"Esprit de Corps" all Marines have it!

[thedrifter]

"Esprit de Corps" all Marines have it!

But there is another common trait, Humor. Uncanny humor in the place of fear and loneliness, has saved many a combat Veteran from certain insanity, some even from death.

PAIN - No one likes pain. The Corps taught us how to deal with pain. For many of us, the first encounter with true fear and pain, was in Boot Camp. Our DI's put a new meaning to the words fear and pain and then they taught us how to overcome our fears and take the pain.

In Vietnam, what couldn't be overcome with outright tenacity, pure guts and brute force, was overcome with humor .

While serving in Vietnam, we all had to learn, first hand, how to deal with the constant fear. This fear was a lingering, emotional state, most often present while contemplating action. For once we actually went into action, all our training and experience kicked in and there was only time to act.

It was after action or alone on watch, the times spent alone that were the most difficult.

Alone in the dark with only your weapon and imagination for company, our minds were constantly drifting back and forth from thoughts of Home and Family, to who or what, may be lurking in the not so distant darkness.

It was during these times of loneliness, that fear played its biggest roll. Each of us had a different and personal way of dealing with this aspect of life in a war zone. Most common was Humor. Finding humor in the darkest moments of life, was for some, the only connection to sanity. Humor gave us the power to cope.

Our Humor can be crass, bitter and sometimes downright ugly. We call each other names that only another Marine can be comfortable repeating. We make sick jokes about death and we use profanity to describe every aspect of life.

No one is safe from a Marine on the Verbal attack, not the enemy, our government, our leaders or even our beloved Corps, a Marine on the Verbal attach, takes no prisoners

We Marines can be almost as deadly with words as we are with weapons.

Esprit the Corps and pure unadulterated, USMC Humor is our secret weapon.

This section is dedicated to Marine Combat Humor. Many may not understand, and that's ok



Sempers,

Roger