GUARDIANS OF FREEDOM
Saluting Those Who Served in the U.S. Marines
Arthur & Rainie Robinson, Part 3
by Janis Stein

Join in the continuation as Rainie settles into the routine of Marine life at Camp Lejeune, and Arthur Robinson, a young man from Detroit, reminisces about joining the Corps.

Different bands were important for various reasons. For instance, if the President was coming to town, the military would require a band. One of the reasons for having a military band was to build public awareness; while the USMC was a unified fighting force, the Marines were also peacekeepers and protectors of our homeland.

Rainie found the band at Camp Lejeune to be very ceremonial. When officers retired or if there was a change in command, the band would perform at the ceremony. A colors ceremony required the band's talent, and at least one performance was conducted every weekend for one ceremony or another. The Marine Corps band at Camp Lejeune was utilized as a show of good will, playing at retirement homes for the elderly as well as many a school.

The band might perform as many as 300 to 500 jobs each year, and while Rainie's comrades working as cooks or in administration held down 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. jobs, band members' hours were a bit unique. Rainie traveled all over the country with the band, playing at functions in Texas, Florida and Massachusetts. And Rainie loved every minute of it; music was her life.

Rainie couldn't be classified as the normal Marine who joined the military to see the world or to help finance their college education. She simply wanted to perform, and perform she did. Little did she know the Marine Corps would become so much more. The camaraderie between the mix of Marines amazed and impressed her, and Rainie settled in to this new lifestyle where complete strangers were capable of growing so close to one another they could have easily been brothers and sisters.

While Rainie was stationed at Camp Lejeune, the band traveled to Canada where the USMC would perform a training exercise with the Canadian Army. Rainie marveled that she was on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean about to board a helicopter, rifle in one hand and clarinet in the other. The joint effort between the neighboring countries was one in which Rainie's comrades practiced both their duties: music and military.

It's important to note while the band loved to perform, first and foremost they were Marines. When a military band goes to war, their purpose is not just being a bandsman; they handled rear security. Guarding the command post would fall on the shoulders of the band members as would numerous other jobs - jobs that in the past have included picking up the bodies of fallen Marines.

As Rainie's days at Camp Lejeune continued, she struck a mutual friendship with quite a nice fellow who went by the name of Arthur Robinson. Arthur was a fellow Marine who worked in the motor pool; his job was to drive the bus, which transported the band from performance to performance. In time, their friendship deepened…

Arthur hailed from Detroit, Michigan, where he attended a decent school and studied architectural drafting. Arthur wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life, so he decided he would use a first-come, first-served approach to see who might be interested in working with him. Arthur sent out postcards to all branches of the Armed Forces as well as all the architectural drafting schools. Two colleges called but offered no scholarships. He wasn't interested in sports, so those scholarships weren't an option either.

One day a Marine Corps recruiter, who was always in search of "a few good men", showed Arthur a video; Arthur came to a decision. The summer before his senior year of high school, at the age of 17 and with parental consent, Arthur signed up for the Marine Corps in its delayed entry program. For the next year, he worked with Marines and recruits, exercising, becoming active within the community and lending a helping hand during certain ceremonies.

Arthur's father was a Vietnam vet, who had worked as a cook during the war. When Arthur told his father he was joining the USMC, it seemed to Arthur his dad was searching to share with him some sage advice. In the end, the only thing his father could say was that the experience would be hard, very hard. For Arthur, that one lone sentence gave him even more motivation to not just survive boot camp - Arthur would excel.

Arthur never had to face too many challenges growing up. He was expected to keep his nose clean and stay away from drugs, and Arthur learned early on the difference between a good decision and a bad decision. Arthur was ready for a challenge, and he wanted to see the world; three weeks after his high school graduation in 1994, Arthur Robinson left the Motor City behind.

Like Rainie, Arthur, too, traveled to Paris Island, South Carolina, to complete boot camp. Arthur found boot camp to be an adventurous and fun challenge. Boot camp was everything he had not experienced in his life, and Arthur reveled in the mental and physical motivation needed to endure the training. Not only did boot camp challenge the individual, the group had to begin to learn to work together as a team.

Many of the new recruits had a great deal of difficulty handling authority, and Arthur watched with uncertainty as some of these young men simply broke down. Back in Detroit, Arthur had lived in a home where the children had learned considerable respect for authority figures. Arthur was raised by a foot and a belt, and his father did not hesitate to raise his voice to make a point. For Arthur, going to boot camp and having someone yell at him to do push-ups when he did something wrong wasn't really out of the norm. Boot camp was, well…kind of like home!

In time, the recruits learned not to question, but rather to simply do. In the military, a Marine cannot question every order given as soon as it is given; in a war time environment, that hesitation could mean someone's life. Arthur and his comrades were taught to complete the job first and to ask questions later. The recruits were taught to train the way they would fight, and in a hostile environment it would make all the difference between living and dying.

Be sure to look for the continuation next month when Arthur and Rainie's paths cross for the first time.

© 2007 Stein Expressions, LLC