November 10, 1775 will forever be emblazoned on our brain as the birthday of the United States Marine Corps birthday, because while we were in Marine Corps boot camp at San Diego, we once got IT'd on the squad bay deck next to the drill instructor's duty hut for forgetting it.
Sorry, slipped into Marine recruit lingo. We were punished with extra, strenuous exercise work on the floor next to the office where the drill instructor lived and did paper work while we were in boot camp, is what we meant to say. Sometimes we forget not everyone was there and have to reverse ourselves and start over for the civilians who don't get it.
Yes, today is the 235 birthday of the USMC, or "Uncle Sam's Misguided Children" as we like to call it. Plenty of movies have been made about the military branch, but few actually capture the true spirit of the Corps. Early on, Marine flicks were more long-form recruitment ads starring John Wayne, but as time went on filmmakers began delving into the emotions and struggles of our fighting men and women.
Marines have always intrigued filmmakers. The mere connotation of the title brings about a myriad of mental images. Angry, hilarious, vulgar, selfless, courageous, rowdy, they all seem to fit, at least to the Marines we knew.
These are our favorite Marine movies.
10. Jarhead