Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit

Conclusion: A Corps for Five Hundred Years…

In the chapters of this book, I've tried to take you on a tour of what are undoubtedly the crown jewels of the United States Marine Corps, the MEU (SOC)s. In exploring these seven precious national assets though, I hope that you have gotten some sort of sense of what the Marines are all about. While the units themselves are wondrous and dangerous precision instruments for the national leadership to move about the chessboard of world events, it is important to remember what the basic building blocks of the MEU (SOC)s are: Marines. Marines are perhaps, as I proposed in the Introduction, the ultimate expression of America's military persona. When a person in a foreign land thinks about what the United States might send if they were angry or helpful, Marines coming ashore are often the most likely response that comes to mind.

I like to think about the Marines a lot. My own ideas about the Corps caused me to give my primary novel character, Jack Ryan, a Marine background. Many of the ethics, morals, and characteristics that I consider central to Jack, are at the core of the Marine ethos. In addition, Marines have filled the pages of my books, because they are reliable, inventive, and colorful people in real life. I like to think that those same images are the ones that an enemy would have, prior to considering a fight with them. This is perhaps their most powerful weapon against a potential opponent: the fear of what might happen if one had to face a force of American Leathernecks in battle. You see, Marines are mystical. They have magic.

Marines like to see themselves as firemen in a world full of pyromaniacs these days, and perhaps they are right. Busy as the various units of the Corps have been in the five decades since the end of World War II, the five years since the end of the Cold War have been positively dizzying. Liberia. Desert Shield. Somalia (the first, second, and third times). Desert Storm. Bosnia-Herzegovina. I could go on, but I think you are probably getting the idea. Marines are our sentries on the walls of the world, and they take an immense pride in the privilege of serving in that role. When they call themselves"…the 911 Force…," they really do mean it. Thank God they do, because in a world filled with nationalistic dictators, natural disasters, and other unexpected things, we really need Marines!

To this end, I perhaps owe them a few thoughts on how I view their future. Five decades ago, at the moment of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima, there occurred the defining moment in the history of the Corps. Watching from an offshore command ship, and viewing the bravery and determination of the Marines who had made it to the top of that fire-lashed peak, was James Forrestal, then-Secretary of the Navy. As the flag went up, and all of the emotion rose in the throats of those watching, he is said to have spoken the following words to General Holland "Howlin Mad" Smith:

"Holland, the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years…"

At the time of the Iwo Jima invasion, the Corps had not yet celebrated its 170th birthday. Now, fifty years later with the dawn of a new millennium within sight, it is easier to see what Secretary Forrestal meant. What he was talking about was a spirit and ethos that allows the Marine Corps to attack new problems and missions with fresh ideas and perspectives. Sometimes, when the other services and our allies have decided that these things are "too hard" to accomplish within their institutional guidelines and restrictions. The U.S. Marines have been leaders in technology and tactical development in this century, and you see it in the unique mix of equipment and doctrine that they have developed. Things like precision weapons delivery (sniping and dive bombing) and over-the-horizon transport systems (air cushioned landing craft and helicopter assaults). When you want something new done, give it to a Marine!

So what does this mean about the future of the Marines in the 21st century? Well, for starters they have one. In the minds of the national command authorities, they provide a valuable contribution to maintaining America's forced entry capability. That alone should ensure their survival to their 250th birthday. Beyond that, the skies are literally the limit. Emerging technologies in systems like long-range vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft could see a merging of the current missions of airmobile and forward deployed forces. Powered personal armor and armament systems could see the emergence of Marines looking something like Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers by the middle of the next century. Beyond that, it is probably impossible to imagine just what kinds of roles and missions that they will have.

Whatever technology brings though, there will be some things that Marines will always be, even in the year 2275 when they celebrate their 500th birthday. They will, as always, be the best basically trained warriors in the world. Even in the 23rd century there will probably be drill sergeants and yellow footprints in the Palmetto groves of Parris Island. Marines will also be riflemen, or whatever kind of personal weapon is in fashion three hundred years from now. Aimed fire from a shouldered weapon will always be a vital part of the Marine ethos. Finally, they will be finding new and innovative ways to win battles, and support the execution of wars. The enemies by then may even be extraterrestrials, but I think that the Generals Krulak (father and son) would heartily approve.

When I said earlier that Marines are America, I meant it. They represent us in so many different ways, in a variety of roles. From standing watch as embassy guards to flying the President in their distinctive olive-drab helicopters, Marines are people that we trust in whatever job they are assigned to perform. That trust is born from a commitment, both institutional and personal. It means that a Marine is both a part of a finely designed machine, yet has made a commitment to stand out from the crowd, and make their own way in life. It is hard not to smile when you see them, whatever their age, rank, and assignment. Whether they are in for just a few years, or make it a lifelong commitment like some of the people we have met in this book, the Corps changes them all for life. And whatever their reason for having originally joined the Marines, they seem to have come into a common defining experience that allows them to share something special from life.

So be proud of them, because they are proud to serve you. Respect them, because they defend the things that make our nation the finest in the world. And please love them, because they stand on the walls of freedom, and keep them safe for the rest of us to sleep soundly at night. That is the real meaning of their motto Semper Fidelis— "Always Faithful." They always have been, and always will be. Even if it takes five hundred years to prove it.