After 3 long months of waiting, my boyfriend graduated at MCRD San Diego as the Company Honorman. He was meritoriously promoted to Lance Corporal. I missed Family Day, so this was the first time I had seen him in 89 days. After being dismissed, he ran to me and gave me the best hug I could have ever asked for. His sister snapped this picture at just the right time.
Company Honorman
This picture reminds of the “kissing sailor” in Times Square after WW2, except this picture looks classier and more beautiful. Great job in capturing the right moment and the color contrast to black & white background is superb. Congratulations!!!
No disrespect intended to this fine young brand new Marine . But……..lance Corporal after only three months ? No duty station ?No deployment ? No overseas service yet ? PFC, of course but what about all of the fine Marines who spent a year or more in time in grade before raising to E-3? Just the opinion of a 60’s era Recon Marine.
I agree. My one nephew just enlisted in the ROTC program at Penn State. 4 weeks of basic training this summer, half ass training during the school term, then 4 weeks again next summer & BAM.. a 2nd Looser 0-1…REALLY! What a F***’in’ joke. It is no wonder our country is in the shape it is in militarily wise. USMC 1970-1974 OOORRRAAHHH!!!
I agree never heard of making Lance carpal after boot camp. The Corp has really changed.
Not knowing the full story of this young Marines enlistment contract, I have to assume he had 3 or 4 years of high school MCJROTC experience which is an automatic PFC out of boot camp. Given the fact that he was company honorman, He was entitled to a promotion to LCPL. Congrats to this new Marine. Semper Fi, SgtMaj JD USMC Ret. 1963-1993
I was meritoriously promoted as an Honorman Parris Island “79. Sure wish I could have been an E-3, would have discharged honorably as a Sgt instead of Cpl. Also, the caption says Company Honorman, not Platoon Honorman. Did he graduate above the whole Series?
I have to agree with the 60’s era Recon Marine (anyone who disagrees with a Recon Marine is stupid or has a death wish) making PFC out of boot camp is fine, but Lance Corporal? Too much Too soon.
Ok we are still Marines regardless of rank but we are all different in the way we got our ranks?
People who are given too much too fast seldom appreciate it long term. I agree with the Recon Marine from the 60’s. I went to PI on 19 June 1960 and worked hard every day and appreciated the effort my DI’s made on behalf of our platoon. I got a stripe upon graduation and I was truly honored to have been chosen. But Lance Corporal? I think we are spoiling people with an initial promotion that large. I am disappointed to learn of this new “honorman” promotion. I wish the best to all Marines past and present. Buzz , Sgt. E-5
Making L/Cpl in boot camp is very very rare, but is done. Instead of complaining remind yourself this is an outstanding Marine among Marines.as a Vietnam 0311/8651(recon), retired, I challenge anyone to attend today’s Marine Corps boot camp;13 weeks of Hollywood fun in the sun.L/ Cpl Guy Melton(ret) WIA, CAP Marine
CAP Marine??? 1st one I’ve seen on here. Semper Fi, bro. Cap 2-1-3, Nam 70-71. Sgt. Pepper
Quite an honor. When I graduated boot camp in 59, platoon 201 we had a LCpl and Sgt on graduation day but they were prior service, Navy & Army. If your still out there LCpl Lee and Sgt Mikelaitis you guys were awesome and we really never had a clue about your prior service. Semper- Fi. Rich Holleran
What is going on here? This picture and this story have been posted before. I think someone is playing with us. I agree with the L/Cpl out of boot camp in that is is possible, but not likely and, in my mind, shouldn’t happen unless by prior service. The previous discussion brought up the black and white background with the couple in full, living color. If you will also notice, the other person walking away in the background is Navy, not a Marine. Where are all the Marines who just graduated? It smells like a doctored photo to me. I smell a set up and a repeat set up at that.
Al says: I have to agree with the rest of the Marines…too much, too soon. Wonder how long it will take him to earn that extra stripe when he gets to his permanent duty station?
People are walking on the parade ground?
I was in Plt 137 in 1963 at San Diego. In our series we had two army E-6’s and a air force E-5. The army guys came out as E-4’s and the air force guy was an E-3. Right after graduation, family and friends are allow to walk on the grinder to be with the new Marines. In 63, cars were not allow on the grinder at any time unless it was for an emergency.
AT EASE, MARINES!!! …I have known of New Marines making L/CPL out of Boot Camp when they were in ROTC in high school (guaranteed E3 out of Boot Camp) We had one in Series 308-311 @ PI in 1975. With no Family @ my Graduation, I was all over the Parade Deck AFTER the Ceremony.
retired jerry warren powers, july 17. 1973
I gradulated PI in 78 and we had a L/Cpl in our platoon. They gave him the rank for signing up for 6 years. Hmmmm, if I only known. Semper Fi
Wow! You guys need to give the young Devil Dog a break. Join as a guaranteed PFC, Meritorious L/Cpl. What is the problem? Not like its the first time that has happened. I’m sure he earned it. Semper Fi! USMC L/Cpl 1991-1995
I definitely agree….. I was a career Lcpl…..guaranteed PFC out of bootcamp but my recruiter never sent the paperwork. Picked it up at mos school. Went to Okinawa and picked up lcpl. After that they closed Cpl for my mos until i got out. Nothing wrong with this young hard charger picking up meritorious lcpl. Sure he earned it. As fellow devil dogs you shoild remember that nothing was ever given to us in the Corps. We had to earn it, that’s what separates us fron the rest. Lcpl 1994-1998
I too am a 60’s Marine.. You guys are complaining about E3 out of boot, check this… NO mess duty, no quansit huts, my son just did 4 yrs(Camp Pendleton) and can’t even run a buffer….. Still loving the corps… 0311/2311, 64/69
well, “boots”, I was in in the mid 60’s. we had a couple of PFC’s out of boot-camp, but they were high range shooters, house mouse, and I think the guide-on too! as a grunt it took me two more years to pick up L/cpl. but picked up E-4 just before I went to Indian country.. it’s a tough life out there boy’s, and every Marine is different. hopefully (depending on his MOS) he is going to NCO school like I did. he has a lot of fellow Marines depending on him, give him some support, he’ll need it.. and REALLY I hope he never finds the need to be in combat, it could change his whole life, unless he becomes the new “CHESTY” – who knows??
Hey newly Marine, Devil Dog, Jar Head, Leather Neck and LCPL, congrats on becoming one of the finest in the world. Don’t let these salty Marines bring you down on your accomplishment. We just have an opinion about everything and everyone, you’ll have one too when you’ve been out a while. Whatever you did to graduate as a lance corporal, it had to obviously be within the guidelines the Corps had required. So Semper Fi! and I guarantee you that if anyone of these Devil Dogs saw you walk into their bar they would be the first to buy you a beer and congratulate you!. …. Then we would continue to talk smack about how much harder it was when we were in boot camp… but that’s what we do.
OOHRAH!! Rookie. LCpl’s lead the way. Heads up for that sucking chest wound.
Marines don’t use the term “rookie”. It’s an Army term.
Cpl. Mike 69-71, as a boot camp “House Mouse”, got meritorious PFC, then L/Cpl in country after language school, discharge promotion to Cpl. We have a son and daughter both Marines. Son was Amtracs went over the burm into Iraq Daughter joined two years later. I am fired up to see other CAP Marines are out there. I was also 0311/8651 CAP 2/7/4 in 1970.
When I graduated from boot camp at San Diego in 1967 I was chosen Platoon and Series Honorman and received a set of dress blues courtesy of Leatherneck Magazine. This was the case back then and only platoon Honorman received dress blues along with a promotion to PFC. Additionally, about 10% of the platoon made PFC – but only one set of dress blues was awarded. These days, as I was informed by a young Marine, everyone gets the dress blue uniform and Honorman is promoted to Lance Corporal. Surprised me too. I guess it’s just something over and above for a Marine who’s performed “over and above” during the weeks of boot camp. I was a squad leader and endured a lot more responsibility (and more scrutiny) during boot camp. I shot the highest scores at the rifle range and qualified Expert with both the rifle and .45. I do tend to agree the two pay grade promotion seems excessive. However, If he’s the best out of over 300 others and everyone gets the dress blue uniform, and another 10 percent are promoted to PFC, then how else would you distinguish this Marine’s accomplishments from the others? Semper Fi to him and all Marines.
As a Marine graduate from 1964, I’ve never heard of L/ Cpl out of boot camp. What about those who have earned the right to be promoted based on the deployment, MOS duty etc.? Good luck to this young Marine that he doesn’t have his rank frozen for 2 years or more. Ooooooooooohhhraaaahhhhh. Vietnam Veteran and SGT. who earned everything.