Nice point…as a once and by our own creedo Marine for life (Once a Marine, always a Marine) ranks right along side of Semper Fidelis to any Leatherneck, I must impose that despite any misgivings and onship jostlings I ever experienced…and yes a few Hollywood bar room fights…when push came to shove if you were not a Marine and ganged up on a Navy Sailor, but were not of his class (in the US Navy) either…God and heaven help you because to our li’l family fights you were definitely…not invited.
Besides, that guy might be welcoming me on board for the next float I’m assigned to, and that means he knows the rounds.
By the way… we are the Marine Corps, and the US Navy is the Navy…technicals aside, any enlisted man or officer in both, worth his salt, will tell you the same.
It’s a good thing we no longer have a Department of War, otherwise we might find ourselves arguing whether that means that a peacetime army is impossible or some such.
While there was a short period there when the Marine Corps band was required to play “Anchors Aweigh” prior to playing “The Marine Corps Hymn” at most events, nobody with a brain has ever thought that the jarheads were swabbies. Part of the Naval Service (as in Deptartment of), yes. Part of the Navy, no. This thread is a good example of the difference in the way people think about things, and how the logic process works (or doesn’t work).
Cheffie, one of the few Navy/Marine hybrids (US Navy Seabee Chief, 1967 - 1990, Ret.)
Speaking as someone with no military experience, it seems pretty obvious after reading this thread that the Navy and Marines are intertwined but separate entities. Although the heads of both services both report to a civilian with the title Secretary of the Navy, no member of the Marines takes orders directly from any member of the Navy or vice-versa.
Since this is GQ, I’ll pipe up (heh) and say that, strictly speaking, this is not so. Any subordinate in any branch of service will take orders from someone senior to him/her under the right circumstances. Marines serving aboard ship answer to the ship’s captain. As a Navy person on a Marine base in Vietnam, my ultimate local authority was the General who ran the place.
I can only relate my own experiences (hopefully without all the" is to/is not").No need to get heated ,people.
I served in the Marines in the 70’s.My duty stations were Naval Air Stations in Hawaii and South Weymouth,Mass.We were seperate entities.The only time I talked to the Navy guys was when I went over to their barracks to get a beer from their soda machine(woo-hoo).We all got along fine,separate but equal.We all had our mandates and missions.You see an officer,you salute.We are related under the Dept of the Navy ,but we took our direction from the Commandant of the US Marine Corps.You wanna nitpick go ahead
