What are you first and foremost?

I consider myself a combat engineer. The Army is simply to big to have the kind of pride in the organization that the Corps does.

Marine is what we are. Our billet is what we currently do. Our specialty is a descriptor.

Because of the "variety" of things we can end up doing throughout out careers, the idea of self-identifying based solely based on specialty just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

As an example. Take your average Infantryman. First 4 years (PVT - Cpl+), serving in a Grunt BN. Second 4 Years will be a combination of a Duty Station Choice & a B-Billet (Drill Instructor/Recruiting/MSG or Combat Instructor). Next 4 years will likely be Senior Sergeant or SSgt, which means School House, or back to a grunt BN as PSG or somewhere else in an Ops shop. We love using 0369 (SNCO Infantry) for that! Get the idea?

I was an 0231 (Intel). I started at a Grunt BN, and went to a Staff Training organization. My next duty station would have been recruiting, and after that, likely a MEU or the School house. After that, was a toss-up based on whether I pinned MSgt/1Sgt. (Keep in mind we don't swap back and forth like the Army does)

I think your question deals with alot if stuff, first of the amount of indoctrination that goes on at the basic training level... Army isn't that much into that. Then think about numbers... There is a reason the Marines are called the Marine CORPS... A Corps has 3 divisions... How many does the Army have all told, especially if you count the NG units? And yes I know about the Marine air wings and such but this came straight from a Marine recruiter. What I am trying to say is in the bigger branches just being a part of them isn't such a big deal as what you. At the end of basic recruits get their beret to show they are now soldiers... Sorry but it doesn't seem as equal as the EGA, my blue cord on the other hand does. And I seem to "click" well with Marine infantrymen but the support MOS's just look at me funny when I try and talk shop.

I guess having been in the infantry I don't have this problem, I'm Marine Infantry. Everything else is support. The question regarding other branches interests me greatly.

Once a Marine, Always a Marine!

Brian-I always thought of myself as an American Sailor before anything else. One thing I found interesting (while amongst my green brethren) was an apparent focus on "MOS" in the Army that really doesn't seem to be a direct comparison to "rate" in the Navy. Maybe it's the nature of being on a ship with limited personnel/resources...we "cross lanes" quite a bit.

I am a person first and foremost. Everything else is secondary to that.

I always consider myself a soldier before my specialty. That's why we keep on training all year round. I think is the same at all the branches of service,

I used to think we Marines were second to none until we went on several Joint Exercises at Camp Lejeune with Army Special Forces just before the buildups in Vietnam. They were all older NCOs with several years of service and really had their stuff together. Although 1st Recon was not too shabby in these exercises. I got to know a few Special Forces Staff NCOs who really impressed the hell out of me back then when we shared Comm Ops & Intelligence with them.

I am an old irritated dickhead first. Soldier second.