Friends enlist in the Marines

"Pride of Belonging."

These three words are printed in bold on a small, shiny tag that has the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor printed on its four corners. This is one of the eleven benefit tags that are used to help align with the needs and motivators of individuals interested in joining America's finest fighting force. This tag is a crimson red and summarizes the special bond found in the United States Marine Corps.

The Marine Corps is recognized for being a close-knit brotherhood and sisterhood. The camaraderie and pride of belonging that was first felt in recruit training is something every Marine will carry with them for life. The saying "once a Marine, always a Marine" further proves there is a unique unity that lasts a lifetime.

For five young men from Green River, Wyoming, this special bond has already taken root. Bruce King, Kelton Seiller, Dayne Vaught, Tristin Fundell, and Christian Dobyns are all from Green River High School. They have been friends for many years, and are now ready to carry their friendship into the brotherhood of the Marine Corps. These friends were all recruited by Sergeant Brian Kunst from Recruiting Station Salt Lake City, Recruiting Sub Station East Salt Lake City.

Although their individual reasons for deciding to enlist vary, Seiller summarized the commonality of each of their choices. "The main thing I like about the Marine Corps is the brotherhood."

Out of the friend group, Seiller and Fundell have enlisted as part of the buddy program. The buddy program is a program the Marine Corps offers to allow friends in the same area to ship to recruit training together and be placed in the same training platoon at Marine Corps Recruit Depot. They are slated to ship to boot camp January 24th, 2022. Dobyns and Vaught are interested in participating in the buddy program as well. Bruce King was the first of the group to enlist, and he is scheduled to attend recruiting training January 10th, 2022.

The Marine Corps' brotherhood is also a result of the esprit de corps felt within the unit. Esprit de corps defined by Meriam Webster's dictionary is: "The common spirit existing in the member of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group." Shared triumphs and challenges help build unit cohesiveness and strengthen the Corps.

This five-man friend group has already experienced aspects of esprit de corps during their time in the pool.

"It's way easier," Dobyns stated. "Honestly it gives you some drive too. It makes it more encouraging to go through and do it knowing you got some other guys going and doing it with you too."

King concurred with the statement and mentioned that he and his friends have maintained communication through text messaging. Frequent texts have allowed the group to monitor each other's progress in the enlistment process and physical fitness readiness. The friends have ensured to keep each other accountable for achieving their objectives.

Marines also uphold the belief and promise to never leave a Marine behind. Whether in combat or garrison, Marines are trained to look out for the Marines on both their left and right. This commitment to one another helps ensure mission accomplishment. These friends have shared this key responsibility during their time in the enlistment pool.

"They'll just be right behind me, right in front of me," Vaught expressed. "They won't let me be by myself. They'll make sure I keep going, just keep pushing me forward."

Honor, courage, and commitment are the three core values of the United States Marine Corps and are at the heart of every Marine. The official website of the Marine Corps states commitment as being: "The spirit of determination and dedication found in Marines. It leads to the highest order of discipline for individuals and units. It is the ingredient that enables constant dedication to Corps and country. It inspires the unrelenting determination to achieve victory in every endeavor."

King spoke on how this core value of commitment has already impacted his life and his friend circle. "It's commitment to not only yourself but your team, the people you're with. So obviously this friend group is together, but it would be committing to a large part as well. Not just the people you're directly tied to. Whether you know them or not, you're part of that too."

The motto of the Marine Corps is Semper Fidelis. Its Latin meaning is 'always faithful'. Just as the Marine Corps will continue to be faithful in fighting and winning our Nation's battles, it is this friend group's hope that they too will remain faithful to their friendship in the future.

"We're all going to get separated at one point," Vaught recognized. "No one is through this all the way together. I just wish to see that we all – no matter how far apart we get, or how little we start to talk to each other – that when we do see each other, we're still the same. We're there for each other, willing to go out and have fun, talk to each other."