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72 <a href="http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette">www.mca-marines.org/gazette</a> M a r i n e C o r p s G a z e t t e • M a y 2 0 0 9 FEATURE for whose very freedom we are willing to die. We don’t leave our families for long stretches of time for the paycheck, we don’t deploy into a combat zone for the living conditions, and we don’t ensure there is a round in the chamber because we want to shoot someone. Nor does anyone I know enjoy wondering if he or she will ever see loved ones again. Our motives, like war itself, are complex, layered, and visceral. But how do we expect civilians to understand if we don’t communicate? “There are two arts that raise men to the highest places of honor: the Soldier and the Orator,” Cicero observed 2,000 years ago. “By the former, the glories of peace are preserved; by the latter, the perils of war are driven away.”13 Be that or- ator—but outside military communities. Preaching to the converted is comfortable, but the goal is education through communication, not comfort. “Live dangerously,” Nietzsche advised, “and erect your cities beside Vesuvius.”14 Find ven- ues that have nothing to do with the military. Because of our involvement around the globe, the military is in the news cycle and on everyone’s radar. Leverage this opportunity. Write op-ed pieces, letters to the editor, and articles in non- military venues. Speak to parent-teacher associations, com- munity boards, and every neighborhood organization you can find. Explode myths from prior eras. Political rhetoric notwith- standing, the average enlistee is not some uneducated back- water redneck or dead-end inner-city youth. In 2007, 99 percent of recruits were high school graduates (against 84 percent nationally), while 95 percent of officers had bache- lor’s degrees (against 27 percent nationally); 50 percent of recruits came from the wealthiest two-fifths of neighbor- hoods, but only 29 percent from the poorest two-fifths; and—mirroring the country’s rich diversity—34.5 percent of all recruits belonged to a racial or ethnic minority (against 34.2 percent nationally).15 That these myths persist is our fault. Increased exposure has other benefits, including enhanc- ing our awareness and broadening our perspectives. The United States has always had a rich, complex relationship with the Marine Corps, with the result that everything we do, we do as Marines. GEN George S. Patton raced across France, GEN Douglas MacArthur took the Philippines, COL James Doolittle bombed Tokyo, ADM Chester A. Nimitz won Midway. But Marines raised the flag on Iwo Jima, Marines fought and froze at Chosin, and Marines held Khe Sanh against all odds. This visibility has great value. “Send in the Marines” has been uttered by every President since Thomas Jefferson sent a detachment of Leathernecks to the shores of Tripoli in 1801, and the Nation knows it. There is also a price. When Sgt Clayton Lonetree was con- victed in 1987 for disclosing secrets to the Russians, the headlines read, “Marine Spy,” followed by the obligatory pic- ture in dress blues.16 Every book on American history notes that Lee Harvey Oswald was a Marine. Like it or not, every- one who has ever worn the eagle, globe, and anchor is a walk- ing, talking infomercial—for better and worse. Members of the Marine Reserves have an added respon- sibility. In a society where so few of its citizens personally know anyone in the military, you might be the only Marine in your neighborhood. And everyone with whom you work or socialize knows or should know that you are a Marine— not because of the bulldog tattoo, Marine Corps sweatshirt, and short haircut, but because of the way you carry yourself and because you’ve told them so—not boastfully, but natu- rally, as an integral part of who you are. To those civilians, you are the Marine Corps. Embrace your duties as an ambassador of the Corps. If you are honorable in your dealings, straightforward in your talk, and respectful in your conduct, then that is how the Marine Corps will be viewed. If you are overweight, the Ma- rine Corps is overweight. If you turn in sloppy work, cut cor- ners, or can’t be trusted, well, you get the idea. You don’t like it? Transfer to another Service. I hear they are all hiring. Through the enlightened leadership of the Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned, I have carried this message of who we are, what we do, and why we do it, more than 200 times in 135 cities in 16 countries—in venues ranging from universities, editorial boards, and governmental organizations to Interpol; the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; and both houses of British Parlia- ment. Hardly a “lovefest” at the beginning of any talk—I have, after all, spoken at Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale; in France, Greece, and Spain; and to the Diplomatic Corps in Washington, DC—all have been well attended and, at the end, well received. I always enjoy the look of surprise when I mention that our required reading list includes Thucydides, T.E. Lawrence, Thomas Friedman, and Bernard Lewis. It’s the message, not the messenger, that wins them over. Countless others, Active and Reserve, have been engaged in the same community outreach since John Basilone took the country by storm with his 1943 war bond tour, but in a similarly ad hoc manner. That outreach should be expanded to include all ranks, geographic areas, and backgrounds and formalized with funding, guidance, and oversight. Conclusion There is more at stake than just a misunderstanding of our demographics and motives. During the darkest days of WWII, George Orwell said, “We sleep safe in our beds be- cause rough men stand ready in the night to do violence to those who would harm us.”17 That is what we do when we do it right. Marines, like cops, have codes of conduct, lead- Like it or not, everyone who has ever worn the eagle, globe, and anchor is a walking, talking infomercial. . . .
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