I arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, on 20 August 2002. My choice to turn out to be a Marine lastly turned a actuality after a number of months within the Delayed Entry Program. I knew nothing in regards to the Marine Corps after I first met the recruiter, however its historical past permeated my selection.
The drill teacher quickly started educating Marine Corps historical past with reverence and keenness. The struggle in Afghanistan was simply starting, and the Iraq Conflict had not but began, however the tales crammed the squad bay with the spirits of Marines previous.
I by no means understood something the drill teacher was educating; it was like ingesting from a hearth hydrant that has been spraying for 2 hundred years. Nonetheless, the drill instructors have been passionate in regards to the tales and the folks inside Marine Corps historical past. They have been simply as passionate to show, emboldened by the hope that the longer term Marines could be impressed to hold on the legacy of the Corps. One factor was clear: Historical past is the lifeblood of the Marine Corps.
When he turned commandant, Normal John A. Lejeune knew that embracing Marine Corps historical past was important to its modernization. The Marine Corps must proceed embracing its historical past to achieve success on future battlefields. Nonetheless, rote memorization and ingesting from the fireplace hydrant sort instruction is not going to empower future Marines to study and embrace their historical past.
A New Historical past
The yr 2020 ushered in a sea change in understanding U.S. historical past for a lot of Individuals. In a free and simply society, scrutiny and reevaluation is and ought to be welcomed. With out it, historical past turns into stale and extraneous, with no that means for its residents. All through the previous 20 years, historical past schooling declined in lots of faculty curriculums all through the nation because of declining budgets and to emphasise different topics. It has since made a roaring comeback, and as latest highschool and faculty graduates see historical past as motivation to assist them perceive their id, it would tremendously affect the longer term technology of Marines as they are going to do the identical.
The Marine Corp is constructed upon a storied and proud historical past and may all the time welcome renewed curiosity and scrutiny; it’s what’s going to hold the Corps alive and vibrant. Nonetheless, the centuries outdated battles which might be celebrated and taught will present little that means for future Marines. The present technology of Marines have fought in fight for 20 years with the best braveness and valor that can outline this latest of biggest generations. Regardless that this most up-to-date historical past can be outlined not by “historic battles of glory” like Iwo Jima or Guadalcanal. Camaraderie is what’s going to outline this period. There’ll all the time be knowledge and motivation to glean from the good historic titans which have fought and sacrificed for county and Corps. Nonetheless, the context they’re introduced in doesn’t relate to that of the following technology of Marines.
Social Media
Future Marines can be impressed and emboldened seeing historical past unfold by their social media as a result of they see themselves in it. This isn’t useless or egotistical; it creates a method to share within the occasion virtually immediately, permitting for the expansion of group in a Corps that’s stretched all over the world. Historical past was written by the victors; now it’s written by the biggest variety of shares and retweets. Social media photographs are already shaping the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, and present and future Marines—now greater than ever—are additionally being formed by these photographs.
The life blood of the Marine Corps is its historical past. From the 13 service members killed in the course of the withdrawal from Afghanistan to the 1000’s of Marines killed in wounded in fight since 11 September 2001, Marines carry the delight of its historical past, traditions, and legacy wherever they go when every new technology provides to the wealthy tapestry. The present technology of Marines have fought two main campaigns with the best quantity of valor and braveness all to see their hard-fought work slip away. The veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq fought the longest wars in U.S. historical past with each concluding someplace between stalemate and chaos.
The pictures of Individuals airlifted in Kabul when the Taliban captured town mirrored Saigon in 1975, recalling emotions of failure and fears of a humanitarian catastrophe. As tens of 1000’s of Afghans fled to the Kabul airport, social media photographs have impressed Individuals. From Afghan refugees hugged and welcomed to Marines lifting infants over the wire and caring for them, the poster picture of the square-jawed Marine satan canine is morphing to what the twenty first century wants in a hero, i.e., nurturing humanitarian caring for the lives of individuals in far off locations. All that is occurring on our screens proper earlier than our eyes.
The Way forward for Marine Corps Historical past
The problem is learn how to deliver the Marine Corps ethos, soul, and character to an America society that has no information and/or no real interest in this historical past. Branding and public picture just isn’t the soul of an establishment. The Marine Corps has excelled on this side with memorable recruiting TV commercials and print ads which have formed the general public’s creativeness for generations, however extra could be accomplished on a deeper stage.
The battles of the longer term can be fought with essentially the most superior applied sciences, ways, and methods, however it’s the empowerment of Marine Corps historical past sooner or later generations that can win these battles. Marines wish to know their historical past and be pleased with the legacy they’re carrying on. Nonetheless, this historical past should communicate to the reality of the Marine Corps—and the place the Corps will go sooner or later.
100 years have handed since Normal Lejeune was commandant and reworked the Corps into its fashionable context. The ethos of the trendy Marine Corps grew out of Lejeune’s reforms and have been extremely efficient. It’s time for the Marine Corps to adapt once more and embrace its historical past in a singular method that permits for important pondering, empowerment, and unity by camaraderie.
The Creativeness of Historical past
In his e book Battlegrounds, former Nationwide Safety Advisor retired Normal H.R. McMaster writes:
Henry Kissinger noticed, all states “contemplate themselves as expressions of historic forces . . . what actually occurred is usually much less essential than what is believed to have occurred.” And greater than 2,500 years in the past, the Chinese language navy theorist Solar Tzu wrote, “If the enemy and know your self you needn’t worry the outcomes of 100 battles.” So, to be able to overcome strategic narcissism, we should try to grasp our rivals’ view of historical past in addition to our personal.1
From the primary classes sitting on the deck within the coaching squad bay, recruits memorize the earliest points of the Marine Corps and the way it’s linked to the founding of the nation. Memorization and creativity are sometimes thought of diametrical opposites on the subject of educating methods, however research present that memorization is essential to studying and amplifies creativity. Nonetheless, there have to be an outlet for artistic pondering to happen—an outlet presently lacking from the pedagogy of Marine Corps historical past. The Marine Corps wants artistic thinkers and leaders greater than ever, and creativity solely develops by embracing information in empowering means.
Simply because the origin story of the U.S. is being reexamined, so too is the earliest historical past of the Marine Corps. America is grounded in its historical past as a result of American id is grounded not in an ethnicity however in its historical past. American historical past creates id. The Marine id is in its historical past. By means of creativity and freedom, Marines can be geared up with essentially the most highly effective weapon to win the battles of the longer term: widespread goal in a shared id.
Trying to the Future
The present debate swirling across the that means of United States historical past impacts the Marine Corps too. Considerate consideration of our shared historical past is crucial in defending it. Marines will combat for one another, however not in a vacuum. Officers and enlisted alike swear an oath to guard and defend the structure. That very same structure has a historical past and context that must be parsed earlier than it’s understood. The subsequent technology of Marines will want greater than one of the best ways and tools to achieve success on the battlefield. They might want to have full religion and confidence in what they’re combating to defend, and so they can solely do that not by simply studying however embodying American and Marine Corps historical past in all its successes and failures.
The adversary can be emboldened of their historic context. China understands their very own interpretation of historical past within the “Century of Humiliation” of Western intervention and use it as a supply of a shared trigger. Whereas sturdy debate is reigniting ardour for America and its historical past, this may affect how future Marines contemplate their decisions earlier than becoming a member of the navy.
Future Marines who step onto the famed yellow footprints can be referred to as to serve on the crossroads of historical past. The previous 20 years are sewn with numerous tales of heroism and sacrifice from fight missions to humanitarian efforts from essentially the most various Marines Corps ever that represents all of America as by no means earlier than. In the end, artistic advertising campaigns are essential getting recruits to the yellow footprints, however it would Marines being absolutely empowered of their historical past that can make them prepared for the battlefield.
- H. R.McMaster, Battlegrounds: The Struggle to Defend the Free World (New York: Harper Collins, 2020), 19.
