Category: Marine Corps Stories

Once a Marine Always a Marine
by Jennifer Smith-Percy

Once a marine always a marine
I see it in the graying photo
A young Marine on his way;
On his way to Vietnam;
Stoic, loyal, brave
Seen in the tightness of the jaw
The slight rise of the chin.
Ready to fight, not for a medal
Not for glory or for parades.
Ready to fight for the freedom of
A man, woman or child he?s not met;
Except, in the eyes of
His father, mother or girlfriend.
Once a marine Always a Marine
I see it in the face of an older man
Still the same tightness in the jaw,
The slight rise of the chin,
And something in the eyes unexplainable
To those not blessed with the honor to know a marine.
Once a Marine Always a Marine
I see it in the older man that stands beside me as I battle illness
The same tightness of the jaw
Slight rise of the chin
And absolute strength in the eyes.
The eyes that look at my daughter with something other than pride,
other than bravery ?
Once a Marine Always a Marine
I see it in his eyes, LOVE. read more

Operation Iraqi Freedom
by Esther M.

Sgt Grit,
I wrote this poem after reading A Table In The Presence, by Chaplain Carey H. Cash of the United States Marines.
Esther M.

A tribute to the men of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

There was a cause,
The cause was just;
For freedom twas,
And fight they must. read more

Ode to a Marine
Submitted by John Wear

In a crowd you’re bound to spot him,
He’s standing so very tall
Not too much impresses him;
He’s seen and done it all.
His hair is short, his eyes are sharp,
But his smile’s a little blue.
It’s the only indication
Of the hell that he’s gone through.
He belongs to a sacred brotherhood,
Always Faithful ’til the end.
He has walked right into battle
And walked back out again.
Many people think him foolish
For having no regrets
About having lived through many times
Others would forget.
He’s the first to go and last to know,
But never questions why,
On whether it is right or wrong,
But only do or die.
He walks a path most won’t take
And has lost much along the way,
But he thinks a lot of freedom,
It’s a small price to pay.
Yes, he has chosen to live a life
Off the beaten track,
Knowing well each time he’s called,
He might not make it back.
So, next time you see a Devil Dog
Standing proud and true,
Be grateful for all he’s given;
He’s given it for you.
Don’t go up and ask him
What’s it’s like to be in war;
Just thank God that it’s your country
He’s always fighting for.
And thank him too for all the hell
He’s seen in that shade of green,
Thank him for having the guts
To be a United States Marine read more

An Ode to a Friend
Rick Castellucci U.S.M.C. Retired

You’ve never heard a story like this, I’ll wager.
Of a young Marine, who we called the “Major”.
He was a simple Black Man, the only one to hate.
Strangely, only one did, “Me”, in Platoon 28.
He was five-foot, six, a hundred and none.
Could hit like a bullet fired from a gun.
We would fight each day, it was hard to stop.
I’d call him the N-Word, he’d call me a Whop.
Until one day when things got bad.
The whole platoon, at me, was mad.
When this simple Black Man let out a shout.
“Get on your feet”, he began to state. “We’ll take on anybody in Platoon 28.
We went to the bus stop on our day of graduation.
Cause we were both in the same situation.
We had no home, no family at all.
We’d go to New York and have a ball.
One red-bearded, burly man shouted at us.
“Hey Black Boy, sit in the back of the bus.”
The “Major” looked at me and I look at him.
We both stood up, “What’s your problem Jim?”
The man threw a punch, it was a windy blow.
I hit him high, the “Major” hit him low.
The bully hit the deck, he’d just learned his fate.
You don’t mess with anybody of Platoon 28.
Then, the day came when it was the worst.
In war we fought, the Regiment, the First.
From frozen Chosin, Marines would suffer.
Our men to the hills, to give us a buffer.
Chesty sent me out to find, “The Major’s Platoon”.
I would seek out my friend, we’d be together soon.
Snow was falling, the ground was white.
There was, “The Major”, it was total delight.
We laughed and hugged, mostly in glee.
We hadn’t seen each other since Toko-ri.
The enemy came down in a massive attack.
We took to our positions and threw them back.
Out of the blue, a grenade was thrown.
“The Major” dived and then he was gone.
We had no vehicles, no trucks or jeeps.
We buried our dead, taps gave us the creeps.
Some of us softly cried, the tears we wiped away.
To every man’s thoughts, we would bring them back some day.
“The Major” taught me to take each man at his best.
Until his actions, what he did, failed the test.
My friend had died; he saved my life.
Remembering each time, I look at my kids and my wife.
I know a great man went through that Marine-only gate.
Together, with many others of platoon 28. read more

Ode to Vietnam
by Rocky Fortner

Nearly fourty years have come & gone since I became a man,
T’was in the heat, the rain & blood of Southern Viet Nam…

The battle scars run deep within the prison of my soul…
I’ll not forget the, the pain, the screams & horrors of it all… read more

A friend of mine wrote this poem, for all Marines. She’s a huge advocate of the USMC, and is a good friend of mine. Shes heard the stories of our trials, and the history that goes along with being a Marine. This is the best description of a Marine, that I can honestly think of.
Thank you
Sgt. T Speegle read more

Nowhere to Turn
By: a Warrior

The night laid broken before me, Entwined with drunken
tears and endless fears of that forsaken land, Once Strangers,
Now Brothers to make a united stand, Where?d it get us,
other then lost in The Story of our lives, nowhere to turn,
and nowhere to hide, in this free for all
In The Story of Our Lives, Justice died, and we tried to
revive it, Relive it, and give it our own twist of faith, but
when you’re the one who killed it, it is reborn only to
consume you. Consume you like those fires did, those
unforgiving flames which danced before us, with thoughts
of home, flashing in and out of the rising ashes, slowly
fading from our memories. Some good men fall to their
knees, already scraped and bruised. Some men fight the
war, they are destined to lose. But no matter, when the
time calls, we will all meet our fall, together… read more

Heroes Now and Then
by David L. Bell

Some thought you did it for the paycheck,
Some thought you just had weekend fun,
There were those who didn’t take you serious,
But you trained for a job to be done.

Some of you are in the Military Reserves,
And some in the National Guard,
We never thought you’d ever leave us,
But you did when duty called. read more

Semper Fi Sgt.Grit,

Last year I read the book “No True GloryA Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah” by retired Marine Corps General Bing West. What a truly stirring retelling of the latest of many epic battles executed by the Marine Corps. It was a story that needs to be told and retold. The last paragraph of this great piece of work deeply moved me; “In The Illiad a warrior in the front ranks turned to his companion and said, “let us win glory for ourselves, or yield it to others.” For Greek warriors, there was no true glory if they were not remembered afterward in poem or in song. There will be no true glory for our soldiers in Iraq until they are recognized not as victims, but as aggressive warriors. Stories of their bravery deserve to be recorded and read by the next generation. Unsung, the noblest deed will die.” A chill literally went down my spine when I read that and immediately after putting the book down I wrote the following poem summerizing the story: read more

MY US MARINE
by Topsgal1977

You stole my heart one summer night
You took my breath away
I saw you when you came in
As I sat in Frank’s Hideaway.

A whilwind romance then we were wed
Not one second was I bored.
Then a sword slapped me on my behind
“Welcome, Mam, to the US Marine Corps.” read more