The United States military is often worse than your ex at bringing up old stuff. Only it’s less about what you’ve done to them and more about what they’ve done to other people.
The Marine Corps is especially great at this. “Have a Dan Daly Day” is a farewell you may hear a Marine say to another. It’s not surprising. You spend all your time reading off laminated sheets of paper—plastered with every bit of Marine Corps history it can contain—while waiting outside the chow hall.
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The reason for this is that it instills pride. Their mindset is that by telling you the cool things they did throughout history, you feel like you belong to that heritage.
By becoming a Marine, you are adopting that history. It’s not just their history; it’s your history. Every Marine who ever lived, every Marine who ever died—they’re all you.
This is an area from which all other branches can take note. As a baseline, joining any branch really incorporates you into their history. It should be stated that the Marine Corps isn’t unique in this way. The only difference is that the Marines make it clear where you stand.
So you would think that the National Guard, the oldest component of the United States military, would want to remind its members of that. But it doesn’t. Here’s why the National Guard needs to embrace its history:
So Much History!
The National Guard started as the colonial militia, tracing its heritage to 1636. Every American knows the signing of the Declaration of Independence occurred in 1776, and most of the branches formed in 1775. The Air Force is the obvious, main exception. Probably because airplanes weren’t a thing yet. Sorry, Air Force.
But with the National Guard existing (even as the English colonial militia) long before the United States did, that means they have all that history to draw from. And yet, most units just defer their history to a display case at their armory. Which, by the way, may or may not give detailed information on anything.
When someone joins the National Guard, are they even thinking that they’re becoming a modern-day Minuteman (or Minutewoman)? Probably not, but that’s actually cool. The people who grabbed their powdered wigs and muskets when Paul Revere was tearing through town—that’s you!
Instilling Pride
Based on my personal experience in the Marine Corps and what I see consistently in the National Guard, I can tell you the Marines have the pride thing figured out.
The funniest part is that you can ask a Marine when they’re getting out, and they’ll tell you down to the minute how long they have left. Plenty of Marines are itching to get their precious DD214 and leave it all behind. But if you ask them anything about Marine Corps history, you’ll see their chest puff out and a tiny bit of light in their eyes as they explain who Cpl. John F. Mackie is (the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor), or Smedley Butler, and you will absolutely hear them talk about how the Marine Corps originated in a bar.
Conversely, if you were to ask someone in the National Guard what moment of their unit’s history makes them most proud, you might get the same look as a private being asked why he bought a new Mustang at 30% interest. It’s that blank, empty stare like their last brain cell just went on vacation.
It’s not their fault; they just don’t know any better. The difference is that Marines are fiercely proud to be in the Corps, or even to have ever served in it. And it’s because the Marines make sure you know why.
How to Embrace Our History
The first step to embracing our history is to teach it.
Have new Guardsmen do a little bit of research on the unit and present their findings. It’s not just about wearing the unit’s logo on a T-shirt; it’s about understanding why the logo is what it is.
We are actively failing our units and history by not teaching it. If we learn to embrace it, maybe there would be more pride. Maybe if there’s more pride, people will want to stick around longer.
Whatever the case might be, we need to stop shying away from the crazy, awesome things our predecessors have done and wear it like a badge of honor.
Because it is.
