After I left the Marines in '46, I wanted to stay in the Marines; I was very happy - I loved that life.
Some Marines made fun of the fact that I had done plays and studied poetry, but then I won the award for physical training.
If we're going to spend more money, it should go to the soldiers, Marines, and airmen to increase their salaries.
My brother-in-law, Chuck, whom I have known since we were teenagers, is a disabled veteran who was wounded while fighting with the marines in Vietnam. I've been around to observe how the war affected his life and the problems that veterans have, and I knew for a long time that I wanted to write a song about Vietnam.
Jimmy Carter used to walk off the airplane carrying his own luggage. Do you remember that? I don't want my president carrying - I want the freaking Marines to be carrying his luggage, and they want to carry his luggage.
I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world!
Oh, and once, when I was in the Marines, I got a perfect score on my physical fitness test.
The Marines gave me a really strong sense of discipline and a work ethic that kicks in at my job.
The Marines was a fresh start - that is why they shave your head. I wish they would let you change your name.
The ongoing dispute over the relocation of U.S. Marines on Okinawa should be quickly settled. This isn't just an issue for the U.S. and Japan. It has regional implications.
