges that we use in American society (p.55). This usually happens in society when you live at home on punishment. The Corps becomes the center of being (p.61), all focus is to the marines. As a recruit becomes a Marine, he forms a bond and becomes an elite member that American society looks to, to be the hero during wartime, and uncertainty during peacetime. These feelings have been going on since the Marines have been established, and the reason for that is because of American Society's ignorance of military affairs. The military has led and played an important role in helping shape and win war victories for the United States, but the Marine Corps' role today is questionable to many. Why? Because "For the first time in our history, we are maintaining a large military establishment during peace time" (p.23).

-The "Small Wars Manuel" not only describes and depicts the lessons and meanings taught in the Marine Corps, it gives a source of back ground information that, is the history of the Corps. The manual describes past operations and the style they were handled in, by the use of "low intensity conflict". (pg180) For instance, the Army's old tactics used to be an approach of going in with heavy amounts of artillery against small quick units like the Red Army. But they found out that these troops were small but quick but were effective enough to get the job done. So now the United States Army, as are the Navy and the Air Force, remodeling some of their units after the Marines by becoming smaller, but quicker and more ephiscient. (pg24)

-Marines Demarco and Hall are perfect examples of how they took advantage of life being different during MCT by breaking the rules. Every Friday, both would go back to their hometown of New Jersey and they would return the following Sunday. While in New Jersey Marine Hall gets his girlfriend pregnant. As an result a thought of leaving the Marines pops up in his head, but he is told that he will be shipped to Hawaii. So now, he plans to marry his girlfriend and take her with him, but the official order says that he will be shipped to Okinawa and he must go alone. Marine Hall refuses to leave and he tries to "duck out" the Marine Corps. So the Marines decide to dock his pay, and therefore he has no money for the baby of his car payments. As a result he now works at a pizza parlor.

-Not all the members of platoon 3086 had a hard time adjusting. One member adjusted well and that is Marine Lee. He felt the same way as the others towards the Marine Corps Training, but he did not let it bother him nor get in his way of his goal, of becoming a full-fledged Marine. In fact he did better than a large percentage of his class, by being a top two graduate and receiving a promotion to lance corporal. (Note: Marines Weber and Buijis also did well)

-With the heavy emphasis on responsibility, the Marines also have shown ways of teaching respect and values to today's youth. What the Marine Corps is able to do is "deal with the bottom half of American Society". Because of their installed values of respect and responsibility they are usually more open with speaking of issues than the other members of the branches. "The average Marine lance corporal speaks with more self-confidence to a reporter than does the average Army captain".(pg20)

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Approximate Word count = 2293
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)