Fleet Marine Life

I’ve lent a lot of Marines stuff like books, gear, money or video games. Usually when I lend Marines stuff, I would expect it back in nearly the same condition. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Most of the time, the stuff I would get back is either fucked up or lost and then the borrower usually says that he’ll make it up to me and then he deploys far away to la-la land.

I know that if I do someone dirty like that, I would try to correct the situation and not just pretend like nothing’s wrong. I’ve found out that in the Marine Corps, the borrowing/ return rate is not great. Universally throughout the Corps, if I lend a Marine something, there is a low chance that I would get it back unless I bug the shit out of that guy. Most of the time, lending things would come back to be an ABSOLUTE PAIN IN THE ASS.

One guy’s motto was, “If they don’t ask about it, then it’s mine. You know what I mean, K? HAHA!” I find this lack of morality in the Corps, both humorous and disturbing.

Here are some real life borrowing events that have happened to me:

* I lent my Marine neighbor a glow belt for one day and he lost it. He claimed that he opened my room door and threw the glowbelt in my room. I looked everywhere in my room and I never found it.

* I lent this Marine a book. It was nearly new and it came back to me with the front cover torn and duct taped back on. I told him to keep it as a gift. A year later, I asked him if he finished the 200 page book and he said he didn’t even get past 50 pages.

* I lent a Marine a book on Navy Seals in good condition. She returned it a week later with the book being completely water damaged.

* I lent another Marine a book on Marine Snipers and she lost it after a week.

* I lent a Marine a book on improving one’s memory. A week later, he got transferred to another company and then changed his phone number.

* I lent a Marine $20 for food. He tried to pay me back in weekly installments and in foreign currency. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for one guy, on guaranteed government paychecks, to pay me back $20.

* I lent my Marine roommate my phone for 3 weeks while I was away for a field op. I came back and he said that the neighbor had my phone. What the fuck? So I look around and found the guy who had my phone. A week later, my roommate changes units and disappears. Another week later, I get a phone bill for $120. My monthly cell phone bill is $15.

* I lent a Marine $320 on the condition that I hold onto his brand new IPAD and that he pay me a small interest fee. Two weeks later, he said he needed the IPAD back and I told him to pay me back. He offered to pay back $290 in cash. I told him that I had a problem with losing $30 for lending him money. He tried to convince me. He asked me, “How many people do you know can pull out $290 in cash?” and I replied, “ME!” He paid me back a week before I EAS’d which was a bummer because a $500 IPAD in good condition would have been pretty sweet.

* I lent a Marine some money and he wrote me a check before I flew back home for good. The check bounced.

After sometime in the Corps, I would just lie to people that I don’t have the things that they’re looking for.

If you’re still in the Marine Corps, don’t lend people shit! You will regret it if you do! JUST FUCKING LIE! LIE! LIE! AND LIE SOME MORE!

Lending Marines our shit and then having it destroyed since 1775.