Upon talking to armed forced recruiters, a lot of young people might ask, “Why join the United States Marine Corps?” It might even cross their minds that the recruiters are simply trying to do their job of selling the Marine Corps, which they are, but there is so much more to it than that. The Marine Corps is much more than just another military unit. It is a place to belong.

Many people belong to religious groups, parent groups, fan clubs, sporting groups, and so on. However, these aren’t the only types of groups that a person can belong to or feel a part of It is said of those things that are much greater than an individual; that they are places to belong to - a greater cause that is the sum of all its participants.

This is exactly what the Marine Corps exemplify. The Corps is nothing if not a bunch of Marines, and Marines are nothing if not the Corps. Everyone wants to belong to something that is important, but they also want to become an important part of that group. The Marine Corps allows a person to do just that.

There is a lot of controversy about Iraq and Afghanistan. Many people disagree as to whether or not it is right for us to place our soldiers and Marines in harm’s way. The Marine Corps doesn’t look at it quite in that way, for Marines have two prime directives: one, follow orders and two, make sure that every Marine is taken care of.

Only a true brotherhood like the Marine Corps can rise above controversies in such a manner. Each and every Marine belongs to the Marine Corps in such a way that they both become very important individually and vitally important as a group.

There is no greater sense of belonging as sharing feelings, emotions, difficulties and successes. Every Marine: young or old, white, black or brown has the capacity to serve others in ways he or she never thought possible. In return, they are also on the receiving end of the benefits to belonging to one of the largest families in the world; the United States Marine Corps.