Fun facts about the Marines

I wanted to have a little bit of fun with this post and lighten up the mood, so I decided to post some more interesting facts regarding the Marines. Some of these facts will catch you by surprise. Not to many are familiar that some of the famous stars of Hollywood actually served in the U.S. Marines. There are also tales of survival that are hard to believe and some very interesting stories of heroism.  These facts are always intriguing to know and can make for some good conversation:

• Jason Dunham, a Marine Corporal saved two fellow Marines in Iraq by covering a live grenade with his helmet and body - Source
• CNN medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta saved a Marine’s life after he was shot in the head during the opening days of the invasion of Iraq. Without proper tools, Gupta performed the brain surgery with a Black and Decker handheld drill. The Marine lived - Source
• Ernest “Boots” Thomas, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima, was able to enlist in spite of being color blind by memorizing the results of another man’s test - Source
• Comedian Drew Carey served 8 years in the Marine Corps where he would tell jokes to his fellow Marines, jump starting his comedy career- Source
• The US Marine Corps is older than the United States itself, predating the Declaration of Independence by a year- Source
• Rob Riggle, (SNL, The Daily Show, The Hangover, 21 Jump Street) is a retired US Marine Lt. Colonel, serving his country for 23 years, deploying to Kosovo, Liberia and Afghanistan - Source
• Carlos Hathcock, was a Marine sniper who shot an enemy sniper through the enemy’s own scope, hitting him in the eye and killing him- Source
• The Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War was lost due to Tootsie Rolls. A code reader mistook the code for mortar shells (“snacks”, they were called), and literally sent hundreds of crates of Tootsie Rolls to the marines who were out of mortar rounds - Source
• 3 years after illegally joining the Marines at the age of 14, Jacklyn Lucas snuck onto a ship bound for Iwo Jima, stormed the beach without a rifle, and threw himself on top of two grenades to protect his team. He survived, and earned the Medal of Honor at the age of 17- Source
• Before his work as a talk show host, Montel Williams was a Marine, a naval intelligence cryptologic officer, a motivational speaker, a rodeo clown, got a degree in engineering, and studied Mandarin - Source

I hope this has peaked your interest as much as it has for myself. There are many other fascinating facts about the military that are intriguing to know. Facts such as the ones mentioned get me excited to learn about the folks who carry these honorary titles. It doesn’t take a strong person, nor does it take a smart person, to make a great Marine, all you need is the heart to serve your country.

The Chattanooga shooting

I would like to dedicate a post to the Marines and other individuals that were wounded in the Chattanooga Tennessee shooting. If you are unfamiliar with the story it occurred on July 16, 2015.  A gun man named Mohammad Yousssuf Abdulazeez entered into a military recruiting center and opened fire.  He then went on to a U.S. Navy facility killing and injuring more innocent people. In total Mohammad shot seven people, killing four U.S. Marines. The four Marines that lost their life that day are Thomas Sullivan, a native of Hampden, Massachusetts; Squire “Skip” Wells, a native of Marietta, Georgia; David Wyatt, a native of Burke, North Carolina; and Carson Holmquist of Grants, Wisconsin.



These brave men were all combat veterans who served this country heroically. This incident has become a common occurrence throughout the United States. With all the terrorism and retaliation, innocent victims and civilians get caught in between the crossfire.

As these facilities were under attack, the Marines acted rapidly and evacuated the individuals that were in the building. Having found it to be their responsibility to assure everyone gets out safely and that the gunmen does not hurt any innocent victims, the Marines stood within the premises to secure the intruder from entering the building. In doing so these brave men risked and lost their own lives but were able to save the lives of seven other individuals. It is a shame that a careless act of violence has resulted in the deaths of such brave individuals who had served their country diligently. Even as these Marines found themselves in-between crossfire before, it is saddening to know that their lives were taken in the place where they were to be considered the safest, their own homeland.

Mohammad was known as an articulate college graduate with a bright future ahead of him, what has left us all flabbergasted is the reason of why this unfortunate took place. There are still ongoing investigations from the FBI to see whether or not this was a terrorist attack or not. For the time being they’re treating it as such. The rampage eventually came to an end when Lieutenant Commander Timothy White courageously pulled his own firearm and shot the assailant. Although this military office is a gun free zone and personal firearms are not permitted on the grounds, Lt. White reacted in a heroic way and saved the lives of other potential victims had he not responded quickly.

Lieutenant White deserves an honorable award; instead he is under scrutiny and may face possible legal charges for firing his weapon when he legally shouldn’t have. I think in this event there are certain circumstances that should be considered that may possibly outweigh the legality of the situation when it resulted in preventing further harm and death. He acted in defense and protected those who were not able to protect themselves. I will continue to follow this story and hope charges will be dropped for this brave hero. As to the men who lost their lives and the families that are undoubtedly suffering, my sympathy and admiration go out to all of you!

Military trivia

Although some military experts have an incredibly in-depth knowledge of the military, no one person can know everything there is to know. I have searched books and the Internet and have come up with 15 military facts I bet you didn’t know. These facts make great dinner conversations.

1. 30 of the 43 Presidents served in the Army, 24 during time of war, two earned the rank of 5-star General (Washington and Eisenhower) and one earned the Medal of Honor (T. Roosevelt)

2. Less than 28 percent of Americans between the ages of 17-23 are qualified for military service, that’s only about 1-in-4.

3. The U.S. Air Force was part of the Army until 1946. It was called the Army Air Corp.

4. Only one President (James Buchanan) served as an enlisted man in the military and did not go on to become an officer.

5. The Department of Defense employs about 1.8 million people on active duty. It is the largest employer in the United States, with more employees than Exxon, Mobil, Ford, General Motors, and GE combined!

6. The Department of Defense owns 29,819,492 acres of land worldwide.

7. The United States has 737 military installations overseas alone.

8. The Navy’s bell-bottom trousers, are commonly believed to be introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll them above the knee when washing down the decks and to make it easier to remove them in a hurry when forced to abandon ship or when washed overboard. In addition the trousers may be used as a life preserver by knotting the legs and swinging them over your head to fill the legs with air.

9. The Coast Guard seizes 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine worth $9,589,000.00 on a daily basis.

10. The Coast Guard is smaller than the New York City Police Department.

11. The Marine Corps motto, "Semper Fidelis,” was adopted in 1883 as the official motto. It is Latin for Always Faithful.

12. The nickname “Leatherneck” originates from the stiff leather stock that early Marines wore around their necks, probably to protect their jugular vein against saber blows.

13. The English Bulldog, also known as "Teufel-hunden,” or "Devil Dogs,” is the unofficial mascot that symbolize the ethos of the Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines. The U.S. Marine Corps earned this unofficial mascot during World War I, when many German reports called the attacking Marines "teufel-hunden," meaning Devil-Dogs. “Teufel-hunden” were the vicious, wild and ferocious mountain dogs of German Bavarian folklore.

14. The U.S. Army was in charge of exploring and mapping America. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was an all Army affair. Army officers were the first Americans to see such landmarks as Pike's Peak and the Grand Canyon.

15. The Air Force's F-117 fighter uses aerodynamics discovered during research into how bumblebees fly.

So there they are, 15 facts you didn’t know, but now you do. Now you can amaze your friends and family with your knowledge of military trivia.