Ready. Set... 

Dam straight! Semper Fi! 89-93 here. I was a 2531, Field Radio Operator and was hella thankful for them as well.

@@gunrunner35 I was a mortarman by trade. Our radio guy and I were tight. He was a corporal at the time and went out of his way to make sure anyone in his vicinity could pick up his radio and get the job done if he went down. It was always funny how everyone knows their jobs but as soon as you hand them a radio they blank out. We took all the knowledge and experience he gave us as new guys and passed it on to all of our peers in the rifle platoons. We actually had some hella hard chargers in our company and the next mortar range we shot, we had a squad leader tag along with his entire rifle squad. They sat up in a ridge and all of them took turns picking targets, using their acogs on their m4s to distance them, compasses to get the direction, and calling them over the radio to us. We shot a ton of rounds which is always awesome but by the time we left everyone of those dudes could call targets and walk in indirect fire on them over the radio with zero issues. It was by far some of the best training I had ever seen. We had great leadership from the bottom up and our command cultivated that. Those guys went to Afghanistan not long after that where some had to call for fire and they got the job done all because a radio guy spent some extra time with the mortar section. Long story short brother, everyone is an asset and should be treated as such.

Semper Fi

@@Zach-ed4nx Semper fi brother

what years?

Read Smedley Butler

Never heard a marine refer to himself as a “former” marine. Nice try though bud.

A Marine doesn't call themselves a "former" Marine.

@@ConfusedCrab-tp8gc #1, never accuse me of not being a Marine, you obviously haven't been around Marines or former Marines. I graduated from Marine Corps Basic training on 13 Oct 89 from MCRD Parris Island, SC. Plt 2085! I then went to Camp Geiger and went through MCT ( Marine Combat Training) and got done with that around Thanksgiving of 1989. Then went to 29 Palms California aka 29 Stumps, and attended the Field Radio Operators Course to become a 2531 Field Radio Operator of which I was the Platoon Guide and had my E3, Lance Corporal rank by then. Then went overseas to Okinawa where I was in 7th Comm. Bn, Alpha Co. Radio Plt. at Camp Hansen for 1990 and half of 1991. While there I had the distinct pleasure of being able to be detached for a communications mission to support the 3rd SOTG (Special Operations Training Group). Then went to 8th Marines at Camp Lejeune with HHC, 8th Mar. Regt. 2nd Mar. Div. until I got out in 1993 and I made Corporal, E4 before I got out. Yes, we normally would refer to ourselves as former Marines because we are not on active or reserve duty and not retired and my message was directed to my fellow Marines which understand why I said it the way I did. I am and always will be, a Marine! I did 4 years and then got caught in the cutbacks from the Gramm-Rudman act of 1985, Gradual reduction of forces over the following 10 years, and was not allowed to re-enlist due to my MOS was full and I didn't have time to get to another school to change my MOS before my ETS. I was devastated by it and literally wandered around for a couple of months trying to figure out what to do, as I couldn't be an active duty Marine anymore and didn't want to be in the Reserves. I had planned on retiring as a Marine, life got in the way of that. Don't ever 'effing accuse me of not being a former Marine or implying that I wasn't. By the way, again, my message was to my fellow Marines and not a civilian pogue anyway. And I can tell by your response that you never were a Marine. If I were to walk up to a group of Marines and say, "Hey, I'm a Marine too!" They would look at me funny and ask me who I'm with, etc. etc. So, as a former Marine, which again, only means not on active service or in the reserves, it immediately let's them know that I served at one time, but am not currently on active duty or in the reserves. I then talk to them about their experiences and see how they are doing and share that camaraderie that I will always have with my fellow Devil Dogs! A civilian pogue who has only read about some stuff wouldn't know any of that anyway. Also, since I'm not in the reserves or on active duty, I'm not going to walk around and say, Hey, I'm a Marine too! If I walk up to a group of people and say Hey, I'm a Marine, they will want to know where I'm stationed at, what I'm doing, etc. etc. thinking I'm on active duty. It was directed to my fellow Marines and the one(s) that posted the video. Anyway take it or leave it, I don't fuking care. I am a Marine and identify as a former Marine as well. You'll never know what it means. Don't ever call me bud, I am not your bud. The only ones who aren't former Marines are those that receive a BCD (Bad Conduct Discharge) or more commonly known as Big Chicken Dinner, as they did not act in the behavior of a Marine and violated the tenets and values and the core essence of what it is to be Marine, in essence, they went against all that the Corps stands for. If we were face to face right now, this would be a totally different situation and it wouldn't be a happy one for you. I will always have a brotherhood with my fellow Leathernecks that can't be described or touched or felt by the likes of you, unless you've done it and I know you haven't, simply by your response. You'll never understand, and don't understand why your statement is so offensive and down right ignorant. And because of the internet being what it is, I can't say to you what I really want to say because I don't want to get banned from YT. And on that note, have a nice fukin day.

HELL YEAH

@@Maxi-wp7xd There ya go

Idk if this is meant as a joke or not but... the coast guard can throw hands bro! My dad was on a destroyer in the gulf of Mexico hunting drug runners and spent time with coast guard hit teams that ran in tandem with them. I've heard all kinds of stories about some of the outright silly shit those guys would do to get the mission done when they were tasked with boarding and clearing drug boats.

A artist.