[Mr. I - Man]

171) Fleet submission IX: ?It is a family.? ? anonymous Marine.

172) Fleet submission X: ?It teaches us to be strong people, both mentally and physically.? ? Cpl. Maria Retan, Quantico, Va.

173) Fleet submission XI: ?I love the Marine Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: Pride, honor, integrity and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past. After I have done what I can for the Corps, I can say that I was a Marine.? ? Cpl. Jeff Sornij.

174) Fleet submission XII: ?The pride of going home on leave, putting on the dress blues and everyone knowing you?re a member of the world?s finest fighting force.? ? Sgt. Chase Gilbert, Laurel Bay, S.C.

175) Up-to-date fashions at overseas exchanges.

176) Congress loves the Corps. The congressional ?mafia? of former Marines now in positions of power or influence over the defense budget includes:

177) Rep. Ronald Dellums (D-Calif.). The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is sometimes lampooned as a dovish cutter of defense budgets. But he?s a former Marine, too. And once a Marine, always a Marine, as the saying goes.

178) Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), chairman of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on military readiness and defense infrastructure.

179) Sen. Chuck Robb (D-Va.). All right, he may not be re-elected Nov. 8. But if he loses, look who?ll take his place: Republican nominee and retired Marine, Oliver North.

180) Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

181) Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and member of the Armed Service Committee, is a former Navy secretary. He served in the Navy in 1944-46, became a civilian, and then went back to do it right: He joined the Marine Corps and served from 1950-52.

182) Other former Marines in Congress include: Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill.; Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.; Rep. Gerald Soloman, R-N.Y.; Rep. Paul McHale, D-Pa.; Sen. John Chafee, R-R.I., a former Navy secretary; Rep. Arthur Ravenel, R-S.C., a House Armed Services Committee member who is retiring; Sen. Jim Sasser, D-Tenn.; Rep. Frank Tejeda, D-Texas; Sen. Howell Heflin, D-Ala.; Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark.; Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Calif.; Rep. Al McCandless, R-Calif.; Rep. David Skaggs, D-Colo.; Rep. Dan Schaefer, R-Colo.; Rep. Andy Jacobs, D-Ind.; Rep. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.; Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md.; Rep. Thomas J. Manton, D-N.Y.; Rep. Amo Houghton, R-N.Y.; Rep. Austin J. Murphy, D-Pa. (who is retiring); and Rep. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., a House Government Operations Committee member.

183) And finally, pulling strings for Marines behind the scenes on Capitol Hill are two Marine-friendly power brokers: Marine Corps Reserve Brig. Gen. Arnold Punaro, staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee, and retired Lt. Col. P.T. Henry, the staff director for the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on force requirements and personnel.

184) Global presence, global reach. As the Hymn notes, so spread out are Marines around the globe that some can watch the sun set while others are watching it rise.

185) Despite their service to U.S. presidents, no Marine has ever been a president. Now that?s smart!

186) Respect. The State Department chose Marines, not soldiers, to protect our embassies.

187) Good taste in gifts. Wanna know how much a Marine missed his family during a deployment? Check out the china and toys in his seabag on the return trip, and then look at his credit card bill.

188) The 1st and 15th of each month. Gotta pay for those good gifts.

189) Marines are winners. Consider, for example:

190) Tarawa.

191) Saipan.

192) Guadalcanal.

193) Tripoli.

194) Belleau Wood.

195) Chosin.

196) Hue City.

197) Peleliu.

198) Leyte Gulf.

199) Guam.

200) Tinian.

201) Iwo Jima.

202) Okinawa.

203) The Officer?s Sam Browne Belt.

204) Top Guns I: The Marine Corps Rifle Team. After a record-setting performance at the interservice rifle championships in July, the Marine team blew away the 1,200 civilian and military rivals at the U.S. Nationals in August. No doubt about it, Marines are the best riflemen in the country.

205) Top Guns II: Master Sgt. Donnie L. Heuman. After 17 years of competitive rifle shooting, he took top individual honors at this year?s interservice rifle championships, shooting a record-breaking 995 out of a possible 1,000 points with 50 bull?s-eyes. His nearest competitor was nine points and 10 bull?s-eyes behind.

206) Top Guns III: The Marine Corps Pistol Team. They won the U.S. National trophy six years running, establishing themselves as the champion to be beat. They were second this year, but don?t expect the trophy to stay in anyone else?s hands for long.

207) Top Guns IV: Marine snipers. One shot, one kill, 1,000 yards.

208) The 174,158 men and women in Marine Corps uniforms as of Oct. 1, 1994.

209) Top Guns V: Marine Corps wrestlers and boxers. They don?t use weapons, and they don?t need them. They are regular medalists at the Olympic Games.

210) Navy chow. It?s better on the ship than in the field.

211) Navy chaplains. You gotta love a man of the cloth when the cloth is camouflaged. One example: Lt. Cmdr. Dennis Rocheford, wounded twice in Vietnam as a Marine infantryman, is now a Navy chaplain aboard the USS Wasp.

212) MREs. You hate to love ?em, but when you?re hot and sweaty and in the field, nothing satisfies like the beef frankfurters and beans.

213) The Marines take care of their own. On the battlefield, nobody?s left behind ? dead or alive ? and the home front is always secure.

214) Commitment and devotion. ?You gotta love it,? says Col. Richard D. Stearns, commanding officer, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. ?Just liking it won?t get you through the day.?

215) Image. ?I?m inspired by the integrity of Marines: uplifted by the pride, focus, discipline, flexibility and motivation to do the right thing in the best way. I?m honored that, by service to the country, they are serving citizens like me. All this, and they are fun colleagues and co-workers.? ? Jean Forrest, civilian instructional systems specialist, Marine Corps Institute.

216) The Birthday Ball I: The cake.

217) The Birthday Ball II: Remembering all those Marines who gave their life for their service and their country.

218) The Birthday Ball III: Seeing who?s the oldest and youngest Marine in your unit.

219) Ooh-rah!