# Were presidents former marines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-presidents-former-marines/132986 "2002-10-19T17:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-presidents-former-marines/132986/1 "2002-10-19T17:01:26Z")
Watching _The Godfather_ last night and listening to the line about “senator Corleone” and Michael’s war hero record it occured to me that I couldn’t think of any president who was a former marine. The navy has been well represented since WWII with Kennedy, Nixon, Carter & Bush the elder. No one from the air force yet and I don’t think Bush the younger’s service in the air guard counts. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-presidents-former-marines/132986/2 "2002-10-19T17:06:42Z")
Hmm. Quick check of 20th Century presidents McKinley - Army T. Roosevelt - Army Taft - ??? Wilson - Didn’t serve Harding - ??? Coolidge - Didn’t serve F. Roosevelt - Didn’t serve Truman - Army Eisenhower - Hmmm, think it was the Army. 🙂 Kennedy - Navy Johnson - Army (?) Nixon - Army Ford - Something, but not the Marines Carter - Navy Reagan - Army Bush the Elder - Navy Clinton - Didn’t serve Bush the Younger - National Guard Both Roosevelts were Undersecretaries to the Department of Navy. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-presidents-former-marines/132986/3 "2002-10-19T17:26:56Z")
[Johnson](http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/FAQs/military/military.asp) served in the Naval Reserve from 1942 until resigning in 1964 (!). He picked up a silver star during WW2. [This table](http://www.magweb.com/sample/wl020pre.htm) lists the miltary service of all Presidents, 1789 - 2001. Of the ones who served, most did so in the Army. None are listed as Marines. The corrections I’d make to Bob’s list are: Taft - didn’t serve Hoover (missing between Coolidge and FDR) - didn’t serve Johnson - Navy Nixon - Navy Ford - Navy Interestingly, Bush senior is the only one who served as a pilot. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-presidents-former-marines/132986/4 "2002-10-19T21:29:38Z")
No Vice President has been a Marine either. Local militia seems to be the most popular. Carter served in the Navy for 11 years and never saw any combat which makes him unique among Presidents who had long careers in the military. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-presidents-former-marines/132986/5 "2002-10-19T22:36:19Z")
Thanks for the reply. FWIW Reagan never served as he was 4F because of his deaf ear. Being in army movies isn’t being in the army. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-presidents-former-marines/132986/6 "2002-10-19T22:47:41Z")
Reagan was not 4F. He did not develop his ear problem until after WWII. He was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, but an _eye_ problem kept him from active combat duty. He was discharged from the Army as a captain