General William Thornson, US Army A Peculiar Breed"U.S. Marines are the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat service as if it was some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their Commandant almost as if he was a god, and making weird animal noises like a gang of savages.They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest s-o-b's I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart. Generally speaking, the United States Marines I've come in contact with, are the most professional soldiers and the finest men and women I have ever had the pleasure to meet.There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a secondhand opinion. All militaries harden their recruits, instill the basics, and bend young men to their will. But the Marine Corps provides its members with a secret weapon. It gives them the unique culture of pride that makes the Marines the world's premier warrior force.The Navy has its ships, the Air Force has its planes, the Army its detailed doctrine, but 'culture', the values and assumptions that shape its members is all the Marines have. They call this culture, Esprit de Corps.Alone among the U.S. military services, the Marines have bestowed their name on their enlisted ranks. The Army has Army Officers and soldiers, the Navy has Naval officers and sailors, the Air Force has Air Force Officers and airmen---- but the Marines have only Marines."