What Traits Make People Successful in the Marine Corps?

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Bullets are snapping against the concrete around them! Two Marines are pinned down on a rooftop and are unaware of an enemy combatant creeping below the building. As the two Marines maneuver and support each other and their brothers on the ground, a grenade is lobbed onto the roof by the insurgent below. Recognizing the distinct thud of the grenade, Lance Corporal Carpenter of Mississippi throws himself on the grenade, shielding his friend from the blast! What gives the men and women of the Marines the drive and compassion that causes one to behave as Lance Corporal Carpenter did? What inner flame separates one Marine who climbs the ranks from one that serves with a tainted record? What values make one successful in the Marine Corps?

Founded in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was brought to life on November 10. (Poolee) The mission of the Marine Corps is to provide a fighting Marine for service with the United States Navy to assist in the assault or defense of forward naval bases and land operations necessary to the completion of a naval campaign. (Poolee) In short, Marines are an amphibious assault force.

To be a Marine is an abstract, yet resolute privilege. The title “United States Marine” is earned, never given. (Krulak) A Marine recruit undergoes a thirteen week, trial-by-fire process that develops the core values of honor, courage, and commitment in each individual. (Poolee) Brotherhood is developed through team exercises. (Krulak) The cohesion of a unit is essential to its success. (Interview) Marine Corps recruits are also thoroughly ingrained in the history and traditions of the Corps. (Poolee) The history of the Marine Corps includes learning about past leaders, battles, and conduct of Marines during war and tim...

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...on to others and be a success.

Works Cited

Evans, Colonel Stephen S. U.S. Marines and Irregular Warfare, 1898-2007: Anthology and Selected Bibliography. Quantico, Virginia: Marine Corps University Press, 2008.

Harlow, Cassie B., Mark Jordan, and William H. Hendrix. Character Assessment: An Examination of Leadership Levels. 4. 17. Human Sciences Press, Inc., 2003.

King, SSgt. Shawn, SSgt. Nick Mitchell, and Sgt. Jeremy Snider. Personal Interview. 09-11-2011.

Krulak, Commandant. Leading Marines. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy: Headquarters United States Marine Corps, 2002.

Marine Corps Poolee Handbook Quantico, Virginia: Marine Corps Recruiting Command

Reynold, Colonel Nicholas E. U.S. Marines in Iraq, 2003: Basrah, Baghdad, and Beyond: U.S. Marines in the Global War on Terrorism. Washington, D.C.: History Division United States Marine Corps, 2007.

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