So the "once a Marine, always a Marine" thing....does that apply to those who are dishonorably discharged (like that Lonetree guy who gave embassy plans to the Sovs) or do especially heinous stuff once they're out (Charles Whitman, for example)?

I was talking with a (non Marine) buddy about the whole "ex vs former" and for some reason we both thought that a Marine could be (for lack of a better word) 'excommunicated'if they somehow brought disgrace on the USMC.

I agree with you both, although a Marine I have never been.

Completing recruit training isn’t like going through a SOF program. Army Special Forces can revoke the Green Beret for conduct. Naval Special Warfare can “take the Trident”.

But there is no official action beyond the dishonorable discharge in the Corps. It’s what you get I think when your branch is born in a bar and celebrates borderline criminal behavior.

I never thought it was an official thing, more like a community shunning someone. In my head it's all semantics anyway, but I understand the institutional pride.

Marine veteran here. Nothing “official” but the general idea is once you earn the title you have it for life unless you disgrace or bring dishonor to the Corps.

Bad conduct or dishonorable discharge is generally viewed as “ex”-Marine.

“Former” Marine is sometimes applied to those without an Honorable discharge or those who were Honorably Discharged, but didn’t do the full hitch to be a “Retired” Marine. As such, it can be misleading.

“Marine Veteran” is (in my opinion) the more correct term to differentiate between a veteran who served honorably but didn’t “retire”.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
… It’s what you get I think when your branch is born in a bar excels at, and celebrates borderline criminal behavior.

Dishonor The Corps, and your Marine status is revoked. Not of the brotherhood anymore.

In my book if you went in, did your hitch, got out honorably and want to be a former Marine You got it. My father was a retired Marine, My Uncle was a medically retired Marine, My brother and I are former Marines. One thing I'm comfortable saying is that Marines don't spend a lot of daylight over-thinking things.

quote:

Originally posted by wishfull thinker:
One thing I'm comfortable saying is that Marines don't spend a lot of daylight over-thinking things.

In my experience, Marines who were inducted into the USMC since the early 21st century reinterpreted what it meant to be a former Marine. It used to be understood that former meant formerly active duty at some point.

Nowadays it's more like, "Anyone who served AD as a Marine is still a Marine unless he/she was dishonorably discharged or did something to dishonor the Corp."
So a guy who served in the USMC 20 years ago in the Global War against Terror, then was honorably discharged after three years is still a Marine in present tense, and to address him as, "was a Marine" or "former Marine" is offensive to those who served during this century.

Much of this I gathered from discussions online, so take it w/ a grain of salt.

"Once a Marine, always a Marine" is just an expression of a sort of social credit or good standing you are entitled to, if you were in the Marine Corps. It cannot be formally "revoked," because it doesn't formally exist. But I would withdraw any respect or good vibes from any former Marine who brought shame to the Marine Corps, or failed to pull his own weight while he was in, and it takes a lot less than a dishonorable discharge for that. I saw a lot of Marines discharged with OTH (other than honorable, legally short of dishonorable) for various types of misconduct, usually drugs or domestic violence. I wouldn't have the time of day for them if I met them on the street today, and if I saw one wearing USMC gear and soaking up all the "thank you for your service" that tends to draw, I would call him out.

For me personally, retiring from the Marines was just as much a rite of passage as joining was 25 years earlier. That part of my life is over, nobody on active duty cares what I think about current operations, I have no authority or security clearance, and I also don't have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to go PT before work. I am a "former Marine," and if anyone doesn't believe it, let some Marine general give me an order and watch how high I jump.

Same idea as the Army "Soldier For Life" thing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Johnny 3eagles,

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInAR:
... or do especially heinous stuff once they're out (Charles Whitman, for example)?

Not a Marine. I do know a little bit about Whitman, though. It may not have been his fault:

"In the years preceding the attack, Whitman experienced significant personal and psychological difficulties. He sought psychiatric help at the university health center, where he reportedly expressed violent ideations to a counselor. He also complained of severe headaches and periods of irrational rage that he himself found disturbing and described at length in personal writings. A posthumous autopsy revealed a glioblastoma multiforme tumor pressing on his amygdala, a brain region associated with emotional regulation and fear response, prompting ongoing debate among medical experts and historians as to what degree the tumor may have contributed to his violent behavior."

That's from his Wikipedia article.