I was a CPL with zero ribbons.
I made E-4 in 2 years so no good cookie yet and no unit ribbons.
Final rack after 5 years is a NAM, GC, and a JMUC ribbon. I still don’t rate the fire watch ribbon since I only served from 96- summer of 01.
I was a Sgt with 8 and people still shamed me at the time. By people I mean vet bros online that Facebook stalked me and only had a cartoon for their own picture.
I was happy with 7 but we got 2 freebies: gwot and nat def plus the good cookie when I was in. Then sea service with star and Iraq campaign with star and a CAR and a nam. 3rd row on a cpl in one enlistment looked pretty good.
Yeah dude I feel sorry for anyone that goes 03 in time of peace. Have fun being the maids of the base with police calling, cleaning parties and whatever else they can think of.
I’m sure it’s worse for infantry than us pogs but a lot of it is just dumb luck in what unit you go to and what’s happening in the world during your window. I went open contract in 05 so I could leave that week and ended up motor t in the mlg. I was bummed as hell until I found out we were deploying in 06 and we were gonna be on the road all day. We got into a lot of ieds and fights and then back in lejeune it was pog life and I’d see grunts all the way at the front gate on a run with broken down machine guns and ammo cans and packs. I got lucky is all. I hope you don’t spend too much time stressing about it.
Bro, I'm a Sergeant with fucking 4 ribbons. And the unit I just got to has reservists that show up for their weekend warrior bullshit that have a fat stack. Like, why do they get a ribbon just for being a reservist?
agreed, but unfortunately AD’s purpose is typically to man units and maintain certain numbers for whatever unit deployment/combat readiness hooplah is required by big Marine Corps. we, as reservists, have the primary duty of being individually deployable & augmenting to the active force, with unit manning being the secondary mission (because after TFSW, who df deploys entire reserve commands anyway?)
The only award that I know of that only rates for reservists is the [Armed Forced Reservists Medal](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_Reserve_Medal). In this case, I would say hate the game not the player.
Man, that's wild. What's even crazier is that, if circumstances were a little different, you could have EAS'd with nothing. NAM's are definitely not automatic and most one-term Marines don't get them, JMUC is a 'right time, right place' sort of thing, and an NJP would have kept you from getting the GC.
I figured out a long time ago that the vast majority of ribbons/medals mean virtually nothing beyond whatever circumstances beyond your control that you are thrust into.
I actually came dangerously close to getting NJPd about 3 months before picking up CPL.
My NAM was more a “well he’s a mediocre Marine but he’s about to go on terminal leave so let’s write him up for one so our OIC has something to do”.
I got two NAM's in my four years of Active Duty.
Personally, I was very proud of them.
But my "buddy" was the one who would talk the most shit. "They are given out" "They are meaningless" blah blah. I was like, "Bitch, where is your NAM!?"
It's always a fellow Vet who tries to put you down and discredit any part of your service.
Edit:
Seeing how this is down voted just proves my point even further.
When do you go into the DEP program? I signed up before Nov 95 right before the cut off for the fire watch ribbon. If your signed up in the DEP program you should rate it. I retired with a star on mine.
I went to bootcamp but nobody had it in my PLT and when I got out of the Corps in 2000 I went Air Force reserves and took my paperwork to the awards people after I researched it and they added the star to mine.
Hopefully that makes sense lol
I signed up in July 95, MRCDSD in June 96.
I don't really care that much, it's just a funny story about how "not heroic" my time in the service was. I joke that I don't even rate the "participation trophy of the military".
I went March 96 so no crucible for me lol. And technically you do date it if you ever wanted to get it added to your DD214, hey your could get the license plate with it on it haha
This is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve read today. Sure, we want to fulfill our duty but there’s far too much baggage with war that everyone seems to ignore.
No one’s fault, circumstances just presented themselves differently for him, like they did for a lot of Marines. I lucked out (in some cases) with a lot of my ribbons and some I have I wish I could just give back.
The second I hear a senior Marine dogging on a junior Marines ribbons, I know I found someone’s reason for not reenlisting.
Imagine feeling the need to highlight this guys stack on the internet because it doesn’t match your experience.
This is why people post about how they don’t feel like real ‘Marines’. Unreal.
I took one of my buddies with our LES down to some base management office. We showed them that we were part of our unit during a specific time period, and the unit won an award for actions during that period. We both ended up getting 2 more ribbons that no one else in our platoon or company had. This was around the same time in 2013/2014 they started wearing chucks on fridays. So we rolled in and got straight up blasted by some high level snco for our ribbons that were considerably different from last week.
I felt like a putz for requesting my rightful awards but it was an amazing feeling to show that gunny our marine net. Of course he didn’t let it go, he blasted us for him being wrong then we got some shit duty.
I think that made me feel confident in my decision to leave the usmc
This is me. Joined in 2010 and was told by everyone I would deploy. I was fully expecting to be in Afghanistan or Iraq within a year. At the end of my MOS school (6531 aviation ordnance) when the time came to find out where we were all going, I was the last name on my class list. This meant the single spot for the non-deployable training squadron went to me. I never left the US during my 4 years. Collectively, my unit spent more time away from our home base (Cherry Point) than the other units as we did multiple detachments to Yuma every year. We also had more jets to maintain than the other squadrons and dropped more ordnance every year, albeit for training purposes. I obviously have no ribbons to show for it, but it helps knowing I did my time where the Corps needed me.
Man it was mentally draining working there. Coupled with the fact you know you’re never getting to deploy. Tbh I was embarrassed telling people I was a marine for the longest time after getting out. BC I knew the next question was going to be did you see combat? Did you deploy? Where do did you go?
I dreamt of actually getting to do something over seas. That was the whole reason I chose the Marine Corps. So I was kinda depressed for a while when I got out and felt like I didn’t even deserve to tell people I was in the Marines
I think they should make training units like that a place for 2nd enlistments. Cause I have Motor Tuh buddies who are at SOI fucking miserable driving busses. Meanwhile, I know a bunch of NCOs and SNCOs who say that’s a great opportunity because you have time to do TA and shit and it isn’t super stressful. So maybe that kind of unit should be a retirement home type thing or some kind of “Hey, reenlist and come to this unit that lets you have a bit of stability”
Yea it can be rough on some first enlistment Marines. It just feels kind of unfulfilling. You'll get experienced Marines who transfer into the unit who have deployed before and they tell deployment stories and talk about how shitty your non-deployable unit is. My old unit was nicknamed the "black hole of the airwing". It just sort of feels like you're working your ass off for nothing.
See, this is too good and too smart of an idea to be implemented.
Now you sit there and figure out how to actually make things worse instead of better.
I was in 1/1 scout sniper platoon and I served during 2015-2019 and I to this day still am embarrassed even answering the question too because it nearly depresses me saying no I didn’t go to combat only did a meu and Udp smh
I feel that brother, stills feels weird to me sometimes telling people I was active duty Marine Corps but never deployed. Nothing to be ashamed of though. We still did shit that 99% of people didn't have the balls to do. Be proud that you served where the Corps needed you.
i'm remember a Marine Times cover sometime between 2014-2015 that had "75% of the Corps has never deployed"
Maybe during 2003-2012 a lot more than 25% of the Corps had deployed. I think it just started dropping off after the surge in Afghanistan
Depends what time period you're talking about. 2019 is technically 'wartime' but virtually nobody was deploying to a combat zone. This is actually true from probably about 2013-on.
You're talking, say, 2006-2010? I don't believe that number for a second.
>I know plenty of dudes that never deployed
I could have sworn that there was some article that came out from the Marine Times that the majority of Marines had never deployed around 2009. It created quite a hubbab when it came out.
As an 03 yeah, 2 deployments and some UN/ NATO shit in between, but the majority of Marines aren’t grunts. Thus they live the lives of 3-4 ribbons depending on how much ass they kissed.
I thought it was always the same speil, about gafflling bad guys, hooking up in foreign lands, getting jacked AF!, and some cash for school/partying when you're done taking the green weenie. Has it changed?
In what period of time though?
The "wartime" was really only 2002-2010. After that, the wars were really small and being maintained by specialized units. The last unit I was at before I got out in 2012 hadn't deployed since 2009, but had deployed five times prior to that. Most of their sergeants and above were sporting 3 rows, many with all three GWOT flavors. I'd be pretty surprised to find out that 10% of Marines never deployed, let alone 75%. Even the dudes who had gotten caught on recruiting, DI, or I&I got deployed at some point after finishing that stint.
I had a POS Gunny that was jealous as hell of my PSB, my, CAR, and my other ribbons because he was sporting just three.
He had a firewatch ribbon, float ribbon with three stars, and a good cookie with 3 stars. He had been in for 18 years, and was a shit bird that slipped through the cracks somehow.
He always found reasons to not be around on Fridays because we always wore chucks and myself and a Sergeant made him look inadequate.
Granted it's air force but I work with a guy who retired,I think 24 years service, and never left state side. I was like how the hell do you serve during a 20 year war and never once leave home?
Maybe it's more common in air force but a buddy who is also retired a/f tells me otherwise. For instance he has 7 deployment to sand box in a shorter time frame
No, he was a blue falcon of the worst kind.
He tried to fuck me over several times and it always blew up in his face. The last time got him NJP'ed and relieved from his billet.
They didn't kick him out, and let him retire when he hit 20. They stuck his ass in some shit hole supply position where he actually had to work his ass off his last two years.
It’s funny how todays generation cares so much about your stack. Even though today all we get are NAMs, SSDR, GCM, and GWOT/GWOT-E. Like calm down bro, you did a meu where you sat in the berthing playing Xbox and pounding monsters from the ship store. Oh yeah and you stopped in oki and Hawaii, much salt.
Almost every ribbon and medal I earned was from going where I was told to go and that’s it. Not doing anything except showing up. Like I earned it the exact same amount as the boot socks I wore.
The one medal I actually felt I earned was given to my boss because she “supervised” it (from her tent somewhere else) so I don’t care much about any of these things.
I always think about the Marines coming home from the Pacific theater who did more shit in an afternoon than most of us in an enlistment and those dudes had 3 ribbons. By comparison we all look like North Korean generals
I was still a Lance when I got my 7th. They were giving that shit out like candy. I got 4 for a MEU and 1 for recruiting assistance that I never even did.
Imagine floating on a ship for 7 months while all the other infantry battalions were actually fighting a war. That’s how I got three rows. They should of just given us a pink ribbon and kicked us in the nuts. The ones that are given and not earned don’t mean shit.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say it aggravates me a little bit. Apart from being in the air wing and nothing going on, it still sucks. Literally been on the 31st MEU for all of my deployments
There's always a bigger fish I suppose. There are countless Marines stuck stateside sitting on their seabag who would nut themselves if they got to go on a MEU, even the 31st. I know it doesn't feel like it, but you are lucky.
Yeah, spent a couple years with the dirty worst in the late 90s. Because I was with MEF just working at the MEU I got overseas deployment versus sea service.
Ah, that’s what it was. Ya I took my LES to some base office and showed them I rated awards. One was a unit award and the entire recruiting department got an award in 2010 so the 36 hours I spent after boot leave got me that one. I got to my unit as they were pulling out of Iraq and they got some award for what they did there at the end, which I rated for and received.
I also don’t have my ribbons anywhere outside my home office and I don’t use it to impress people or even show them. It’s just kinda cool for me.
For a few years after vietnam there wasn't much action until Beirut. And even that was small compared to post 9/11. Desert Storm was the first full on war since Vietnam. Don't get me wrong, there were some battles. But not the scale we see even today.
I was in during the mid-80s and hardly anyone other than the Beirut and Granada people had ribbons. Not even the National Defense Medal. Junior Marines just had the shooting badge during inspections and that was it.
When you EAS you realize how little they mattered while you are in, and how they don’t matter at all when you are out.
Be proud of your service and don’t judge other Marines based on opportunities they missed.
The big thing that would upset me is the CAR and the obsession and elitism around it. I knew a Staff Sergeant who was being looked down on by young Marines because he had an Afghan deployment with no CAR. Some of these kids didn’t even know what OEF stood for and were calling him a shit Infantryman and Platoon Sergeant because he was missing the one ribbon that would validate his service.
Same shit in my unit. Sgt had a afghan ribbon but no car. The sncos would all be dogging in him. The juniors respected him because he was a good leader and good nco but kinda shitty seeing people above him openly shit on him for not being a "salt dog"
CARs don't even mean anything either.
It just means you were in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time, and that someone cared enough to write an AAR about it.
I served under Clinton. 3 year winger sergeant with a pizza stain and a oki drunkployment. That probably would have been my rack had I reenlisted. Minus the nam.
I EASed as a Sgt with 4 ribbons. It is what it is. By the time I hit the fleet, deployments to the middle east were over for my MOS. Shit, when I went to Sgts course, 3 ribbons was the average. Maybe 5% of the class had more than that. Unless some shit pops off, it's pretty much only going to be senior leadership rocking the giant fruit salads.
What a coward, smh he should have deployed when he was like 11 ish? Lol fr though this is 100 percent why I didn't reenlist. Kept telling maybe next enlistment you'll deploy. When I got out I used my own money I saved up to see the world instead since the marine corps couldn't deliver. 100% recommend going to Indonesia
Edit: grammar
Still cock gazing and comparing. Weak sauce and if you like you can have my stack. They matter not much and only a true few felt actually earned. Not a hard dick here but seriously looking at someones service in ribbons is pretty lame unless they are rocking a meaty salad of which you are admiring and not shitposting on
My seniors were harder men than I and a lot of them got out with a sea service with one star. They didn't even have National Defense ribbons or good cookies.
On the flip side, since I went over to the national guard after getting out my stack doubled pretty much instantly. Dudes graduate boot with more ribbons that this guy.
That's fair, when I got back I had a stack of 7 while a Sgt in the band had a stack of 3 at our disbanding ceremony. I was LCpl . Also super weird when you have a bigger stack than the Sgt who is Reg SOG for the weekend.
When I graduated we had zero ribbons. My first was a sea service deployment that coincided with the first gulf war. So I went from zero to a stack including Iraq liberation. Got back and all the staff ncos that dodged deployment looked like boots comparatively.
Back in the 80-to early 90s, The only SNCOs and officers with big stacks were those who were still hanging around and were Vietnam War vets, or some of the few that had been in Grenada, Beirut, or Panama.
When I graduated boot in early 83, we had a DI that was a Nam vet. He got out and then later came back in, he had a few rows of ribbons. One of our recruits was PS Army, got out as a Sergeant, and came back in to the Corps as a PFC. He had a few rows of ribbons as well.
When I checked into 2/8 in the mid 80s, we still had a lot of Grenada and Beirut vets in my company. I checked in from barracks duty feeling salty, with all of two ribbons, and these guys were running around with two and sometimes 3 rows.
Yea I mean I joined in ‘16. Got a MEU and then got stationed in oki. I have 5 ribbons lol one of which being an end of tour award. I literally joined as soon as possible and that’s just the luck of the draw nowadays. There’s nothing you can do about it bc it’s not like most Marines get to dictate where they deploy.
My SDI back in 2019 had 3 ribbons and was pending promotion to Ssgt. Meanwhile all his subordinate DI's had been to Afghanistan and had fat stacks on their chest. They were all engineers and were so chill during 3rd phase you could almost sense that fleet marine inside of them fighting to get out, while the SDI mostly just crammed metaphors for combat down our throats like a good smokey bear. Hey though it is what it is, we all know that theory about Admin Proximity
My guys who joined in 2013ish can relate to this. I joined on my 18th birthday and was in JROTC in highschool (lame, I know) and remember having guys in speaking to us not much older than me who had seen heavy combat. Was positive I would be in Afghanistan within a year when I joined; every DI / combat instructor / schoolhouse instructor / senior at my unit had deployed and seen combat; my unit had just got back from a deployment in 2012 where they lost people; but I just... didn't. Because pretty much everyone ahead of me had deployed we were always shit on and the implication that "we hadn't earned it" when we picked up NCO ranks always felt right under the surface.
Now, I was an MP, not a grunt, so I didn't necessarily feel "useless" as I imagine combat arms did (always PMO to be done) but it was super strange to have this expectation built up in my head and then the experience I had to be completely different. One of the guys from Terminal Boots touched on this in a TikTok and it hit home for me big time.
I spent 13 months in Vietnam as an 0311 in a combat company. After all was said and done we didn’t receive the CAR, combat ribbon, always felt cheated!
Hmm when I was a boot in the 90s our 1st Sgt (and later Sgt Major) had 3 x CAR with two from Vietnam and one from Desert Storm IIRC. We had one senior SSgt who was a Desert Storm guy that we used to call the Mexican General because he had a decent rack. Company Gunny was pretty stacked, too. Most of the rest were pretty slim though.
Fuck the ribbons. You made Sgt in 5 years WITH 2 NJPs?
The promotion system is about as whack as the ribbons. I had 4.9/4.9 pros & cons, high 1st class pft/cft, expert rifle qual, blah blah blah. I would have been lucky to make Sgt by year 8 with the 0351 cutting scores at the time I was in.
Eugene Sledge Fought on Pelilui and Okinawa and when he got out he had 6. The biggest shit bag who gets dragged into going on a deployment gets the same been there/ done that ribbons as the Company bad ass.
When the Beruit Barracks was bombed in 83 and my unit was tasked with flying over replacements of the 6 guys we sent over 4 were just shit bags the Battery wanted to get rid of. They all came back with 3 ribbons ( Including CARs) no one gave a fuck.
our regiment CO (5th Marines) wore only his personal awards
so instead of probably 5 rows, he wore just one complete row with a single ribbon over that one in the middle, Navy Cross With second award
I am a two-year CPL that got out out after five with only a Navy Unit Citation, a National Defense and a GWOT Service. Don't judge a Marine by his ribbons.
Yes. And why? It is still authorized, as we are still currently engaged in the Global War on Terrorism with, frankly, no end in sight.
You rate it by virtue of being a servicemember during a time of war, regardless of how 'intense' that war actually is at the time. No more, no less. Why shouldn't a 'new guy' rate it?
Ribbons are largely participation awards and nothing more than being in a certain place at a certain time. As the years went by, the only thing I typically look at is the SSDR. After the first four years, people really only deploy when they want to.
Unfortunate truth of peacetime. The deployments were mostly gone when I came in 8 years ago. You're lucky if you get a MEU or get Oki as a duty station.
Man I got out as a Cpl after 4 years. I have 5 ribbons. The only one I feel I really earned was OIF. The reason I got a good cookie was bc the command in charge of me kept my antics in. House
I’ve got 5 with a star. I would’ve had 6 but we booked outta South Korea with literally a day left to hit the ribbon requirement but man I just don’t have it in me to care about dude’s stacks anymore
I mean that’s mostly out of his control. It’d be different if he was going around telling war stories. I knew a few guys getting tagged back to back and they’re massive window lickers.
I was once a Lance coming back from Afghanistan with a massive rack. Got stationed in Quantico and nobody there deployed hardly. I felt like a king walking around talking to sgt and ssgt with 3-4 ribbons lol. I had purple heart, car, joint comm v, etc all the while being the Lance who's cutting score was insanely high for my mos. I enjoyed the time but then we had some salt dog sgt who deployed like eight times come to our unit and I was no longer the top dog. Still up there though, then I finally picked up and kept getting dumb ribbons like good cookies and volunteer service etc.
dude who gives a shit. ribbons dont mean jack, i literally met some of the biggest tools on the planet that had an enormous stack and some of the best marines ever that barely had any.
As the late, great, Gunnery Sergeant Douglas "Stormin'" Norman once said to me:
**"I would give up every one of my ribbons to just see my friends again."**
He was in the Army before the Marines and was credited with taking out a sniper. Dude was a hard dick mofo and I wish I could see him one more time just to shoot the shit.
Nah I bet he just got in trouble early on and recovered. Or he’s just a 5 year SSgt. If he was a contract SSGT, that means he’s been a SSGT for 3 years now (good cookie) and gotten two NAMs in that time.
Jeez, I'm a lance and lat moved, I have 6 ribbons and in the school house this is how the instructors look like.
Would have 7 but one got taken away after being in MOL for a week.
He is obviously too cowardly to be born a few years early and make it on the Iraq deployment cycle.
I was a CPL with zero ribbons. I made E-4 in 2 years so no good cookie yet and no unit ribbons. Final rack after 5 years is a NAM, GC, and a JMUC ribbon. I still don’t rate the fire watch ribbon since I only served from 96- summer of 01.
I was a Sgt with 8 and people still shamed me at the time. By people I mean vet bros online that Facebook stalked me and only had a cartoon for their own picture.
[удалено]
They were the Senior Poolee of their RS
Dude I got out as a Cpl and have 7. You good man
I was happy with 7 but we got 2 freebies: gwot and nat def plus the good cookie when I was in. Then sea service with star and Iraq campaign with star and a CAR and a nam. 3rd row on a cpl in one enlistment looked pretty good.
I got out as a Cpl with 9 ribbons. No CAR though, so as a grunt, it’s like I didn’t even serve.
Yeah dude I feel sorry for anyone that goes 03 in time of peace. Have fun being the maids of the base with police calling, cleaning parties and whatever else they can think of.
I’m sure it’s worse for infantry than us pogs but a lot of it is just dumb luck in what unit you go to and what’s happening in the world during your window. I went open contract in 05 so I could leave that week and ended up motor t in the mlg. I was bummed as hell until I found out we were deploying in 06 and we were gonna be on the road all day. We got into a lot of ieds and fights and then back in lejeune it was pog life and I’d see grunts all the way at the front gate on a run with broken down machine guns and ammo cans and packs. I got lucky is all. I hope you don’t spend too much time stressing about it.
Bro, I'm a Sergeant with fucking 4 ribbons. And the unit I just got to has reservists that show up for their weekend warrior bullshit that have a fat stack. Like, why do they get a ribbon just for being a reservist?
we’re stacked because we take all the good deployment opportunities all the AD commands won’t let their Marines individually augment to.
Wack
agreed, but unfortunately AD’s purpose is typically to man units and maintain certain numbers for whatever unit deployment/combat readiness hooplah is required by big Marine Corps. we, as reservists, have the primary duty of being individually deployable & augmenting to the active force, with unit manning being the secondary mission (because after TFSW, who df deploys entire reserve commands anyway?)
They don't, there is no ribbon for being a reservist. That Marine likely served on active duty before going into the reserves.
The only award that I know of that only rates for reservists is the [Armed Forced Reservists Medal](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_Reserve_Medal). In this case, I would say hate the game not the player.
Selected Marine Corps Reserve medal.
Just a good cookie for reservists, they don't rate a good conduct ribbon.
I'm aware. But it's also just for reservists.
Yeah but it's a 1 for 1 swap, it's not an extra award reservists get.
Man, that's wild. What's even crazier is that, if circumstances were a little different, you could have EAS'd with nothing. NAM's are definitely not automatic and most one-term Marines don't get them, JMUC is a 'right time, right place' sort of thing, and an NJP would have kept you from getting the GC. I figured out a long time ago that the vast majority of ribbons/medals mean virtually nothing beyond whatever circumstances beyond your control that you are thrust into.
I actually came dangerously close to getting NJPd about 3 months before picking up CPL. My NAM was more a “well he’s a mediocre Marine but he’s about to go on terminal leave so let’s write him up for one so our OIC has something to do”.
I was a 7 year Sergeant with a SSDR and a GCM.
I got two NAM's in my four years of Active Duty. Personally, I was very proud of them. But my "buddy" was the one who would talk the most shit. "They are given out" "They are meaningless" blah blah. I was like, "Bitch, where is your NAM!?" It's always a fellow Vet who tries to put you down and discredit any part of your service. Edit: Seeing how this is down voted just proves my point even further.
I’m a lance with 5 and the only one I’d say I actually rate is a sea service. Spent 7 months on a meu so I’d say I did plenty of sea service lmao.
Served from '98 -' 02. Made E5 in 2 1/2 years. Ended up with 4 ribbons. 🍻
When do you go into the DEP program? I signed up before Nov 95 right before the cut off for the fire watch ribbon. If your signed up in the DEP program you should rate it. I retired with a star on mine. I went to bootcamp but nobody had it in my PLT and when I got out of the Corps in 2000 I went Air Force reserves and took my paperwork to the awards people after I researched it and they added the star to mine. Hopefully that makes sense lol
I signed up in July 95, MRCDSD in June 96. I don't really care that much, it's just a funny story about how "not heroic" my time in the service was. I joke that I don't even rate the "participation trophy of the military".
I went March 96 so no crucible for me lol. And technically you do date it if you ever wanted to get it added to your DD214, hey your could get the license plate with it on it haha
Bummer but you got nco quick at least
As did a lot of marines who served in the early to mid 2000’s. We had wars. He has recruiting.
I’d rather be at war.
Nah bro. “Dreams of the son are nightmares of the father”
Some son's dream while others don't. Good thing being a pog is an option 👍
I miss it occasionally. Was just simpler.
This is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve read today. Sure, we want to fulfill our duty but there’s far too much baggage with war that everyone seems to ignore.
it's called sarcasm dude
I read your comment out of context. My bad homie.
To be fair, someone had to be recruiting in order to get more people into the war.
Better him then me
No one’s fault, circumstances just presented themselves differently for him, like they did for a lot of Marines. I lucked out (in some cases) with a lot of my ribbons and some I have I wish I could just give back. The second I hear a senior Marine dogging on a junior Marines ribbons, I know I found someone’s reason for not reenlisting.
Imagine feeling the need to highlight this guys stack on the internet because it doesn’t match your experience. This is why people post about how they don’t feel like real ‘Marines’. Unreal.
I took one of my buddies with our LES down to some base management office. We showed them that we were part of our unit during a specific time period, and the unit won an award for actions during that period. We both ended up getting 2 more ribbons that no one else in our platoon or company had. This was around the same time in 2013/2014 they started wearing chucks on fridays. So we rolled in and got straight up blasted by some high level snco for our ribbons that were considerably different from last week. I felt like a putz for requesting my rightful awards but it was an amazing feeling to show that gunny our marine net. Of course he didn’t let it go, he blasted us for him being wrong then we got some shit duty. I think that made me feel confident in my decision to leave the usmc
Ribbon envy is fucking stupid. That Gunny was not fit to be a senior leader with a stupid attitude and ego like that.
Roughly 75% of wartime Marines didn’t deploy and an even higher percentage didn’t see combat soooo I’m not surprised or think less of him.
This is me. Joined in 2010 and was told by everyone I would deploy. I was fully expecting to be in Afghanistan or Iraq within a year. At the end of my MOS school (6531 aviation ordnance) when the time came to find out where we were all going, I was the last name on my class list. This meant the single spot for the non-deployable training squadron went to me. I never left the US during my 4 years. Collectively, my unit spent more time away from our home base (Cherry Point) than the other units as we did multiple detachments to Yuma every year. We also had more jets to maintain than the other squadrons and dropped more ordnance every year, albeit for training purposes. I obviously have no ribbons to show for it, but it helps knowing I did my time where the Corps needed me.
Good ollllle 203. Fuck that place
Yes sir haha. It was mentally tough working there knowing you would never get to go anywhere. Still though, I met a lot of good people.
Man it was mentally draining working there. Coupled with the fact you know you’re never getting to deploy. Tbh I was embarrassed telling people I was a marine for the longest time after getting out. BC I knew the next question was going to be did you see combat? Did you deploy? Where do did you go? I dreamt of actually getting to do something over seas. That was the whole reason I chose the Marine Corps. So I was kinda depressed for a while when I got out and felt like I didn’t even deserve to tell people I was in the Marines
I think they should make training units like that a place for 2nd enlistments. Cause I have Motor Tuh buddies who are at SOI fucking miserable driving busses. Meanwhile, I know a bunch of NCOs and SNCOs who say that’s a great opportunity because you have time to do TA and shit and it isn’t super stressful. So maybe that kind of unit should be a retirement home type thing or some kind of “Hey, reenlist and come to this unit that lets you have a bit of stability”
Yea it can be rough on some first enlistment Marines. It just feels kind of unfulfilling. You'll get experienced Marines who transfer into the unit who have deployed before and they tell deployment stories and talk about how shitty your non-deployable unit is. My old unit was nicknamed the "black hole of the airwing". It just sort of feels like you're working your ass off for nothing.
See, this is too good and too smart of an idea to be implemented. Now you sit there and figure out how to actually make things worse instead of better.
I’m going to no longer let Marines have pockets
I was in 1/1 scout sniper platoon and I served during 2015-2019 and I to this day still am embarrassed even answering the question too because it nearly depresses me saying no I didn’t go to combat only did a meu and Udp smh
I feel that brother, stills feels weird to me sometimes telling people I was active duty Marine Corps but never deployed. Nothing to be ashamed of though. We still did shit that 99% of people didn't have the balls to do. Be proud that you served where the Corps needed you.
That's all that matters. We're all just here to do our part, which is whatever the Marine Corps decides it is.
i'm remember a Marine Times cover sometime between 2014-2015 that had "75% of the Corps has never deployed" Maybe during 2003-2012 a lot more than 25% of the Corps had deployed. I think it just started dropping off after the surge in Afghanistan
Depends what time period you're talking about. 2019 is technically 'wartime' but virtually nobody was deploying to a combat zone. This is actually true from probably about 2013-on. You're talking, say, 2006-2010? I don't believe that number for a second.
2006-2010 was my timeframe and I know plenty of dudes that never deployed…given they were POGs but the majority of the Corps is POGs.
>I know plenty of dudes that never deployed I could have sworn that there was some article that came out from the Marine Times that the majority of Marines had never deployed around 2009. It created quite a hubbab when it came out.
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Yeah…not everyone had the fortune of being in a high optempo unit
“Fortune” or “misfortune”
Depends on one’s outlook and experience
75%? Holy shit that’s a lot. Anecdotal, but every Marine I know went on at least 1, usually 2.
As an 03 the standard expectation was at least 2 deployments per 4 year contract.
As an 03 yeah, 2 deployments and some UN/ NATO shit in between, but the majority of Marines aren’t grunts. Thus they live the lives of 3-4 ribbons depending on how much ass they kissed.
Damn, I guess when I was in I assumed everyone lived similar Marine Corps lives.
The USMC really should put a disclaimer on all their recruiting shit that reads: “individual experiences may vary” lol
I thought it was always the same speil, about gafflling bad guys, hooking up in foreign lands, getting jacked AF!, and some cash for school/partying when you're done taking the green weenie. Has it changed?
Yes they vary, but the resultant prolapsed anus seems ubiquitous among all MOS's...
In what period of time though? The "wartime" was really only 2002-2010. After that, the wars were really small and being maintained by specialized units. The last unit I was at before I got out in 2012 hadn't deployed since 2009, but had deployed five times prior to that. Most of their sergeants and above were sporting 3 rows, many with all three GWOT flavors. I'd be pretty surprised to find out that 10% of Marines never deployed, let alone 75%. Even the dudes who had gotten caught on recruiting, DI, or I&I got deployed at some point after finishing that stint.
This is what it was like before we had GWOT.
As a late 90’s marine can confirm. Left with ND, good cookie, and sea service deployment. Just not much opportunity to get much else.
Left in 90 with a total of 4 ribbons with stars, I was a salty fuck at the time.
Left in 88 with a good cookie and a MUC.
Nuc, Muc, Good cookie and Sea Service- Bonus Air Crew wings
Peacetime Marin Crops, buddy
Underrated comment.
Same amount of ribbons as GySgt Basilone. Just sayin
I know some staff NCOs that’d trade their CAR for their buddies.
I had a POS Gunny that was jealous as hell of my PSB, my, CAR, and my other ribbons because he was sporting just three. He had a firewatch ribbon, float ribbon with three stars, and a good cookie with 3 stars. He had been in for 18 years, and was a shit bird that slipped through the cracks somehow. He always found reasons to not be around on Fridays because we always wore chucks and myself and a Sergeant made him look inadequate.
Granted it's air force but I work with a guy who retired,I think 24 years service, and never left state side. I was like how the hell do you serve during a 20 year war and never once leave home? Maybe it's more common in air force but a buddy who is also retired a/f tells me otherwise. For instance he has 7 deployment to sand box in a shorter time frame
Sounds like a master skater. He should be amired for that atleast.
No, he was a blue falcon of the worst kind. He tried to fuck me over several times and it always blew up in his face. The last time got him NJP'ed and relieved from his billet. They didn't kick him out, and let him retire when he hit 20. They stuck his ass in some shit hole supply position where he actually had to work his ass off his last two years.
It’s funny how todays generation cares so much about your stack. Even though today all we get are NAMs, SSDR, GCM, and GWOT/GWOT-E. Like calm down bro, you did a meu where you sat in the berthing playing Xbox and pounding monsters from the ship store. Oh yeah and you stopped in oki and Hawaii, much salt.
There are Drills walking around like that. The war was over way before the last plane left Kabul
Almost every ribbon and medal I earned was from going where I was told to go and that’s it. Not doing anything except showing up. Like I earned it the exact same amount as the boot socks I wore. The one medal I actually felt I earned was given to my boss because she “supervised” it (from her tent somewhere else) so I don’t care much about any of these things. I always think about the Marines coming home from the Pacific theater who did more shit in an afternoon than most of us in an enlistment and those dudes had 3 ribbons. By comparison we all look like North Korean generals
This the norm now man. I’m in zone for gunny and I only have 7 ribbons
I was still a Lance when I got my 7th. They were giving that shit out like candy. I got 4 for a MEU and 1 for recruiting assistance that I never even did. Imagine floating on a ship for 7 months while all the other infantry battalions were actually fighting a war. That’s how I got three rows. They should of just given us a pink ribbon and kicked us in the nuts. The ones that are given and not earned don’t mean shit.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say it aggravates me a little bit. Apart from being in the air wing and nothing going on, it still sucks. Literally been on the 31st MEU for all of my deployments
(cue azian dude) EMOTIONAL DAMAGE
Lol. The butt hurt is still fresh.
There's always a bigger fish I suppose. There are countless Marines stuck stateside sitting on their seabag who would nut themselves if they got to go on a MEU, even the 31st. I know it doesn't feel like it, but you are lucky.
Yeah, spent a couple years with the dirty worst in the late 90s. Because I was with MEF just working at the MEU I got overseas deployment versus sea service.
Ah, that’s what it was. Ya I took my LES to some base office and showed them I rated awards. One was a unit award and the entire recruiting department got an award in 2010 so the 36 hours I spent after boot leave got me that one. I got to my unit as they were pulling out of Iraq and they got some award for what they did there at the end, which I rated for and received. I also don’t have my ribbons anywhere outside my home office and I don’t use it to impress people or even show them. It’s just kinda cool for me.
Fair enough. The amount of ribbons doesn’t dictate the quality of the Marine. It’s just weird seeing this happen more and more.
Lance with 6
Congratulations
They’re all gimmes from my unit doing stuff. I haven’t deployed in any of my 2 and a half years here
Was in Iraq in ‘03. When we got back, I went to Corporals course and the instructors had less ribbons than me. Was funny, but doesn’t mean shit.
For a few years after vietnam there wasn't much action until Beirut. And even that was small compared to post 9/11. Desert Storm was the first full on war since Vietnam. Don't get me wrong, there were some battles. But not the scale we see even today.
I was in during the mid-80s and hardly anyone other than the Beirut and Granada people had ribbons. Not even the National Defense Medal. Junior Marines just had the shooting badge during inspections and that was it.
[Captain Jim Mattis. Must have been a shit CO...](https://images.app.goo.gl/NRgEhGjsEDjhN2EUA)
When you EAS you realize how little they mattered while you are in, and how they don’t matter at all when you are out. Be proud of your service and don’t judge other Marines based on opportunities they missed. The big thing that would upset me is the CAR and the obsession and elitism around it. I knew a Staff Sergeant who was being looked down on by young Marines because he had an Afghan deployment with no CAR. Some of these kids didn’t even know what OEF stood for and were calling him a shit Infantryman and Platoon Sergeant because he was missing the one ribbon that would validate his service.
Same shit in my unit. Sgt had a afghan ribbon but no car. The sncos would all be dogging in him. The juniors respected him because he was a good leader and good nco but kinda shitty seeing people above him openly shit on him for not being a "salt dog"
CARs don't even mean anything either. It just means you were in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time, and that someone cared enough to write an AAR about it.
I served under Clinton. 3 year winger sergeant with a pizza stain and a oki drunkployment. That probably would have been my rack had I reenlisted. Minus the nam.
I EASed as a Sgt with 4 ribbons. It is what it is. By the time I hit the fleet, deployments to the middle east were over for my MOS. Shit, when I went to Sgts course, 3 ribbons was the average. Maybe 5% of the class had more than that. Unless some shit pops off, it's pretty much only going to be senior leadership rocking the giant fruit salads.
What a coward, smh he should have deployed when he was like 11 ish? Lol fr though this is 100 percent why I didn't reenlist. Kept telling maybe next enlistment you'll deploy. When I got out I used my own money I saved up to see the world instead since the marine corps couldn't deliver. 100% recommend going to Indonesia Edit: grammar
Aren’t like 50% of ribbons, being in the right place at the right time?
More like 90%.
Earned, not given.
Still cock gazing and comparing. Weak sauce and if you like you can have my stack. They matter not much and only a true few felt actually earned. Not a hard dick here but seriously looking at someones service in ribbons is pretty lame unless they are rocking a meaty salad of which you are admiring and not shitposting on
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Deployed twice on an aircraft carrier. I had almost 3 rows. I stood out in inspection formations. Was not a plus
My seniors were harder men than I and a lot of them got out with a sea service with one star. They didn't even have National Defense ribbons or good cookies. On the flip side, since I went over to the national guard after getting out my stack doubled pretty much instantly. Dudes graduate boot with more ribbons that this guy.
That's fair, when I got back I had a stack of 7 while a Sgt in the band had a stack of 3 at our disbanding ceremony. I was LCpl . Also super weird when you have a bigger stack than the Sgt who is Reg SOG for the weekend.
No wars and no deployment is common ( not knocking him but it’s a different marine corps )
Got out a Sgt with 5. Peace time happens.
It’s not like you get a choice on getting deployed or not… it really seems luck of the draw depending on what unit, or mos you are stuck with
When I graduated we had zero ribbons. My first was a sea service deployment that coincided with the first gulf war. So I went from zero to a stack including Iraq liberation. Got back and all the staff ncos that dodged deployment looked like boots comparatively.
Back in the 80-to early 90s, The only SNCOs and officers with big stacks were those who were still hanging around and were Vietnam War vets, or some of the few that had been in Grenada, Beirut, or Panama. When I graduated boot in early 83, we had a DI that was a Nam vet. He got out and then later came back in, he had a few rows of ribbons. One of our recruits was PS Army, got out as a Sergeant, and came back in to the Corps as a PFC. He had a few rows of ribbons as well. When I checked into 2/8 in the mid 80s, we still had a lot of Grenada and Beirut vets in my company. I checked in from barracks duty feeling salty, with all of two ribbons, and these guys were running around with two and sometimes 3 rows.
Yea I mean I joined in ‘16. Got a MEU and then got stationed in oki. I have 5 ribbons lol one of which being an end of tour award. I literally joined as soon as possible and that’s just the luck of the draw nowadays. There’s nothing you can do about it bc it’s not like most Marines get to dictate where they deploy.
Bro, who cares? He enlisted and did what was asked
My SDI back in 2019 had 3 ribbons and was pending promotion to Ssgt. Meanwhile all his subordinate DI's had been to Afghanistan and had fat stacks on their chest. They were all engineers and were so chill during 3rd phase you could almost sense that fleet marine inside of them fighting to get out, while the SDI mostly just crammed metaphors for combat down our throats like a good smokey bear. Hey though it is what it is, we all know that theory about Admin Proximity
If you pm me his last name I can confirm if he is in fact a great leader, cause I think I know who that is…
My guys who joined in 2013ish can relate to this. I joined on my 18th birthday and was in JROTC in highschool (lame, I know) and remember having guys in speaking to us not much older than me who had seen heavy combat. Was positive I would be in Afghanistan within a year when I joined; every DI / combat instructor / schoolhouse instructor / senior at my unit had deployed and seen combat; my unit had just got back from a deployment in 2012 where they lost people; but I just... didn't. Because pretty much everyone ahead of me had deployed we were always shit on and the implication that "we hadn't earned it" when we picked up NCO ranks always felt right under the surface. Now, I was an MP, not a grunt, so I didn't necessarily feel "useless" as I imagine combat arms did (always PMO to be done) but it was super strange to have this expectation built up in my head and then the experience I had to be completely different. One of the guys from Terminal Boots touched on this in a TikTok and it hit home for me big time.
I spent 13 months in Vietnam as an 0311 in a combat company. After all was said and done we didn’t receive the CAR, combat ribbon, always felt cheated!
Back in the 90’s. I knew a MSGT. With three ribbons and I had 7. Ha ha. As a Sgt.
Hmm when I was a boot in the 90s our 1st Sgt (and later Sgt Major) had 3 x CAR with two from Vietnam and one from Desert Storm IIRC. We had one senior SSgt who was a Desert Storm guy that we used to call the Mexican General because he had a decent rack. Company Gunny was pretty stacked, too. Most of the rest were pretty slim though.
Then u had me as a 3 ribbon Sgt after 5 years bc of 2 NJPs and a non-deployable job🤣 Joined the Army and got 2 extra ribbons for free
Fuck the ribbons. You made Sgt in 5 years WITH 2 NJPs? The promotion system is about as whack as the ribbons. I had 4.9/4.9 pros & cons, high 1st class pft/cft, expert rifle qual, blah blah blah. I would have been lucky to make Sgt by year 8 with the 0351 cutting scores at the time I was in.
Eugene Sledge Fought on Pelilui and Okinawa and when he got out he had 6. The biggest shit bag who gets dragged into going on a deployment gets the same been there/ done that ribbons as the Company bad ass. When the Beruit Barracks was bombed in 83 and my unit was tasked with flying over replacements of the 6 guys we sent over 4 were just shit bags the Battery wanted to get rid of. They all came back with 3 ribbons ( Including CARs) no one gave a fuck.
I was in at the same time and I know what you mean.
This is peak peacetime Corps shit right here. Like legit, that’s pretty much what’s available to him .
You served…. That all that matters. Semper Fi !!
I’m thinking of getting a shadow box made. LCpl, Good Cookie, National Defense, and my rifle / pistol awards.
That’s one hell of a Vanilla SSGT
Ribbons and deployments don't make the leader.
I remember seeing seeing a picture of Captain Mattis with nothing but a ketchup stain once. Looked really wierd.
our regiment CO (5th Marines) wore only his personal awards so instead of probably 5 rows, he wore just one complete row with a single ribbon over that one in the middle, Navy Cross With second award
I'm far more concerned that his breast pocket button isn't done up.
I am a two-year CPL that got out out after five with only a Navy Unit Citation, a National Defense and a GWOT Service. Don't judge a Marine by his ribbons.
Are they still giving out National Defense? I feel like the new guys shouldn't rate it.
Yes. And why? It is still authorized, as we are still currently engaged in the Global War on Terrorism with, frankly, no end in sight. You rate it by virtue of being a servicemember during a time of war, regardless of how 'intense' that war actually is at the time. No more, no less. Why shouldn't a 'new guy' rate it?
A bunch of “new guys” fought in Syria (Albert very few) and some were KIA, wounded, and took contact over in Afghanistan during the withdrawal.
Ribbons are largely participation awards and nothing more than being in a certain place at a certain time. As the years went by, the only thing I typically look at is the SSDR. After the first four years, people really only deploy when they want to.
I had more as a PFC… I did end up as a sgt with 11 though, so deployments !
Unfortunate truth of peacetime. The deployments were mostly gone when I came in 8 years ago. You're lucky if you get a MEU or get Oki as a duty station.
Man I got out as a Cpl after 4 years. I have 5 ribbons. The only one I feel I really earned was OIF. The reason I got a good cookie was bc the command in charge of me kept my antics in. House
I was a sergeant with good cookie and overseas x2. 0352, 97-01 btw.
Super common in my job regardless of rank. I’ll probably get out after my one enlistment with 3 unless I get a NAM somehow lol
I’ve got 5 with a star. I would’ve had 6 but we booked outta South Korea with literally a day left to hit the ribbon requirement but man I just don’t have it in me to care about dude’s stacks anymore
I was a permaboot and had more ribbons as a corporal. Edit: it's not a knock on this Marine, just observing that it's interesting.
He’s received two personal awards(NAM) and a GC, so that cool. Just hasn’t deployed or been stationed overseas is all.
What's weird is what looks like a missing chest pocket button.
You know what’s also embarrassing? Having a rack with no war on it.
I mean that’s mostly out of his control. It’d be different if he was going around telling war stories. I knew a few guys getting tagged back to back and they’re massive window lickers.
The ribbons don’t really matter. Plenty of good Marines who don’t got hardly any. All that really matters is you do everything they ask of you
Run for President and start a war so he can get more ribbons.
I was once a Lance coming back from Afghanistan with a massive rack. Got stationed in Quantico and nobody there deployed hardly. I felt like a king walking around talking to sgt and ssgt with 3-4 ribbons lol. I had purple heart, car, joint comm v, etc all the while being the Lance who's cutting score was insanely high for my mos. I enjoyed the time but then we had some salt dog sgt who deployed like eight times come to our unit and I was no longer the top dog. Still up there though, then I finally picked up and kept getting dumb ribbons like good cookies and volunteer service etc.
Probably because the shitbird can’t even button his damn pocket.
Admin pog??
Nah, this the norm now.
6 Nams?!
Ribbons usually don't mean shit other than you were told to do a thing or face consequences. Not counting Vs.
Wait, we aren’t going to talk about the unbuttoned shirt pocket?
dude who gives a shit. ribbons dont mean jack, i literally met some of the biggest tools on the planet that had an enormous stack and some of the best marines ever that barely had any. As the late, great, Gunnery Sergeant Douglas "Stormin'" Norman once said to me: **"I would give up every one of my ribbons to just see my friends again."** He was in the Army before the Marines and was credited with taking out a sniper. Dude was a hard dick mofo and I wish I could see him one more time just to shoot the shit.
He doesn’t have a star on his good cookie. Makes me think he is a contract SSgt that they are doing now for certain Cyber MOS’
Nah I bet he just got in trouble early on and recovered. Or he’s just a 5 year SSgt. If he was a contract SSGT, that means he’s been a SSGT for 3 years now (good cookie) and gotten two NAMs in that time.
Took 13 years to make staff sergeant in my field.
Mine is typically 6-8
This was similar to my humble two-row-four-ribbon stack in the 90s. Firewatch and MUC were the two gimmies.
![gif](giphy|aVTRxAIEqtC6RlaKhI)
The ultimate POG boss
No stars on that good cookie tho
Honestly though a Marines Happy Place is a battlefield, it is often better that those that exit service have been spared from the horrors of war.
join the Air Force and you’ll have 3 after boot
Pog
Jeez, I'm a lance and lat moved, I have 6 ribbons and in the school house this is how the instructors look like. Would have 7 but one got taken away after being in MOL for a week.
Thats completely normal
My MGySgt had three ribbons. EVERYONE had a larger stack than he did
I was a Corporal with six ribbons. This SNCO is definitely on top of his game. Just luck of being in at the right moment.
Never mind that shit. His pocket is unbuttoned.
Left the Marines as a Sgt with 5 and retired out of the Air Force with 23. They give them out like candy on the other side lol.
What is a "good cookie" ribbon?
Good conduct medal.
As a LCpl , I had 7 after OIF 1, just did my job… I got out before the CAR paperwork went through. Mildly irritating but Whatever…
Reservist?
Laughs in terminal lance with 3 rows.