Uncle Sam's Miserable Children

On a wet and dreary day in Washington, D.C., last month, I visited the site of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, appropriately commemorating Marines on a day like many when they fought their bravest battles. The memorial itself is in Arlington, Virginia, in sight of the Washington Monument, heralding the Marines' first commander in chief, and the U.S. Capitol, echoing the creation of the Marines by the Continental Congress in 1775.

The monument is massive, re-creating the epic 1945 raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima. The base lists wars and contingencies in which American Marines fought, bled and died. At a place like this, it is hard not to be swept up in the emotion of considering the men and women, brothers and sisters I never knew, who defended this nation's interests in some of the most miserable places in the world. Semper fi, indeed.

The Marines have a well-deserved reputation for being, as a service, the toughest branch of the US military. Every Marine begins as infantry and, regardless of their eventual specialty within the Corps, is bound by the slogan: "Every Marine is, first and foremost, a Rifleman." The smallest branch of the military within the Department of Defense, the Marine Corps is also by far the youngest in its demographics, full of young men (and some women) attracted by the risks that appeal to the boldest among our nation's youth. There are, however, relatively few that make the Marines their career; a small cadre of enlisted noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and commissioned officers lead an ever-changing force of one-term Marines.

Among the other services, including my own U.S. Army, the Marines have a contradictory image. On the one hand, Marines have a reputation for being far too eager to fight, whether our nation's enemies or local rivals in drinking establishments. One joke describes the Marine Corps' tactical manual as having a single page, featuring a large arrow and two instructions: "Step 1. Point this arrow at the enemy. Step 2. Drop the damn manual, pick up your rifle, and attack!" As the son of a Marine officer and stepson of an Air Force NCO, I acquired my respect of, and rivalry with, the Marines through direct experiences.

Known for their willingness to launch what appear to be mindless assaults on their opponents, regardless of the arena, the Marines are also respected for the nimbleness of their branch. Perhaps because of their small size, or even proportionally smaller budget, the Marines are famous for their ability to design, adapt and procure better equipment, faster and smarter than the Army, Navy or Air Force. Marine Corps officers and senior NCOs also seem to be one step before their counterparts in "getting smart" quickly in the face of new enemies and tactics.

While the U.S. Army was still waiting for the Soviets to launch across the Fulda Gap in the 1980s, and struggled to adapt its conventional forces after the Gulf War, the Marines were already presciently studying counterinsurgency and doctrine more appropriate for smaller conflicts. The Marines also require each career NCO and officer to be assigned a "Language, Regional and Culture" Capability, creating a core of leaders ready to operate worldwide.

Marines deploy worldwide, from Okinawa -- not so far from the flag-raising on Iwo Jima -- to the mountains of Afghanistan. As the U.S. military's primary expeditionary force, they are available to engage in direct combat, to evacuate Americans from catastrophes, or support local forces against insurgents.

Still an amphibious force, they often operate in Marine Expeditionary Units that accompany aircraft carrier battle groups and other naval task forces. Supported by the U.S. Navy, which provides much of their logistics, the Marines can operate in tandem with naval forces in regions near water. Smaller and lighter, they are ideal for constricted terrain, such as jungles, beaches, mountains, and maritime regions, while leaving larger ground operations to the U.S. Army.

As a soldier, my response to hearing "the Marines are coming" depends entirely on my location, as I shared with a Marine friend recently. In the unlikely event that I would be in a bar, I would immediately be concerned, and plan my exit. If, however, I was engaged with the enemy, I would smile, thinking of how the bad guys will react to the Marines' arrival: "Somebody is about to have a really bad day."

As I prepared to leave the USMC War Memorial, a large bus stopped, disgorging several dozen foreign army officers, each in their distinctive uniforms. Evidently on a tour of military sites in the D.C. area, they gaped at the monument, talked animatedly -- in many languages -- about the conflicts listed on the monument, posed for photos and took selfies with the monument as backdrop. In just a few minutes, their minders gave the signal to depart. As they boarded, I noted that the charter was in the name of the U.S. Army: proof that perhaps I am not the only soldier who sees value in commemorating and learning from a force that many call -- in a mixture of reverence, pity and envy -- Uncle Sam's Miserable Children.

Wayne Bowen received his Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University, and is also an Army veteran.