r/USMC

I’ve been seeing someone for a few months now, and he’s explained he was in the marines for about 14 years and during that time, went on several deployments and was eventually in MARSOC.
I’m hesitant bc one of the first things he told me was he was missing with a few other men. Communications were down and they were stranded in Taliban territory- eventually made it back to base but it took a while.
My family has instilled it in me that people lie about their deployments all the time and I just want to be sure I’m seeing someone who wouldn’t do that. How would I make sure of that?

For example check the roster, admin stuff, study manuals etc.

I'm looking for funny surprise party ideas for someone coming home from yet another deployment. He has a good sense of humor and wouldn't like a serious welcome home party. To get an idea of the type of humor he's accustomed to, he once got his brother a "it's a boy grad!" balloon for his college graduation, he has a dark and goofy sense of humor and poking fun is fine. One suggestion from friends is a gender reveal party for him, which would be really funny but maybe not the right time cause someone in the family is expecting a baby soon. Another option is an ironic ultra-patriotic "welcome home, hero" party, which would be cringey as hell to him, but you guys probably have better ideas.

Feel free to share yalls shitty experiences too but I gotta rant to people who relate and understand.

TLDR; My injuries were underexplained or downplayed to minor issues and now I have to be put on a medboard.

I used to be stationed on Cherry Point and well hated it there. I got injured and kind of recovered because of how backed up things were all the time. It was always a month out before being seen and made issues hard to get seen when they needed to. I have a lot of issues with my knee and hip. A lot of times I got the run around or was told that it wasn't super serious. Such as my knees just had "inflammation of the fat pads" or just had "fluid in my hip" which would go away with time.

Now I am on Camp Lejuene and got the same injury again. Physical Therapy actually paid attention and sent me to Sports Medicine for some of my issues. When at sports Medicine they have given detailed info about my injuries such as my knee has a severely worn meniscus which was never even mentioned. Today I just learned that my hip MRI in 2023 showed that I had a torn labrum which I was never told about. So after new scans there is a good chance that I may need to get surgery. When if it was taken care of right on Cherry Point. I could have gotten injections to properly relieve pain and more. I wasn't able take care of my body and make informed decisions because I wasn't informed on everything wrong at Cherry Point. Looking back I remember everything felt like a rushed way to get you back into the fleet instead of actually fixing the problems.

So here is to a possible surgery and 100% going medboard. 🍻 Love the Corps but sadly my time is coming to an end.

I know it’s not like if we ever lost a radio in a near peer’s but like what happened to you guys next?

“There will be a direct line from this investment into [the real world],” said Brig. Gen. Matthew Tracy, commanding general of Marine Corps Education Command and president of Marine Corps University. “The actual skills translate directly into making good decisions under high stress.”

Researchers from the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech and the University of Memphis recently deployed a program that leverages a modified version of the 2007 game “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,” at Marine Corps University in Quantico. Developed for the Sergeants School, the students engage in tailored scenarios that allow them to hone skills such as leadership, critical thinking, decision-making, and communication in real time. The modified game platform also collects player data to be analyzed by a large language model for ways to enhance after-action reviews.

So my son just swore in today at MEPS. He is super excited. He ships out December 14th. Which is the same date I did in 1998. He has a 6 year enlistment. He is guaranteed E3 right away and E4 after 12 months. He has a 5 digit bonus too.

Oh yeah. He is going Navy Nuclear Technician. He score 95 on ASVAB. I scored 91.

I guess I have to come to the realization he is smarter than me.

We Are The Mighty profiles retired Sgt. Maj. Mike Vining through the smaller personal details behind a much larger military résumé: Vietnam EOD work, Delta Force, Operation Eagle Claw, and later life outside uniform. The article uses the “sardines he never ate” story to humanize someone usually presented as a meme or legend.

Vining served as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in Vietnam, where he recalled multiple near-death moments, including being left behind at an abandoned Special Forces camp and helping destroy the massive “Rock Island East” enemy weapons cache in Cambodia.

The profile also connects Vining to Delta Force’s early history. A related We Are The Mighty piece says he joined Delta in 1978 as an EOD specialist under Col. Charlie Beckwith, making him one of the unit’s original members.

The article’s strategic value is not just biography. It shows how specialized technical skills, especially EOD, became central to elite special operations as missions grew more complex and politically sensitive.

Vining’s post-service life, including mountaineering, historical writing, veteran community work, and distance from his internet fame, adds a useful contrast to modern military celebrity culture. The profile suggests that some of the most consequential operators may be least interested in mythmaking.

Do stories like Vining’s help preserve serious military history, or do meme-driven portrayals risk flattening complex service into legend?

I always get pretty emotional on Memorial Day . I never lost friends in combat but I did to suicide and accidents while deployed.

Part of me feels weird because I feel like I don’t ’deserve to be so sad’ or something because they weren’t KIA by enemy fire .

Anyone else feel this way ?