His wife had been what is called a “civilian leatherneck,” and worked in a secretarial pool for the U.S.

Closing the crucible that has produced leathernecks for all the major wars of the last century would cost 6,130 jobs at Parris Island.

Again looking into the mirror, Bull said, “Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the toughest leatherneck of all?”

The first was that I was now a real leatherneck.

The day before the attack, some leathernecks had spotted the two Kuwaitis who they believed killed Sledd and wounded a second Marine.