Vance: A real Marine

 Tom McCorkill

"Every Marine a rifleman" is perhaps the Marine Corps' most widely known edict.  It illustrates, in the most simplistic terms, the Corps' desire to infuse into every Marine the fighting spirit and ethos upon which the organization has relied for more than 227 years and continues to do so.  22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit

"I am not sure whether to be amused or insulted by the press coverage of Sen. J.D. Vance’s Marine service. The implication is that because he had a Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) of Combat Correspondent he was not a “warrior.” I spent 28 years in the Air Force and had many contacts with Marines. My brother-in-law was a Marine aircraft maintenance specialist during WW II. He served with “Pappy” Boyington in the Black Sheep Squadron. My son was a Marine intelligence NCO. I have many friends who were Marines.

"The ASVAB test is the standard test used by the U.S. military services to determine a recruit’s aptitudes and abilities.

The ASVAB is a timed, multi-aptitude test, which is given at more than 14,000 schools and Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) nationwide and is developed and maintained by the Defense Department (DoD). 

The ASVAB helps the DoD not just determine whether you are a good fit to join the service, but also which service branch you might be best for and even what military jobs you can hold after you finish basic training or boot camp. The better your ASVAB score, the broader your options.

"The minimum for acceptance in the Marine Corps is an ASVAB score of 50. The requirements for Combat Correspondent is an ASVAB score on the high side of 100. The same is true for the intelligence MOS held by my son. Other specialty fields, other than rifleman, have various ASVAB skill levels. But one thing I know is that every Marine is a rifleman above anything else. Sen. Vance served in a combat zone. His job may have been to record and report on Marine activities and operations but he was still a rifleman in a combat zone where he might have been subjected to potential hostile fire." . . .

The Marine Rifleman's creed

. . ."Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but peace!!

 The men we choose to build Marines.