Posted on Sep 6, 2015
CSM Carl Cunningham
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I have worked with all the services frequently during my career. I see the ups and downs in each service. The Army seems to have the biggest attitude towards itself though. I would like to hear thoughts as to why Soldiers seems to talk bad or dislike the service that I love. Some may disagree this is true, but I do not think I am off base by stating this.

****FOLLOW UP QUESTION****

Do you think it is possible for the Army to ever show the universal pride in service that the USMC does?
Edited >1 y ago
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Responses: 254
SSG Intelligence Analyst
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The Army is huge, it is far larger than the USMC in sheer population. We have more room for internal divides to take root. People get bored so that's what ends up happening.

There are divides within the USMC (deployed/fleet Marines vs. stay-at-home Marines, etc) but because it is a smaller service these divides don't take root in the same way, I'd wager.
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SSG Edward Tilton
SSG Edward Tilton
>1 y
The Marine Corps took over the Heavy Infantry Mission that was the bulk of the Army. Meanwhile the Army went into "special ops". (we can't all be special). I don't know how it will stand up in a battlefield like Korea. From World War I until Vietnam the Army was made up of conscripts. They were good soldiers but not cheer leaders
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SFC Senior Civil Engineer/Annuitant
SFC (Join to see)
>1 y
An objective evaluation: The Marines are a combat arms monoculture branch of our services/type organization, where it’s relatively easy to get that prejudiced response from their members without realizing they have to rely on many others for their survival. Having internal divisions about who is better: well it could spur health competition, or prejudice service members against one another. I guess it depends on your viewpoint.
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SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth
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I think it depends on how you talk to, I was very proud of my serving , even though it was the Army Guard, 85% or better of the people I served with were proud of the military service.
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SSgt Ben Cavell
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I spent time in both The Marine Corps and the Army. It all comes down to the Army's understanding of dicipline and the soldiers understanding of self dicipline. All I can say is I am very proud and glad to have earned the title "Marine" before I was Army.
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Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett Jr
Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett Jr
>1 y
Semper Fi My Brother...
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
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Marines just have better PR, Army has just as much, if not more, pride.
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SSG Franklin Briant
SSG Franklin Briant
>1 y
The ARMY is the eldest of the services. They have the drill teams, ceremonial units just like all of the services. Pride is in most anyone who has served. All of the services one up each other daily.
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LtCol Scott Clifton
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Sgt Kennedy is correct; pride in the Marine Corps is for the Corps itself - at that level. You may be an aviator or a grunt, but you are a Marine first. In the Army, and this was stated to me by friends who served in the Army, pride is derived at the Regimental level or the Branch level.
There are plenty of reasons for this, but if I had to guess it is because the Army has different "realities" and entry paths to it that the Marine Corps does not. The Marine Corps only has 2 paths, in two locations to becoming a Marine. All officers go through OCS at Quantico, VA or you go through one of only 2 recruit depots. Once complete, all officers go to The Basic School - literally all officers, without exception, commissioned and Warrant Officers.
The Army is sufficiently large enough that two officers serving side by side may have entered through completely different paths and didn't meet up until they are in their specific unit.
Finally, there is no Big Marine Corps and Special Operations, as there is Big Army and Special Ops - there is just the Marine Corps. So, you can serve in the Big Army and have a completely different reality with regard to gear and funding and support than your friends in Special Operations. All of that adds up to pride in the unit or branch vice the service level.
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Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett Jr
Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett Jr
>1 y
Well Said...
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SSgt Bruce Probert
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Edited 6 y ago
Young men join the Marine corps to prove something to themselves to their families as a rebellion to being told they're not good enough, not tough enough. This is where we all started and once marines we were steeped in the the stories of Dan Daly, Chesty Puller, John Basilone, As marines we were more afraid of not measuring up to the marines who stormed Tarawa or took Tripoli or raised the flag on Iwo Jima. As Marines we have an identity that is real and unmistakable, we are the Few and the Proud. We fight for each other, lose is word we don't know, the best way to get a Marine to do something is to tell him that he can't. I hope this sheds a little light Semper Fi
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SSG John Mitchell
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I worked with all Branches & served with Prior Service Branches as well. At the end of the day it didn't matter. We all took pride in our Service but all Marines reminded me the most of 82nd & the Pride we felt. When you train to be the best, you take pride in it. Paris Island teaches that from day one. Army leaves it up to whatever Division you end up in. Some are better at it than others.
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SPC James Anderson
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The Army and Marines are totally different organizations, its hard to equate the pride in one with the other. A universal feeling of pride in the Army is very hard to achieve. The pride and history is locked away in divisions and to a lesser extent the MOS's. Im more apt to tell people I was in the 1st Armored Division (Old Ironsides) then just saying I was in the Army. Your corp history may be more prevalent but in the Army the story and history of the Division is focused on. Your universal pride is hard to achieve with something so vast and varied as the modern Army.
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PO2 Skip Kirkwood
PO2 Skip Kirkwood
>1 y
That would make more sense if you were talking about the British Army, where you are recruited in to a regiment or corps for an entire career. In the US Army, people move from organization to organization all the time. The "pride and history" should start in boot camp, not when you get to some assignment (that will change in 2-3 years).
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GySgt Joe Strong
GySgt Joe Strong
6 y
It may make more sense that way, but his description seems correct to me.
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SFC Jimmy Sellers
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This is a tricky question, but a valid one. I spent 6 years on the Marines, and then switched to the Army and stayed until retirement. Having served in both branches, I know that it is true that the Marines instill a great deal of pride in their recruits during Boot Camp. This is done by making Marines learn about the battle history of the Marines.
The Army also has a great battle history, however the Army does not seem to emphasize it to soldiers. Knowing the linieage of your unit creates pride. Some units in the Army have more pride than others, for example the 82nd Airborne Div. or the 101st. The soldiers in those divisions know that they are part of a long line of great American soldiers.
The Marines is small enough (with only 3 active duty divisions) that all Marines feel like they are part of the same team.
The Army is much larger and suffers from alienation amongst its own people. For example, if you are a soldier and see another soldier wearing a division patch from a unit that you are not part of or never been in there is an unspoken feeling that this soldier is different than you somehow. The nature and culture in one Army division is often very different from other divisions. In the Marines each division is basically the same, just located in different geographical locations.
It boils down to this: in the Army am S1 clerk or a supply officers daily duties are not that much different from an equivalent job in the civilian world. The Marine clerk or supply officer have been taught from day 1 that they are primarily Infantry riflemen, and can be called upon to serve as infantrymen when the situation requires it.
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SPC Brendon Schaible
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Ask any infantryman and he'll tell you he has pride in the infantry. But we will all piss and moan over the bullshit of the big green weenie that same day.
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SSG Michael Eastes
SSG Michael Eastes
>1 y
Exactly. The only thing that can't be taken away from junior enlisted people ( in any branch ) is the right to complain and bitch, especially among themselves. I was Army, and we did it; and I worked among Marines and sailors at a Navy hospital, and they did it, too. I'm sure airmen and Coasties do it, too, but I haven't been among them enough to testify to it personally.
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SSG Michael Eastes
SSG Michael Eastes
>1 y
BTW, if you ain't Cav, you ain't s***.
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SN Robert White
SN Robert White
6 y
SSG Michael Eastes - As a former junior enlisted Coastie, I can attest that we do bitch and complain like everyone else. Uncle Sam's Confused Group!
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