Should former Marines who join another service give up the Title?

Once you earn a title it becomes a permanent part of your life. I became a professional soldier before I entered the Army. I just joined another team but I will always be a Marine!

When you're in a particular service, that IS what you are. When I had ex-Marines, and they let out an Uhh-Rahh, I corrected them, when they gave a Semper Fi, Do or Die, I corrected them, and when they refused to comply, I booted them to someone else more willing to put up with their BS. I didn't have time to constantly remind them they aren't Marines anymore, if it was that important to them they should've stayed in the Marines. Same with Air Force or Navy.

Some people just don't know how to let go.

We had a former Marine in my Army Infantry Unit.
It was funny listening to him complain about how the Army wasn't that much different.
I think he thought he was going to have it a whole lot easier and got a rude awakening.
Still a pack mule for Uncle Sam.

No way once you step in the Yellow Footprints and earn the Title U.S.Marine it is with you for Life. Yes The Marine Corps is a CULT, We like it that way.

I an Army officer and used to be an enlisted Sailor. I feel no shame wearing Navy teashirts on the weekend and proudly attend Navy reunions with former shipmates, many who I later served with in the Army. Of course there is still the Sailor in my heart.

I think there is something special about the Marine Corps, simple as that. If a Marine eventually joins the Army, as many do in the Reserves, much of their Marine Corps identity is retained, and I bet it is that way with Marines who enter othe services. As a commander, I could count on former Marines a tad more, discipline, leadership, and tactics. I'm not selling out my fellow Soldiers in any stretch of the imagination.

I was enlisted in the Marines from 1980 to 1983. I spent the next 23 years in the Army. I became an officer in 1986 and I retired a Lieutenant Colonel from the Army in 2006. Even at my retirement, the commanding general stated "As you know, Russ is a Marine." The title is mine. Saying that someone should give up the title "Marine" simply because they chose another career path after the Marine Corps like the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard is illogical. To follow the author's logic if one leaves the Marine Corps and becomes a used car salesman it would be dishonest to call yourself anything other than a used car salesman because you've obviously given up the title of Marine because you chose to go another way. This is just plain insulting and stupid. My core values were built in the Marine Corps. The hard lessons learned in three years of service as an 0311 drove me in my career. I'm convinced that I was successful largely because I got a foundation in the Marine Corps that quite frankly I would never have received in the other services. And it wasn't just the good lessons like teamwork etc. that we learned in basic training and out in the field. It was also quite frankly dealing with abusive senior NCOs, one in particular. An incredibly abusive company commander for short while. A first lieutenant who was allowed to command the company temporarily and probably single-handedly destroyed the reenlistment rate in bravo 1/1 in 1983. there was some major up in the headquarters company that spewed profanity and solve filenames at Marines. For no reason at all. I think that's visit unbecoming of an officer and if you're wondering why people don't reenlist, there you go. So, I made it my mission as a commissioned officer to never behave like those people and I would not tolerate it from any of my subordinates as a company commander and as a battalion commander. I'm a Marine for life.

No he or she earned like everyone else.

When airmen both high and low saw all of my "weird" ribbons or asked me why I was "ate up"...which I initially thought was an insult or saw the tats or acknowledged that I seemed a tad off or did things differently than they did, it eventually came out after prodding that I came from the Land of Jarheads. I never brought it up first. Most were surprised that the Air Force let me in because I didn't seem dumb...which I'm sure WAS an insult but hey. I never relinquished what forged me and being a Marine helped me through the remainder of my career (especially when they found out about my training,experience and occupational specialties that landed me out and about as an augmentee to the Army or Security Forces in-country(sigh). Underneath the service ethos, I realized that airmen and Marines, in fact all the services are the same as people so I gladly claim the title Marine and my time as an airman...but, if I was the guy who had to decide between phasing out the Corps or Air Force, sorry blue hahaha. Aim High and Semper Fi!