National Museum Of The Marine Corps

‘A Peculiar Breed’ There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines. Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a secondhand opinion. All militaries harden their recruits, instill the basics, and bend young men to their will. But the Marine Corps provides its members with a secret weapon. It gives them the unique culture of pride that makes the Marines the world’s premier warrior force. The Navy has its ships, the Air Force has its planes, the Army its detailed doctrine, but culture – the values and assumptions that shape its members – is all the Marines have. They call this culture ‘Esprit de Corps.’ Alone among the U.S. military services, the Marines have bestowed their name on the enlisted ranks. The Army has Army officers and soldiers, the Navy has naval officers and sailors, the Air Force has Air Force officers and airmen – but the Marines have only ''MARINES'' - Gen. William Thornson, US Army, 1956