To those of us that have served in Uncle Sam's beloved Motorcyle Club, we take these words as the gospel. But we also know that Semper Fidelis plays second fiddle to the true Marine Corps Motto -
HURRY UP and WAIT.
From the first minute you first stand on those yellow footprints, situated at a precise 45 degree angle, you begin to learn that through ALL things you must hurry up and wait. USMC Bootcamp is longer than the other branches. Some may think that extra time is needed to Earn the Title - Marine. Truth is, it has to be longer because of all that time we sat around on our ass waiting for the word.
It doesn't stop after recruit training. Throughout MCT/SOI newly annointed, "boot" Marines perfect standing in nice straight lines. Cleaning gear and weapons in between those trips to the Range and to "the Field" may seem as a necessary means to a proper end, but I'm calling Bullsh*t. In retrospect I can see that we sat on the parade deck and fiddled with meanial tasks as a way of further driving home the official motto. Hurry Up & Wait. I don't speak Latin but it'd be interesting if the Latin translation was something poetic - fit for another tattoo.
Succesfully graduated from warrior training, Marines dropped to the Fleet are readied for days on end of NOTHING. Sure we can amaze you with exciting stories of training opportunities, and high speed weapons. Stories of heroism and un-Godly feats of strength and stamina. Understand, every single story of awesomeness is just a ruse that was paid for with minutes, hours and days of doing nothing. Nothing but waiting on the word.
Waiting for some General to give an order. A Major to tell a Captain. A Captain to tell his Lieutenants. The Lieutenants to give the word to the Senior Staff NCO's. The NCO's to argue and question and to tell the officers the right way to do things...sometimes starting the whole process over again. And in the meantime, the junior Marines are perfecting the Art of doing NOTHING. Nothing of circumstance anyway.
Moving from build up, training and preparation and in to War Time, the only constant is that you can bet your sweet ass that you'll be sitting on your sweet ass. I earned my Combat Action award in Mogadishu, Somalia 25 years ago - for that I am proud. My journal helps reconnect the synapses of my brain with memories of long ago. Read in between the lines of any military memoir and you're sure to see that through all the smoke and mirrors, fire and brimstone - I can promise that there were times with very little ACTION in any true Combat Action.
And then of course, one's service eventually comes to an end. The acronym of love with just 3 lonely letters is EAS. It means End of Active Service. Home from deployment, Shortimer Marines await their civilian futures on the horizon. Time ticks by at a snail's pace and every good Marine worth his salt meets this last challenge head on. When you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and are counting the days left on your hitch, terminal Marines quickly learn that the best way to pass the time is to do nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.
Hurry Up and Wait.
Time marches on.
And so my fellow Americans, as our nation's leaders implore us to Shelter in Place while the shelf life of COVID-19 is whittled down, I can assure you that I've trained my whole life for this. Stay at home. Grab a good book. Try a new recipe. Build some baits or bust out the crochet hooks. Play a board game or Heaven fobid - Do Nothing. It's O.K.
"General Quarters. General Quarters. All hands on deck, General Quarters"
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