OPENING PAGE

THE BREED

    In every generation since time began there have been wars and rumors of wars. In all those wars there have been renowned armies that came to the forefront in every battle. The most recent added to that list is the United States Marine Corps. Since it's inception, the Corps has built a reputation as the most elite fighting force the world knows. Honor, courage and commitment are the words imbedded into every Marine. It is a force which teaches that once you are a Marine you will always be a Marine. Every Marine believes this and therefore it has become the truth by which those Marines live. It is said that not everyone can be a Marine. If everyone could then it wouldn't be the Marines.
     Within this elite fighting force there are men born to even surpass the requirements of the "regular elite" Marine. These men possess something down deep that forces them to excel at everything they attempt. Where others run until they drop, these men run until they drop, then crawl until someone tells them to stop. These "Elite" of the "Elite" are trained in a way that the regular Marine isn't trained. They are trained to operate under water, on the ground, and in the air. They emerge out of submarines, repel off mountains, and hang suspended in mid air under choppers by a thin nylon line. No matter where the place, they get in when they have to and get out when the job is finished.

    When it is their turn to walk through The Valley of the Shadow they are always outnumbered and out gunned. A team of 6 men sneakin & peekin against however many men the enemy can throw against them. 6 men going where no one else in the Battalion or Division have gone. 6 pairs of eyes and 6 pairs of ears for those units, ready and willing to take on any comers who are in the valley.

    Those who make it across the valley will cross the mountain and enter the next valley armed with the memories of lost brothers and a zest for vengeance. More times than not they do not fight for a cause but rather fight for and because of each other. They wage a hellish war in which good and bad memories will follow them to their grave but would do it all over again given the chance.

     When the time of these fierce fighting men is past they eagerly await the arrival of the new batch of themselves they term "The New Breed". This breed is better equipped and have new marvelous "toys" to play with that make the mouth water. Oh, what better fighters they could have been had they had those toys? If only they could have had those toys some of their brothers would still be alive to look on, admire, and wish they could join this new breed.

    This new breed is not a new breed but the same breed that has gone before. Each generation is a continuation of the previous breed just with different toys to play with. New faces and names all with that same desire to run until they drop, then crawl until someone tells them to stop.

    The breed has been called by many names given them by those who came to do battle in that Valley of the Shadow. They are phantoms and ghosts. 6 fighting men who glide through the valley so silently but carry Hell, fire, and brimstone in their hands. When the time is right they will announce that Marine Recon is there to walk among the Philistines. May God have mercy on those people because Recon won't.

    As a Marine is a Marine for life, a Recon Marine is Recon for life. They are a breed unto themselves. After all, if everyone could be Recon then it wouldn't be Recon.

THE RECON CREED

Realizing it is my choice and my choice alone
to be a Reconnaissance Marine,
I accept all challenges involved with this profession.
Forever shall I strive to maintain the tremendous reputation
of those who went before me.

Exceeding beyond the limitations
set down by others shall be my goal.
Sacrificing personal comforts and dedicating myself
to the completion of the reconnaissance mission shall be my life.
Physical fitness, mental attitude, and high ethics --

The title of Recon Marine is my honor.

Conquering all obstacles, both large and small,
I shall never quit.
To quit, to surrender, to give up is to fail.
To be a Recon Marine is to surpass failure;
To overcome, to adapt and to do whatever it takes
to complete the mission.

On the battlefield, as in all areas of life,
I shall stand tall above the competition.
Through professional pride, integrity, and teamwork,
I shall be the example
for all Marines to emulate.

Never shall I forget the principles
I accepted to become a Recon Marine.
Honor, Perseverance, Spirit and Heart.

A Recon Marine can speak without saying a word
and achieve what others can only imagine.

1st Recon Battalion