As horribly funny as this is, I have seen it while I was in the Marines. Have You?

2015-11-28T12:48:47-05:00

When I was in the marines I was living in the barracks and I have seen young marines do this. It never ended well.... But kinda funny still

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Nov 28 at 2015 1:24 PM

2015-11-28T13:24:37-05:00

Seems like a very interesting marriage proposal picture LCpl Ash Carson.
I hope that at least some of these marriages have stood the test of time.

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Nov 28 at 2015 1:35 PM

2015-11-28T13:35:21-05:00

The meme creator likely meant BAH. A good comment on this strange phenomena:
http://terminallance.com/2015/11/24/terminal-lance-406-meritorious-iii/

Terminal Lance - Terminal Lance #406 “Meritorious III”

This isn’t the first time I’ve used Chongo to illustrate some of the sillier parts of the Marine Corps, nor is it the first time I’ve talked about the issues of the way marriage is handled.However, it occurred to me that the marriage of these two ideas seemed fitting to illustrate just why the marriage/dependent system of the military is so abstractly absurd.

Response by MSgt Daniel Attilio made Nov 28 at 2015 2:24 PM

2015-11-28T14:24:01-05:00

The poster no, the proposal yes.
Marine(s) Corps could prevent a lot of heartache PIA if they approved more BAH on right.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 28 at 2015 2:50 PM

2015-11-28T14:50:55-05:00

Is it good if she cries?

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Nov 28 at 2015 3:47 PM

2015-11-28T15:47:28-05:00

Not quiet as funny as it is sad. The nice thing is, with the current state of marriage in our culture it would be easier and more cost effective for Marines to just marry their battle buddy.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 28 at 2015 4:03 PM

2015-11-28T16:03:06-05:00

The game when I was a young Soldier living in the barracks was "Stripper, or not?" When a young troop came back from a weekend pass with tales of engagement.

Response by PFC Zanie Young made Nov 28 at 2015 4:51 PM

2015-11-28T16:51:49-05:00

The Army have that same problem...

Response by SrA David Steyer made Nov 28 at 2015 5:04 PM

2015-11-28T17:04:22-05:00

I think once you hit three years time in service and/or E4 or an NCO (because not all branches an E4 is an NCO) you move out of the barracks/dorms whenever feasible and start drawing BAH. This is what the USAF does. Correct me if I am wrong but the Army standard is E6 (but some bases it is E5 or even E4) and the Marines and Navy... it is until you are married or E7 and above. Could be wrong, but I have been told for the Army for example, if you are an E5 and you live off base on base X and PCS to base Y and base Y requires E5's to live in the barracks, you gotta find a way to put your stuff in storage. Correct me if I am wrong though.

I have seen two scenarios where this may have happened:

I saw a lot of junior members marry at my first base pretty soon/quickly to fellow service members. Fuzzy memory but I think only one person in that group married someone back home. Everyone married a fellow service member on the same base. Was it to get out of the dorms? I have no idea but possible. However, the majority are no longer married.

My wife's soon to be former stepmother had a daughter that married someone in the Navy when she was engaged to someone else. Supposedly she had health issues and he was pretty low ranking to where he had to live on base/or on the ship. Did they get married for her to have insurance and for him to get off the ship? No idea but they are still married a few years later.

And don't look at the quality of barracks being the sole reason people make these decisions either. The unit in my first example was very "family friendly" to the point of being unprofessional and I am sure some people were looked at more favorably for being married. I am sure you can spin marriage in the military to being beneficial to other things more than where you reside.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 28 at 2015 7:28 PM

2015-11-28T19:28:33-05:00

Is all about the travel and adventure right!!!

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Nov 28 at 2015 8:12 PM

2015-11-28T20:12:39-05:00

LOL!

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2015 12:26 AM

2015-11-29T00:26:32-05:00

i guess I was one of the lucky ones. I fought the urge to propose.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Nov 29 at 2015 6:54 AM

2015-11-29T06:54:20-05:00

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Nov 29 at 2015 7:04 AM

2015-11-29T07:04:22-05:00

LCpl Ash Carson My question is: If she's a stripper and he takes her home to meet his parents, can she bring her pole?

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2015 7:59 AM

2015-11-29T07:59:14-05:00

You crazy Marines don't have a monopoly on this level jackassery. It happens daily in the Army and Air Force too!!!

Response by Cpl James Waycasie made Nov 29 at 2015 9:25 PM

2015-11-29T21:25:07-05:00

I saw a lot of guys do it. I wouldn't do it just for the benefits. I have to love a woman to put up with a woman, lol

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Nov 30 at 2015 12:10 AM

2015-11-30T00:10:03-05:00

Getting married for financial reasons can work both ways. In the sixties lots of foreign girls wanted to marry US soldiers so that they could come to the states. They they dumped the guy and took everything that they could get. I saw that happen to several guys.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 30 at 2015 1:36 PM

2015-11-30T13:36:44-05:00

My bucket list consisted of living longer than my ex. Mission accomplished, Charlie Mike!

Response by SSG Keith Cashion made Nov 30 at 2015 3:29 PM

2015-11-30T15:29:22-05:00

Oh...how many times did I see that happen while in the Military, and still see it even today. The worse ones are the ones that when both are in the service and do it just for the benefits. I had a case where two Soldiers got married just to get the entitlements, but never lived together, PCS together or be stationed together, except when they got married. The situation caught up with them when one wanted to get married and couldn't find the other to get divorced. They had been in this situation for 15 years, and the one (Female) got married to another dude without getting divorced first. Her named changed, she kept moving up and around the military, as did he. So in a nutshell, it became very ugly and costly for both of them.

Had a Soldier, that literally, did meet a girl in the club in Germany and in less than 3 weeks was married. He was in his early 20's and she was in her mid-30's. We all know how that worked.

Response by Cpl James Cassarino made Nov 30 at 2015 4:11 PM

2015-11-30T16:11:36-05:00

Too many times, the marriage system in the military is completely broken.

Response by SSG Todd Halverson made Nov 30 at 2015 4:18 PM

2015-11-30T16:18:56-05:00

Too funny

Response by GySgt H.E. (Trey) Salmon III made Nov 30 at 2015 4:22 PM

2015-11-30T16:22:35-05:00

Oh, this topic has been around a long, long time...I've known a few Marines that did it...we had squad bays back...always thought it'd get better when everyone was entitled to a BEQ Room. Guess not!

Response by Cpl Shane Cunningham made Nov 30 at 2015 11:03 PM

2015-11-30T23:03:10-05:00

Marines are have too much integrity for that... :/

Response by CPO Andy Carrillo, MS made Dec 1 at 2015 12:40 AM

2015-12-01T00:40:43-05:00

I hope my step-son doesn't fall for this...

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2015 2:34 AM

2015-12-01T02:34:26-05:00

Who hasn't seen a contract marriage? :)

Response by PO1 John Miller made Dec 1 at 2015 7:27 AM

2015-12-01T07:27:22-05:00

I knew quite a few gays and lesbians who were married to each other (this was obviously before DADT was repealed). They did it for a few reasons. To take the suspicion off that they were gay, and for the benefits.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Dec 1 at 2015 8:10 AM

2015-12-01T08:10:02-05:00

Hell I did it lol, was only dating the woman 6 months and got married! We actually lasted 13 yrs.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2015 12:06 PM

2015-12-01T12:06:29-05:00

That's SOP for the disillusioned ranks of first-term Marines. And these days it's even easier to do that.

Response by PO1 Donald Hammond made Dec 1 at 2015 1:07 PM

2015-12-01T13:07:23-05:00

As soon as the Military started giving benefits to same sex married couples, I saw a number of roommates get "married" just to get the benefits. Hey, if it is available, why not?

Response by CW2 Carl Swanson made Dec 23 at 2015 2:01 PM

2015-12-23T14:01:48-05:00

I lucked out, still married 25 years later.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2015 3:00 PM

2015-12-23T15:00:15-05:00

I think this... combined with young people being away from home for the first time rushing into marriage is a fairly universal phenomena/problem throughout the military. Actually, I think it was also a big part of the reason the AF tries so hard to make dorms as comfortable as possible.

Response by LTC Russ Smith made Oct 17 at 2017 6:16 PM

2017-10-17T18:16:24-04:00

I was single they my enlistment in the Corps. I didn't get married until I was 29. I thought the married guys were crazy to be married so young. The smart ones tended to be in their early twenties and married before they enlisted. They were the best! But the 18-19 year old desperately trying to be a grown up who sees marriage as a ticket to adulthood, is troublesome. Their young wives hate being home alone, broke, etc. The young males blame the Marines for their failed marriage and being broke.

Response by Sgt Dale Briggs made May 30 at 2021 2:01 PM

2021-05-30T14:01:13-04:00

Of the guys who were married, none married at Lejeune, they were all from their home towns etc. none of this nonsense to get benefits off base.