What the hell is An EGA???
NO Marine should refer to our Emblem as an "EGA!" There is no such thing as an EGA. Just as there is neither a Marine Sergeant who is an E-5, nor a Marine Corporal who is an E-4! No E-numeric ranks! Hey, I don't condone those silly "oohrahs," either--Semper Fidelis was the motto of the Old Salts I followed into the Corps, and it still is for all Marines now!
-Dick Gaines, GySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952-1972
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was inspired to write this short webpage by an article I discovered in a recent issue of Leatherneck magazine. That profoundly significant article by Sergeant Major David W. Sommers, USMC (Ret), was on the topic of the non-existent EGA, You may wish to read the full text of his article in the February 2001 issue of Leatherneck; it is in the Sound Off column, page 63, under the title, "SgtMaj Sommers: No Way To "EGA"
He states, in part:
"...as a newly promoted corporal in 1961, I was taught by my battalion sergeant major
that I was responsible to my commander and the Corps to protect the customs, courtesies
and traditions of our Corps.
To the NCOs and staff NCOs, the protectors of our customs, courtesies and traditions;
you better nip this one in the bud before it gets away from you....The emblem of the Corps is the common thread that binds all Marines together, officer, enlisted, past and present...To reduce our emblem to just initials or an acronym is unforgivable and should not be tolerated. The eagle, globe and anchor tells the world who we are, what we stand for and what we are capable of, in a single glance. This same emblem is a living, breathing symbol of the spirit that is in each of us who are priviliged to wear it. It is a spirit that makes a qualitive difference between a Marine and any other fighting force in the world. It is not the "EGA" but the eagle, globe and anchor, the emblem of the United States Marine Corps."
-SgtMaj David W. Sommers, USMC (Ret)
11th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
New Braunfels, Texas
Great Site.......
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/dickg/usmcemblem.html
Sempers,
Roger