Marine Corps Base Quantico

“I’ll take Marine Symbols and Icons for $300, please.”

 And just like that, Marine Corps Jeopardy was underway on Sept. 25 for me and 25 other eager Civilian Marines, kicking off the final leg of the Marine Corps Acculturation Program at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

The thorough, two-day course is run by Lon Martin, the head of the Marine Corps Base Quantico Awards and Recognition Program and retired base sergeant major. Designed to fully ingratiate civilians into the Marine Corps experience, the program offers a close-up look to those not all that familiar with the ways, customs  and history of the Corps.

To say it was a great learning experience was an understatement. I never served in the military, but I assumed that I was probably a little more knowledgeable about Marine culture than most other civilians new to working aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico. That’s only because I have spent much of the last five years working with a slew of Marines on an upcoming book I’m doing about Sgt. Rodney M. Davis, my wife’s uncle who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in Vietnam.

But I quickly found out at MCAP that there was so, so much that I still didn’t know about the Corps and its history. Lunch at Tun Tavern was another nice touch, adding to the ambiance and overall experience.

“Core values for $500, please.”

Still not convinced? How ‘bout the Final Jeopardy question? Who was the first Marine Medal of Honor recipient? Just don’t forget to always give the answer in the form of a question.

 Who was Cpl. John Mackie?



And, for the record, Mackie received the award in 1862 for valor shown in combat near Richmond during the Civil War.

It was the close attention to specific details like that that really struck me and the other civilian employees serving aboard Quantico with a much greater appreciation of what makes Marines tick. Many of those in the class with me had prior military experience and already possessed at least a vague understanding about the brotherhood of Marines and their time-honored mantra of honor, courage and commitment.

Others, like Matt Minor, had more than most. Now a service planner at Marine Corps Installation Command, Minor is a retired Marine staff sergeant who was the youngest of six brothers, five of whom also served in the Corps. Minor’s late father was the no-nonsense type who spent 35 years with the Marines.

“I’m a Marine through and through,” he said.

So Minor and others who had previously worn the uniform were probably was less stunned than most of rest of us gathered in the classroom trailer just beside the NMMC when two drill instructors from Officer Candidates School suddenly appeared from behind a closed door, immediately barking instructions at us just like they would any Marine candidate.

Talk about shock and awe.

For the record, I knew of the drill instructors’ presence in advance and wasn’t taken by surprise. Others weren’t as fortunate, as was readily apparent in the starry-eyed looks of disbelief I glimpsed from around the room.

The DIs broke character after a few minutes, explaining the importance of getting the new Marines to understand the sense of urgency and obeying orders quickly before taking questions from curious class attendees.

Their passion, as well as that of Martin and his fellow instructors, Charles Andrews and Henrik Iversen, made one thing obvious to those who didn’t already know.

Once a Marine, always a Marine.