by Cpl. Robert L. Cook
Jan. 42~Sept. 45
I have often heard this phrase,
While moving through the Corps:
"It wasn't 'til I'd left it,
I found 'twas evermore."
I tried to be a civilian
And do things as they do.
But I found I was doing
Much better than
I knew.
I was walking taller,
My head held erect.
I kept my leather shining,
It had a good effect!
The people with whom I worked
Were looking from aside.
They could not understand
Why I walked with pride.
They'd ask about my tattoos
And I tried to explain:
The Anchor, Globe, and Eagle
I'll always retain.
It is so much a part of me,
Those things that make Marines.
Sometimes I'm so stormy,
Some times I'm serene.
The things that make Marines,
I am proud to say,
Have stayed with me
A lifetime,
To this very day.
Once a Marine,
Always a Marine!
* * *
About the author: Robert Cook served with Reg.
& Tarawa, during a 33-month overseas tour.
