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\n[post_page_title]Children in need[\/post_page_title]
\nThe Marines are not just the tough personas they portray to the world, they have a softer side, too. They understand the positive contribution they can make to the world and have collected over 500 million toys to help children in need. Toys for Tots is actually a mission set up by the Marines Corps Reserves which was founded in 1947. The first year they were operating they collected over 5,000 toys for children, and from that moment it became an annual event in the Marine calendar.
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\n[post_page_title]Horsing around[\/post_page_title]
\nIt isn’t just humans that are drafted to the Marines, they take animals too. One of the most famous animals to serve for the Marines was Reckless, a horse that carried over 9,000 pounds of ammunition during a battle in Korea. The bravery shown by Reckless earned her two Purple Heart medals before she was promoted to staff sergeant. Reckless was allowed to wander freely around the Marine\u2019s military base, and she would often sleep in the soldier\u2019s tents on cold nights.
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\n[post_page_title]Bugs Bunny helped during the war[\/post_page_title]
\nThe Marines have a really tough image; they are the soldiers sent into difficult situations and who seemingly take it all in their stride. Fear doesn’t seem to be in their vocabulary, so what character would you pair with these tough troops to try and raise morale during the Second World War? Maybe a movie hero, or a famed military leader? Bugs Bunny was made an honorary Marine Master Sergeant for the conflict, after wearing a Marine uniform in a cartoon, becoming a mascot for several squadrons.
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\n[post_page_title]Chuck Norris is a member[\/post_page_title]
\nChuck Norris has earned himself a reputation for being one of the toughest guys on the planet. Norris actually served in the United States Air Force when he was younger before going on to be one of the most recognizable action movie stars of his generation. Thanks to his contribution both to the military and film, Norris was made an honorary Marine in 2007 by Commandant Gen. James T. Conway. If ever someone didn’t have to go through boot camp to become a Marine, Chuck Norris would be that person.
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\n[post_page_title]Bea Arthur was one too[\/post_page_title]
\nBest known for playing Maude Findlay in the sitcom All in the Family, Bea Arthur actually served in the Marine Corps during World War Two. She worked as both a typist and a truck driver in the women’s reserve, before earning herself an honorable discharge in 1944. Arthur would go on to become one of the most recognizable faces in television but would always have the memory of assisting her country in the war effort during the \u201840s.
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\n[post_page_title]Rob Riggle served 23 years[\/post_page_title]
\nContinuing with the list of celebrities linked with the Marines, comedic actor Rob Riggle served for a very long time in the reserves. He enlisted in 1990, receiving numerous medals during his 23 years of service. For the Marines he would act as a public relations officer but received medals for his duties performed both in Kosovo and Afghanistan. In 2013 he retired from the Marines with the well-decorated and very respectable rank of lieutenant colonel.
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\n[post_page_title]They take their birthday seriously[\/post_page_title]
\nIt\u2019s their birthday and they\u2019ll cry if they want to. The Marines commemorate their birthday each year with a parade and a formal ball. The ball and parade are celebrated nationwide, but each division has their own twist on their celebrations, with some reenacting battles gone by, playing baseball games, and the cutting of a celebration cake. When the cake is cut, the first piece must go to the oldest Marine and the second piece must go to the youngest.
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\n[post_page_title]Marines are invincible[\/post_page_title]
\nMarine snipers have a superstition, believing there is only one round that can end each of their lives. A bullet with their name on it. They think that until that round is fired they are invincible, perhaps explaining why they can sometimes appear to be reckless in their pursuit of glory. Additionally, if that sniper is able to actually find and carry the round with their name on they believe they are untouchable by enemy snipers forever. Not that they then make themselves a target for bullets.
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\n[post_page_title]Keep your hands where we can see them[\/post_page_title]
\nYou know when you don’t really have a clue what to do with your hands, so you jam them in your pockets to prevent them from fidgeting too much? If a Marine is wearing their uniform, they are prohibited from putting their hands in their pockets. It makes you wonder why they even bother putting pockets on the uniforms if the people wearing them aren’t allowed to use them! Maybe they have to get other people to take things in and out of them?
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\n[post_page_title]The \u2018devil dog\u2019[\/post_page_title]
\nThe Marines have an unofficial mascot – an English Bulldog – and it all came from a name the German Army gave Marines during World War One. The \u201cTeufel-Hunden\u201d means \u2018devil dogs,\u2019 and once an artist picked up on the name, a poster was soon created showing a bulldog chasing away a daschund. From that moment, the bulldog was linked to the soldiers in the Marines and their current mascot is Chesty XIV, who helps boost morale for the troops.
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\n[post_page_title]Eat up![\/post_page_title]
\nWhile serving in the Marines, soldiers need to learn to eat quickly. Not just because enemies could be nearby and this might be the last chance they get to eat for a while, but because all Marines must stop eating when their drill instructor has finished their food. If you\u2019ve ever eaten dinner alongside a marine, you might have noticed that while you are still sorting out your napkin they are halfway through their steak already!
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\n[post_page_title]What the symbol means[\/post_page_title]
\nLike many good symbols, there are a bunch of hidden meanings sitting in plain sight that takes a little background knowledge to fully understand. The Marines logo is made of three main features, the globe, an anchor, and an eagle. The eagle represents America, perhaps unsurprising, while the globe represents the Marines\u2019 presence across the world. The anchor is a reminder of their Naval heritage and a symbol of their ability to reach any shore, anytime, anywhere.
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\n[post_page_title]Land-based[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough historically the Marines are meant to be based on water, the troops actually spend more of their time on land than on water. The Marines need to be able to reach land by water, but their training is designed to make them much more dangerous on ground. They call themselves soldiers of the sea, primed and waiting to jump into action on land. Marines are often the first to fight and the nation’s first line of defense.
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\n[post_page_title]PIGs[\/post_page_title]
\nWhen they are fresh out of training a newly qualified marine is often called a PIG, standing for \u2018professionally instructed gunman.\u2019 They are called a PIG until they shoot an enemy sniper in battle and then remove the round in their enemies gun with their name on it. They will then turn that bullet into a necklace and wear it around their neck, becoming the invincible Marine their superstition tells them that they are. Once wearing the bullet they earn the title Hunter of Gunmen (HOG).
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\n[post_page_title]The secret behind “Jarhead”[\/post_page_title]
\nYou might have heard the term jarhead thrown at a Marine before, but do you really understand what it means? It actually pretty simple, and maybe a little insulting; they are called jarheads because of their haircuts. The extremely close shaved sides and little tufts on the top of their heads makes them look like jars. Although it\u2019s a standard issue haircut, some take it to the extreme and break protocol by having mohawks or horseshoes.
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\n[post_page_title]Apricots are bad luck[\/post_page_title]
\nBesides having the bullet with their name on it superstition there is another strange belief the Marines have. They really don\u2019t like apricots. Ever since the Vietnam War, Marines have not trusted apricots after an amphibious tractor (Amtrak) filled with apricots sank and the soldiers inside all perished. Marines who are stationed on an Amtrak still are superstitious of the fruit even 50 years later, where something as innocent as saying the word is frowned upon.
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\n[post_page_title]Requirements[\/post_page_title]
\nThere are a few hoops that potential recruits must jump through to join the Marines. Likely Marines must be American, mentally stable, and have a high school diploma. When enlisting, Marines will be allocated one of 33 careers, depending on what they are good at. Marines must be aged between 17 and 28, and need to be of reasonable fitness. Running three miles in less than 28 minutes is a requirement. Body requirements suggest recruits must be between 5 feet and 6 feet 8, while weighing less than 255 pounds.
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\n[post_page_title]Cobra blood[\/post_page_title]
\nOne of the grimmest rituals involved in the Marines actually comes from Thailand. Thai Marines will give American Marines a day class on jungle survival annually and, once complete, their Thai counterparts will perform a warrior ritual that\u2019s not for everybody. After a grueling day of jungle training, the Marines will then cut the head off a cobra and drink the blood from its body. It takes a pretty strong stomach to go throughout the process but one that’s seen as a rite of passage for soldiers.
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\n[post_page_title]Always Faithful[\/post_page_title]
\nYou might have seen or heard the phrase \u201cSemper Fi\u201d before, but is it just something Marines say to each other, or does it have a deeper meaning? Semper Fidelis is where the phrase comes from and is Latin for always faithful. So when Marines say Semper Fi to each other, it’s a message of an unbreakable bond between each other, devoted to both their comrades and their country, as well as their mission at hand.
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\n[post_page_title]Marine in space[\/post_page_title]
\nMarines don’t just serve their country on this planet, they also do it in outer space too. The very first American to orbit the Earth was John Glenn, who just so happens to be a Marine. In 1962 Glenn was rocketed around this little planet we all come home, before doing it twice more. In the spirit of the Marines, instead of letting it fly on autopilot, Glenn took manual control of his ship and guided it around the Earth twice on his own.
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\n[post_page_title]They were recruited in a bar[\/post_page_title]
\nWhen looking for a fresh batch of Marines where would you look? The gym? Farms? When first recruiting Marines, the Second Continental Congress went looking for a bunch of tough guys in the one place they knew they’d find them, a bar. It was in November 1775 when the first sea soldiers were recruited from Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, with potential recruits buttered up by captains with the promise of drinks and adventures, the way to any Marines heart.
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\n[post_page_title]Drew Carey cracked jokes for six years[\/post_page_title]
\nFrom the years of 1981 to 1987 comedian Drew Carey was a United States Marine. He enlisted in the Reserves and would regularly tell jokes to his comrades, a move that would kickstart his comedy career. It was in the Marines where he adopted his characteristic short hairstyle, and in recent years he has competed in several marathons to raise funds in support of the Marine\u2019s causes. In 2018 Carey featured on crime drama NCIS as a Marine sergeant, a position he actually held while serving.
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\n[post_page_title]There’s a book club[\/post_page_title]
\nIt\u2019s not all about fighting wars in the Marines, they have a book club too, kind of. Each year the commandant of the Marines publishes a list of books they recommend all members to read. While they don’t have to get through the entire list, all Marines are expected to finish at least three of the books they have been suggested. Recent books have included Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and Starship Troopers.
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\n[post_page_title]Older than the United States[\/post_page_title]
\nThe United States Marine Corps is actually older than the country they are sworn to defend. Before the Declaration of Independence was written and signed, the Marines were already up and running for a year protecting their people. Initially set up in 1775, the Marines were fighting a year before the U.S. declared independence on July 4, 1776. Making them one of the few domestic organizations still existing to predate the United States of America.
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[post_page_title]Children in need[\/post_page_title] The Marines are not just the tough personas they portray to the world, they have a softer side, too. They understand the positive contribution they can make to the world and have collected over 500 million toys to help children in need. Toys for Tots is actually a mission set up by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":66057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n