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What great pictures! Looks like all had a splendid time and met wonderful friends for another year of memories.

Thanks for sharing these.

Paul

That's a jump master's ring. The Marines are master of nothing, except sucking up to the Navy for subsistence of course.

Scott, I thought the Navy just arranged transportation for Marines.

Will the jealously never end?????

Even as a student of foreign languages, I've never been able to figure out what it is that a Marine DI is saying when he's counting cadence. Could be he never got to 4 and is covering up for that deficiency . . .

Larry Brown wrote:Even as a student of foreign languages, I've never been able to figure out what it is that a Marine DI is saying when he's counting cadence. Could be he never got to 4 and is covering up for that deficiency . . .

...funny though, when they're talking to you, you NEVER have a hard time figuring out what they're saying! They do have a form of profanity that is proprietary to themselves--actually word combinations that make no grammatical sense until uttered by them; then hilarious and terrifying simultaneously. Profanity is like a song; there are the words and there's the music---any cretin can use the words, it takes a maestro to master the music however.

DI's in the Army and USMC are a special breed. I think the USAF has "life coaches", or Oprah reruns.

Bluerock Brimley wrote:

Larry Brown wrote:Even as a student of foreign languages, I've never been able to figure out what it is that a Marine DI is saying when he's counting cadence. Could be he never got to 4 and is covering up for that deficiency . . .

...funny though, when they're talking to you, you NEVER have a hard time figuring out what they're saying! They do have a form of profanity that is proprietary to themselves--actually word combinations that make no grammatical sense until uttered by them; then hilarious and terrifying simultaneously. Profanity is like a song; there are the words and there's the music---any cretin can use the words, it takes a maestro to master the music however.

True statement, after the initial terror, the beauty of the cadence seems to penetrate the soul.

The Eat-Bite lyrics at least gave you something to focus on--hard to say them all correctly.

Scott, the coaches and Oprah must be since my time. Not much heavy profanity but one good shot was when a kid put on his neighbor's shirt in the morning. The TI caught it at breakfast and made the poor guy go put on his own shirt then come back down and report "Sir, Airman Henderson reports. I do not know who I am".

I laughed enough at that one. Had R. Lee opened up with his schtick I'd have wound up in a hospital bed. Private Pyle for certain.

Anyone who has ever conducted any close-order drill, and I have, at various times and places, knows it pays to vary the cadence count and sound for several reasons -

The best one is that it forces the troops to pay better attention.

Sound quality or intellible words never counted anyway - it's the rhythm that's important.

I remember pushing the earth away an inordinate number of times after ordering "Hippety Hop, Platoon Stop." I did not have to buy any beer that weekend, however. :D

There is a story that I think defines the Marine Crops' instructors and their imperative to mold Marines.

An Instructor had a boot that was a habitual screw up couldn't do anything right. One evening a bottle of bourbon was being passed around the squad bay. When the DI unexpectedly walked in the forbidden bottle was in the hands of the foul up. The DI figures this is the final, straw he's got to wash the kid out. The foul up looks up at the DI and without missing a beat said "Dandruff, best damned stuff for dandruff I have ever tried" and starts pouring the whiskey on his head. The DI telling the story said - I knew then this kid had the makings of a Marine and my work wouldn't be wasted.

Calling cadence and calling drill are two different things. Had you actually been around such as you say you'd know the difference. It is actually very important that the troops hear and understand the preparatory command and the command of execution. It is just a vital that they be given on the proper foot. Halt of course being the exception.

Agreed, naturally.