Tag Archives: Marines

Blood Stripes

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Title: Blood Stripes

General Information about Item:

Customary Folklore: Rituals, Rights of Passage

Language – English

Country of origin – America

Informant Data:

Cory Green is a 26 year-old male from St. Albans, Vermont. He is now located in Boston and is attending Northeastern University. He joined the Navy in July of 2008 out of high school to be a hospital Corpsman. He did boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois. From 2009-2011, he was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan where he worked in the ER and ICU doing basic hospital medicine. In 2011, he transferred to first Marine division to be an infantry corpsman where he specialized in combat medicine and combat trauma. Finally, in 2013 he transferred to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where he worked in family practice and eventually, got out of the military.

He joined the Navy because he was 3-sport athlete in high school, and his grades weren’t the best. He also didn’t feel mature enough for college. His dad suggested the Navy as the best option for him. Cory is 6th generation Navy. He felt that corpsman had the best opportunities for real-life experience and jobs outside of the Navy.

Contextual Data:

After being promoted to E4 or above and receiving your red stripes, there would be a meeting where everyone who is above you punches you in the leg where the red stripes are located.  This serves as sort of a hazing tradition.  The military focuses on hierarchy, and the blood stripes serve as a right of passage where the higher ranked officers put someone through some hazing when they become a certain rank.

Item:

Blood Stripes: After receiving your red stripes for ranking to E4 or above, higher ranking officers punch you in the leg.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript of Associated File:

Cory: The blood stripes more fell with the Marines. When they became NCOs, an E4 or above, how we did it with 24 was that we had a NCO meeting in one of the rooms and to earn your blood stripes, it’s just that all the people that are E4 and above they’re in a room, and it’s pretty much just like you get Charlie-horsed until everyone does it, and then you just can’t walk for a couple days, you know, nothing too crazy. But that was more for like the Marines, even though I don’t wear blood stripes, I still went through it just because when I picked up E4, it was part of the tradition that we had so even though I don’t rate blood stripes, I still went through it just to do it with them so there’s that one.

Cole: What is a blood stripe?

Cory: When you become an NCO on the dress uniforms of Marines, they have the red stripe going down the pants, and they call that the blood stripe so that’s how they get those.

Informant’s Comments:

Even though he wasn’t a Marine and didn’t get the red stripes, when Cory became an E4, he went through the blood stripe tradition because he was in a Marine unit.

Collector’s Comments:

This process serves as a sort of hazing ritual that respects the hierarchy that the military focuses on.

Collector’s Name: 

Matt Girouard

Tags/Keywords:

Blood Stripes, Rite of Passage, Marines, Red Stripe, Military, E4

Ssa-ga (unofficial chant)

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General Information about Item:
  • Genre and Sub Genre –  Verbal Folklore (song) with connotations of Cutomary Folklore: Rituals / Rites of Passage
  • Language – English (interview), song itself (Korean)
  • Country where Item is from – South Korea

Informant Data:

DongHyun Lee is a 23-year old male from South Korea. He is currently a sophomore at University of Hong Kong. He has served in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Marine Corps from June 23rd 2014 to March 22nd 2016. He was stationed in a battalion in Yeong Pyeong Island, one of the northern most islands closer to North Korea than South Korea. His job was a machine gun marksmen for the first half of his service time and a cook for the second half.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context – DongHyun Lee was interviewed over Skype because he is currently located in Hong Kong. He went on his first regular leave after 3 months of service. It was the first time he returned to society since he started his service. His parents were in Shanghai, China so he stayed with his grandparents. He recalls it was one of the happiest few days in his life.
  • Cultural Context – In the South Korean military, not just in the marine corps, the first regular leave of a soldier has a special meaning, not just in military culture but also in society in general (because most Korean males serve due to conscription). The first leave means returning home and meeting family and friends for the first time since enlisting. The nature of conscription makes this a very special time for not just the soldier for those around him.

Item:

  • Ssa-ga (translated as unofficial chant). It is a tradition among ROK marines. The song’s origins are unclear but different variations are very much alive and well-transmitted in different ROK marine units. Ssa-ga is actually a collection of different songs sung in different occasions. The informant’s recollection and recitation was the first-leave ssa-ga, which had to be sung to a marine’s parents right in the place and the time the soldier meets his parents on the first day of the first leave. The informant was a special case in that he had to sing it through Skype since his parents were in Shanghai, China (his comrades most usually sang it in public places e.g. bus terminal).

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript of Associated File:

Korean original version (English translation each line below)

신병위로휴가가 – The New Soldier First Leave Ssaga

어두운 밤하늘에 팔각모쓰고, 골목길을 걸어갈 때에

Under the dark night with my 8-pointer on, when I’m walking in the alley

저 멀리 어머니 나와계신다 못난 아들 마중하려고

I see my mama standing in the dark, waiting to greet this ingrateful son

어머니 어머니 울지마세요 울지말고 들어가세요

Mother, Mother, please don’t cry. Please go back inside.

다음에 이 다음에 전역하거든 못한 효도 다 할게요

Next time, next time when I get discharged, I will do my best to make up for the lost time

Informant’s Comments:

Informant was a little embarassed to sing this and thought it was a little funny that he had to sing it over skype. In fact, he was the only one in his company at the time to have sung the Ssa-ga this way. One of his comrades sang it in front of his parents the Incheon Freight terminal packed with people.

Collector’s Comments:

The texture of the song is lost in translation, but the original audio is attached for those interested. It is an interesting combination of a verbal folklore that also serves as a customary folklore that has meanings as a rites of passage: for the first time the marine presents himself with his military identity to those who have known him only as his civilian self.

Collector’s Name:

Jeong Tae Bang

The Recon Creed

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Title: The Recon Creed

Informant info: Graham “Ossie” Osborn. Informant attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH as a United States Marine Corps Veteran. Informant was a member of the First Reconnaissance Battalion.

Type of lore: Customary/Verbal, Tradition, Ritual, Song

Language: English

Country of Origin: USA

Social / Cultural Context: Informant was interviewed at Dartmouth College. Informant was asked about his a unit song or chant.  Informant was in the Marines in the First Recon Battalion is their is their battalion creed.

Associated file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z1us1frzhrn0u2t/IMG_7545.MOV?dl=0

Transcript: Item: [I have recorded the item exactly how it was told to me in the interview]: There was not a song, but there was the “Recon Creed.” It is hard for me to remember, but it is every single every single word begins with it. So “R” was realizing this was my choice and my choice alone. The Recon Creed is out there just like the Ranger Creed for the Army. It is important for a lot of people and I knew it backwards and forwards 10 years ago.

Informant’s comments: Joked about how it is one of those things you say so many times, but then you can’t actually remember it when you try.

Collector’s comments:  Informant had a certain cadence to his voice when he began to share the chant.

Recon Jack – Unit Mascot

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Title: Recon Jack – Unit Mascot

Informant info: Graham “Ossie” Osborn. Informant attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH as a United States Marine Corps Veteran. Informant was a member of the First Reconnaissance Battalion.

Type of lore: Customary/Verbal, Tradition, Ritual, Material Lore, Superstition, Toys

Language: English

Country of Origin: USA

Social / Cultural Context: Informant was interviewed at Dartmouth College. Informant was asked about a unit mascot.  He was in the US Marines in the First Recon Battalion and this is discussing their battalions unit mascot.

Associated file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z1us1frzhrn0u2t/IMG_7545.MOV?dl=0

Transcript: Item: [I have recorded the item exactly how it was told to me in the interview]: Ours is called the “Recon Jack.” Marine Corps uniforms are different than every other kind of uniforms, because you are not supposed to be able to see that a marine is different. All marines are the same, whether they are a cook or machine gunner, but in the Recon units, you would have parachute wings, scuba bubbles if you’ve passed those courses. I don’t know if it’s traditions or rituals, but they clearly stick out when everybody’s uniform is the same. Anyone with “six marines,” which is an infantry unit they got to wear a cord that you see on some uniforms and they are the only one who were able to do that. Every unit has their own insignia, like the “Recon Jack” or “Masters of the Iron Horse” was the 2nd tank battalion or there was an Indian head for six marines. For first of the first which is first battalion first Marine Corps is a bull.

Informant’s comments: From the tone of the informants voice, the Recon Jack had a lot of history and fond memories associated with it.

Collector’s comments:  Ossie had a big smile on his face and fond memories while recalling “Recon Jack”

Deployment Tradition – Mohawks

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Title: Deployment Tradition – Mohawks

Informant info: Graham “Ossie” Osborn. Informant attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH as a United States Marine Corps Veteran. Informant was a member of the First Reconnaissance Battalion.

Type of lore: Customary/Verbal, Tradition, Ritual, Ceremony

Language: English

Country of Origin: USA

Social / Cultural Context: Informant was interviewed at Dartmouth College. Informant was asked about any tradition or rituals and discussed the tradition of cutting ones hair into a mohawk on deployment and then eventually cutting it down to regulation length.

Associated file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z1us1frzhrn0u2t/IMG_7545.MOV?dl=0

Transcript: Item: [I have recorded the item exactly how it was told to me in the interview]: The only one I can really remember. I ended up going to the second recon battalion, for the first guys that would go oversees they would shave their head into Mohawks or shave them completely, because Mohawks were without regulation, but almost everyone shaved their head into Mohawks until they got called out on it, or they would wait until they got into country and on their first mission they would shave their heads into Mohawks, which is something that I think has just been passed down through the military, I don’t really know the background behind it except for airborne units did it in world war II. I remember a lot of people took part in that.

Informant’s comments: Life on Parris Island was tough, but taught the recruits what it meant to be a Marine.

Collector’s comments:  Informant was unsure of the superstition associated with the mohawk haircut, but knew that there was one.

Ghost Stories – Parris Island

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Title: Ghost Stories – Parris Island

Informant info: Graham “Ossie” Osborn. Informant attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH as a United States Marine Corps Veteran. Informant was a member of the First Reconnaissance Battalion.

Type of lore: Customary/Verbal, Tradition, Ritual, Superstition, Myths

Language: English

Country of Origin: USA

Social / Cultural Context: Informant was interviewed at Dartmouth College. Informant was asked about his ghost stories during training and overseas. He discussed his time on Parris Island training to be a Marine and some of the ghost stories related to that.  Parris Island is located in Port Royal, South Carolina.

Associated file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z1us1frzhrn0u2t/IMG_7545.MOV?dl=0

Transcript: Item: [I have recorded the item exactly how it was told to me in the interview]: Funny enough, there was a ghost story at Parris Island. I was a first recruit training battalion and right out the battalion, you’d look over and it was just a marsh that looked like a coastal undeveloped area, a swampy marsh. There was a story back in the day where when recruits were allowed to smoke during training, someone claimed to be on a smoke break and actually tried to run away through the marshes, but didn’t make it back, but the people that were on fire watch had to wakeup the whole platoon so everyone that was on fire watch and one of the drill instructors marched them out to the marsh just trying to haze them a bit. But apparently six or seven of them drowned and this is right outside where our barracks were for those 3 months and there was always stories over looking over the marsh at night, especially when on fire watch, that you would see moonbeams, what we called flashlights, the same way we call pens, ink sticks, turning on in the middle of the march. I never saw it, but people did claim they did when they were on fire watch. It was kind of an intimidating thing, so I am sure it was just them seeing things.

 

Informant’s comments: Parris Island has a lot of history and folklore associated with it over the decades of people that have trained to be Marines there.

Collector’s comments:  Ossie didn’t seem to appear that the ghost stories phased him in the slightest.

Boot Camp – Parris Island

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Title: Boot Camp – Parris Island

Informant info: Graham “Ossie” Osborn. Informant attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH as a United States Marine Corps Veteran. Informant was a member of the First Reconnaissance Battalion.

Type of lore: Customary/Verbal, Tradition, Ritual, Ceremony

Language: English

Country of Origin: USA

Social / Cultural Context: Informant was interviewed at Dartmouth College. Informant was asked about his bootcamp experience.  Parris Island, located in Port Royal, South Carolina, is where Ossie went for his Marine bootcamp training.  Here he reflects on the experience.

Associated file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z1us1frzhrn0u2t/IMG_7545.MOV?dl=0

Transcript: Item: [I have recorded the item exactly how it was told to me in the interview]: My boot camp experience I went to Parris Island, it was really what I expected. I was lucky because my brother had gone just a few months before me. What it was really was just breaking you down and making you part of the group and taking away your individuality to a large extent. The first thing that happens once you leave the airport, they put you on a bus, there is no talking there is nothing like that. There, a representative from the Marine Corps there, but none of your trainers. First thing that you do when you get off the bus is stand along these yellow steps that are all in formation which you spend the next few months getting to learn what the formations are and how to march and do drill and everything like that. So you get in these yellow steps and the intensity really gets up at the point where you instructors come out and they are yelling and making sure that you are on the steps and all that. And then you enter through what we called “the hatch” which everybody else would call a door. [Over the door] it says, I’m paraphrasing, but “Here we make marines,” it’s the only time that you ever through that hatch and you never exit through that hatch. You are already invested in these traditions as soon as you leave the civilian world and you get on “the island” as they would call it.   Then, right from there they go and shave everybody’s heads and you do all kinds of paper work and you are up for about 24 hours. It’s a real stressful situation, which they try to do to disorient you. You’re fed, but it’s not good. You don’t know what’s going on. Then finally you get dropped to your boot camp platoon and then is who you spend the next three months with unless you get hurt or drop out or anything like that. We started with 60 guys or so in that platoon and we had about 12 guys who were dropped and picked up another 2 or 3 guys during the training so we graduated with about 50 recruits. The entirety of boot camp you never refer to yourself as “I” it is always, “this recruit.” Never “I” on the island, not until you become a Marine, which they play around with a lot because sometimes they’ll say, “alright Marines, start cleaning your weapon. Just kidding, none of you are Marines.” So they play on that a lot. There is physical reprimands, which is called going to the pit, which are sand pits that are all over the place down there, because Parris island is right down in South Carolina right across the sound from Hilton head, SC. During those times when you get in the sand, if you know anything about having sand when you don’t want it, when you’re not just at the beach chilling, it gets everywhere and it’s just disgusting and you have to stay like that. So you’d do calisthenics in the pit for as long as they deem necessary, whatever your punishment was. You’d have various duties for over the period of boot camp. Things like fire watch which is where you’ interrupt your sleep and change over and walk around in your deck where all the bunks where and everybody in your platoon was. You had to do that at all hours of the night and day. The final big training is called the crucible, which at our point lasted 36 hours or so, where you get minimum sleep, do back to back marches, back to back training exercises and after that you get an eagle globe and anchor, which is what [my tattoo is.] You get one of these eagle globe and anchors that is actually going to go your uniform and that is the understand that you are almost a full marine and you have made it through the toughest part and now it is decompressing and getting everything else for the final drill sessions and final graduation. What you complete the crucible and you get the EGA (Eagle, Globe and Anchor) then you are a Marine.

Informant’s comments: Life on Parris Island was tough, but taught the recruits what it meant to be a Marine.

Collector’s comments:  The informant recalled the time on Parris Island in a fond like, laughing to himself as he remembered different parts of his training and different men that he trained with.