At 18 I joined the Marines. In boot camp I was introduced to new way of speaking and thinking. The new language, learned and internalized, was integral to changing my thought practices from that of a civilian, to that of a Marine. My experiences in the Marines confirm the the idea of linguistic relativity put forth in the Sapir-wharf Hypothesis, and served as my Initiation in the the Marine Corp’s Community of Practice.
During the three months spent in boot camp, recruits rarely spoke. Recruits listened, and learned an entirely new language. From the moment of arrival on Parris Island, recruits were not allowed to use pronouns. Usage of I, you, we, or me were strictly forbidden. Inability to use pronouns served to take away all
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Saying, “we are preparing for a possible NBC”, appears less psychologically frightening that stating that we were preparing for a nuclear attack. ‘
I am reminded of Carol Cohn’s work, Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals. Cohn describes the use of technistrategic discourse. The type of discourse, described in Cohn’s work, which served to desensitize, and take the human factor out of otherwise painful discussions, were tools utilized in Marine Corps. Boot camp furthermore, as I absorbed this new discourse I too began not just to speak in it but to think in it. I left Boot Camp with a new way of thinking about the world
I believe this experience confirms the idea of linguistic relativity put forth by the Sapir-wharf Hypothesis. The language, thought and culture of the Marines, all influence each each other. All of these ideas worked together, in boot camp, to change me from Jennifer the civilian. To PFC MacDonald, a Marine.
Additionally, Carol Cohn believed that the technistrategic community constituted a community of practice. I argue that the military world, specifically that of the Marine Corps, also constitutes a Community of Practice. Laura M. Ahearn’s book, Living Language, an Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, describes a Community of Practice as follows,
A community of practice is an aggregate of people who come together around mutual engagement in an endeavor. Ways of doing
I investigated how cadets’ communication evolved while they were in JROTC and how they used word of mouth to achieve the program’s goals. Colonel Spry mentions that cadets’ discussions when they first start out in the program are not very serious in nature, but as they grow and move up in the program they begin to mature and have thoughtful discussions on how to solve a problem and what kind of plan it would take to resolve it.
I feel that marines of all ranks should read this book. Near the end of boot camp, I remember my Drill Instructors telling my platoon about how terrible marines sometimes acted when they were clearly taught otherwise in boot camp. I remember them telling me that they wanted to be a Drill Instructor because they wanted to make a positive and long lasting impact on people. They also told us that no matter how hard they’ve trained and honed us in the way they wanted us to be, as soon as we leave, we would still be whoever we wanted to be, it would be our choice whether or not to keep those teachings with us. And they were right, I’ve met a lot of marines that have abandoned them. This book emphasizes on the importance of keeping our transformation, not only for our Marine Corps career but also for the good of our
This reading is about how the U.S. Marine’s socialize their recruits. How the socialization techniques of the Marine’s are compared to the socialization techniques that have brought me to my current place in life. Also tells why the socialization techniques of the Marine Corps. is so effective. Society as a whole could learn from using trust... Without trust the Marine’s would not be as efficient.
The Marine Corps Experience, pp. 12 – 31 The Corps today, pp 318 – 335
There are many different cultures or social groups that have a language barrier whether that is because of religion, race, or social differences. These language barriers eventually will have to be overcome so that we can all communicate with each other. Out of these social groups, comes the greatest fighting force in the World, The Marine Corps. Marines have a very unique language dialog that has been preserved for hundreds of years Unfortunately, there comes a point in time when a Marine must transition out of the Marine Corps into the “Civilian World” (as we call it). Transitioning is a very exciting time for Marines but it also is very difficult time due to the strong language community that we belong to.
Community of practice: a group of individuals sharing a common work practice over a period.
A) The title of the book is The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War and the author is Andrew Bacevich. The book was published in New York, New York by the publisher Oxford University Press in the year 2005. It is the first edition and contains 270 pages.
As the bus entered the heavily guarded military instillation, I gazed upon the sign that read, "Be All that You Can Be." When the bus stopped, several angry Drill Instructors boarded and began introducing us to a very colorful vocabulary, usually reserved for drunken Sailors. They instructed us to gather our belongings, get off the bus and assemble in a circular formation. As I searched for the strength to get up, I found myself moving, while several Drill Instructors yelled at us for our clumsy attempt to dismount the bus and fall into formation. I wondered if I had made the right choice. However, I have come to realize that my military experiences have tremendously enhanced my self-worth. From those first eight
Soldiers should live “Duty, Honor, Country,” but what does that entail? The speech given in 1962 to the young cadets at Westpoint was an influential piece still referred to today. In General MacArthur’s address “Duty, Honor, Country Address at West Point,” I will identify the rhetorical devices, persuasive appeals, perspective, and tone used, as well as the impact those devices have on the meaning of this speech.
Since the beginning of time, humans have sought after power and control. It is human instinct to desire to be the undisputed champion, but when does it become a problem? Warfare has been practiced throughout civilization as a way to justify power. Though the orders come directly from one man, thousands of men and women pay the ultimate sacrifice. In Randall Jerrell’s “The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner”, Jarrell is commenting on the brutality of warfare. Not only does Jarrell address the tragedies of war, he also blames politics, war leaders, and the soldier’s acknowledgement of his duties. (Hill 6) With only five lines of text, his poems allows the reader to understand what a soldier can go through. With the use of Jerrell’s poem, The Vietnam War, and Brian Turner’s “Ameriki Jundee”, the truth of combat will be revealed.
Deceased philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, “War does not determine who is right- only who is left”. Those left are the soldiers of the 1-502nd, specifically Bravo Company 1st plt, and the Janabi family and to a greater extent, the ever-changing global world we all live in today. The tragic events that conspired in a small Iraqi village became a microcosm of how leadership failures at every level shaped the actions of a few soldiers who committed atrocious acts. One can also see how a high operational tempo, along with prolonged violence and death, has on a person’s psyche. It is the ugly side of war that the average American citizen may not want to hear or talk about. For a soldier, it is inevitably what they train their
The notion of an American way of war informs how scholars, policymakers, and strategists understand how Americans fight. A way of war—defined as a society’s cultural preferences for waging war—is not static. Change can occur as a result of important cultural events, often in the form of traumatic experiences or major social transformations. A way of war is therefore the malleable product of culturally significant past experiences. Reflecting several underlying cultural ideals, the current American way of war consists of three primary tenets—the desire for moral clarity, the primacy of technology, and the centrality of scientific management systems—which combine to create a preference for decisive, large-scale conventional wars with clear objectives and an aversion to morally ambiguous low-intensity conflicts that is relevant to planners because it helps them address American strategic vulnerabilities.
The article “Generation Kill” is written by Ewan Wright in 2004 and the author follows a platoon of US Marines in their advance through the Iraq war. Through the text there is given a characterization of the soldiers and how they respond to unaccustomed episodes that war brings.
Parts five and six bring together the personal and professional relationship between Marines themselves and the American public. These relationships, forged by the millions of men and women who have donned the Marine Corps uniform, are a result of training methods and careful selection. General Krulak gives the reader a taste of why Marines do what they have come to be known as America’s force in readiness. First to Fight has many good traits. The book, while easy to read and addictively interesting, never sugarcoats the intense conflicts between high level officials. General Krulak enhances the “official” record with personal accounts of events and people now legendary. His no-holds-barred approach to his writing makes General Krulak’s book both honest and educational. His explanations of the struggle to keep the Marine Corps alive and the early development of amphibious doctrine make First to Fight a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the modern Marine Corps. In parts of the book, General Krulak provides a mountain of detail. While these facts would be of great historical value for a reader who knows military structure and nomenclature, they tend to bog down the reader at points. The political volleys also tend to get tedious when the General describes the how the Marine Corps had to fight tooth and nail for institutional survival. These
This is a different sort of Pressfield book. Unlike the historical fiction genre in which he’s written such best-sellers as “Gates of Fire,” “The Afghan Campaign, and “The Profession,” “The Warrior Ethos” is the culmination of years of discussions Pressfield’s been having with Marines and others who were taken with the blend of courage-under-fire and humanity shown by Leonidas, Dienekes, Matthais, Gent, and the other characters in his books. “I wanted to give something back to our men and women fighting overseas,” Pressfield told Gazette, so I put together the best anecdotes and stories from all my research about the Spartans, Alexander's Macedonians, the Romans, and Rommel.”