Marines have evolved into American Icons, the Warrior Elite. Why? What makes them tick? What is the Marine Corps? And, why does the individual Marine stand head and shoulders above all other Professional Warrior wannabes?

The answers are complex. True, the Marine Corps is a military force, but it is much more. The Corps is an elite fraternity, a spiritual brotherhood. Entry is a calling. For most, earning the title is closely akin to becoming a priest. Yet, the ethos of the Warrior Culture of the Marines is simple: prowess in combat.

Each U.S. Marine, past and present, has entered more than just the Brotherhood of Marines. He has become, and will always remain, part of a mystical fellowship of valor. He must comply with hallowed rituals. He must conform to an uncompromising code of honor, discipline, and personal integrity. Commitment to his Corps -- that's right, his Corps -- and moral strength become the norm. Throughout the history of the Corps, these virtues have sustained Marine Warriors during the chaos and perils of combat.

Marines remain a breed apart. Each Marine draws strength from his Corps. In return, the strength and legacy of the Marine Corps lie in the collective will of each individual Marine. The Corps glories in a tradition of service and sacrifice. In their unique Corps, grown men speak openly of their brotherly love for fellow Marines whom they have never met. They share a bond, a love, a dedication and loyalty that no earthly circumstance can shatter. It is their Corps, their elite Brotherhood of Marines!

The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight! [MGen. Frank E. Lowe, USA; Korea, 26 January 1952]

Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair, and they always go for the throat. [RAdm. Jay R. Stark, USN; 10 November 1995]

Marines know how to use their bayonets. Army bayonets may as well be paper-weights. [Navy Times, November 1994]

The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. [Thomas E. Ricks, Making The Corps, 1997]

Thanks to the German Army, the U.S. Marine Corps has an unofficial mascot.

During World War I, many official German reports had called the attacking Marines "teufel-hunden," meaning Devil-Dogs. These beasts were the ferocious mountain dogs of Bavarian folklore.

Soon afterward a U.S. Marine Recruiting Poster depicted a snarling English Bulldog wearing a Marine Corps helmet (see the sub-chapter, "Marine Corps Recruiting Posters"). Because of the tenacity and demeanor of the breed, the image took root with both the Marines and the public. The Marines soon unofficially adopted the English Bulldog as their mascot.

At their base at Quantico, Virginia, Marines obtained a registered English Bulldog, King Bulwark. In a formal ceremony on 14 October 1922, BGen. Smedley D. Butler signed documents which enlisted the bulldog, renamed Jiggs, for the "term of life." Pvt. Jiggs got an official USMC waiver and avoided boot camp. He immediately began his inspirational duties in the Corps.

A gungy hard-charging canine Marine, Pvt. Jiggs did not remain a private for long. Within three months he sported corporal chevrons on his custom-made uniform. On New Years Day 1924, Cpl. Jiggs got promoted to sergeant. And in a meteoric rise, he got promoted again -- this time, all the way to sergeant major -- seven months later.

SgtMaj. Jiggs' death on 9 January 1927 was mourned throughout the Corps. The four-footed USMC sergeant major, in a miniature satin-lined coffin, lay in state in a hangar at Quantico. Row upon row of floral sprays from non-canine admirers flanked the coffin. Amid much pomp and ceremony, the Corps interred SgtMaj. Jiggs with full military honors.

A replacement mascot was soon on the way to Quantico. Former heavyweight boxing champion James J. "Gene" Tunney, a Marine veteran who had fought with the Corps in France, donated his English Bulldog. Renamed Jiggs II, the new mascot stepped into the role of his predecessor.

Straight Scoop: Factual information, as opposed to a new PFC saying, "I just got the word . . . ."

Stuff: A nebulous term that can refer to (1) a tangible thing, or to (2) a situation, condition, or process, as exemplified below:

A: This is rough stuff. Typical statement of an Air Force NCO while driving his air-conditioned sedan, from his air-conditioned office, to his air-conditioned quarters, in the rain.

B: This is really rough stuff. Typical statement of an Army Ranger, weapon at sling arms and carrying a 30 pound pack, after jumping from an aircraft and marching eight miles to his rally point, in the rain.

C: This is horrible stuff. Typical statement of a Navy SEAL, lying in the mud with his 40 pound pack, weapon in hand, after jumping from an aircraft, swimming a mile to shore, and crawling past enemy positions to his objective, in the rain.

D: I love this stuff. Typical statement of a camouflaged U.S. Marine Recon, up to his eyeballs in a vermin-infested swamp, with his 60 pound pack, a weapon in each hand; after jumping from an aircraft, swimming five miles to shore, killing several alligators while negotiating the swamp, assaulting the enemy camp and slaying all occupants; and after slithering back into the slime of the swamp with plans to kill all enemy soldiers who wander past his undetectable vantage point, in the rain.

Sucking Chest Wound: Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

Supporting Fire: An excellent thing to witness, if it's yours.

Laws of combat never change! Marine Warriors must learn from the fatal mistakes of others. Otherwise, in combat they will not survive long enough to learn how to survive permanently.

Although laws of combat do not change, weapons do. In the beginning, combatants used their fists and teeth. Later, they graduated to clubs and rocks. Pretty soon a sharpened club evolved into a spear. Then a sharpened rock, strapped to a stick, became a sophisticated war ax. High-tech stuff! . . . . . . . your keys to staying alive and winning in battle:

Sooner or later, everyone has to die. The trick is to die young as late as possible.

If you are allergic to lead, you would be wise to avoid combat.

In combat, any Marine who does not openly consider himself the best in the game is in the wrong game.

It is true that, in combat, more aircraft are downed by a shortage of spare parts than by enemy fire. The difference is that few Marines die because of a shortage of spare parts.

On patrol and ambush, (1) never stand when you can sit, (2) never sit when you can lie down, (3) never stay awake when you can sleep, and (4) get in a good bowel movement whenever you can.

You may be able to win without fighting, and that is preferable. But, it is harder, and the enemy may not cooperate.

If you can avoid it, never get into a fair fight.

Once you are in the fight, it is too late to ponder whether or not it was a good idea.