Sgt. Finn, Ryan D
Recon Battalion
1st
The Warrior Ethos, by Steven Pressfield,
a summation in relation to USMC Espirit de Corps
"The Spartans do not ask how many are the enemy
but where are they" - Plutarch, Sayings of the Spartans
In 2011 U.S. Marine Steven Pressfield decided to
record the culmination of years of discussions had with
fellow Marines and others on Warrior Ethos and
mentality. Pressfield questions “Does a warrior ethos
arise spontaneously, called forth by necessity and the
needs of the human heart? Is honor coded into our
genes? What does honor consist of – in an age when the
concept seems abandoned by society at large, at least
in the West? What is the Warrior Ethos? Where did it
come from? What form does it take today?” The Warrior
Ethos is akin to espirit de corps – Indeed, what causes
or drives an individual to desire to join the ranks of
the United States Military’s most elite branch of
service, known for being the “toughest” and most
intense – The United States Marine Corps?
Pressfield discusses the “Warrior Ethos” –
equivalent to our Espirit de corps and unparalleled and
unmatched camaraderie- especially in an Elite Unit such
as Recon - as being instilled beginning at birth and
gives examples from Spartan Warrior culture as
reference. “Tough Mothers” and societal cultivation are
named as instilling basic beginning Warrior values in
youth. As Pressfield Notes, “ The most famous Spartan
mother story is also the shortest: A Spartan mother
handed her son his shield as he prepared to march off
to battle. She said, “Come back with this or on it”.”
Pressfield notes: “That’s a warrior culture. That’s the
warrior ethos.” Also noted is a Spartan Warrior story
of killing physically imperfect children within the
society due to them not making the cut or being
acceptable in the former military elite society. This
is in striking similarity to USMC Semper Fit Culture,
in which Marines must be in good shape to become
Marines in the first place, and the most strong and Fit
are rewarded with titles like “Ironman”, lauded and
applauded within the ranks, whereas “Fat” or unfit
marines are ridiculed, basically exiled from USMC
society, not accepted or allowed within the Corps.
The warrior ethos further discusses its
evolution from the “primary need of the spear-toting,
rock-throwing, animal skin wearing hunting band- the
need to survive. This need could be met only
collectively, as a group working in unison. To bind the
band, together, an ethos evolved – A Hunter’s
Ethos.” How strikingly similar to the reasons many
Marines decide to enlist or commission – the Elite
membership to a Band of Brothers, THE band of Brothers,
in the toughest military branch of service. A method of
survival, a career, a grand, remarkable, unusual,
extraordinary adventure of a lifetime – that of a
United States Marine. The promise of a life of
destruction, elite unity, and the USMC mantra “KILL”
(to survive) states it all. Pressfield notes “ Every
warrior virtue stems from this – courage, selflessness,
love of and loyalty to one’s comrades, patience, selfcommand, the will to endure adversity. It all comes
from the hunting band’s need to survive.”
The instinct of self-preservation and at
times cowardice (the instinct of “flight” in the face
of danger) is defeated in order to achieve a brave and
fierce warrior force and the opposite of Shame and the
overcoming of Fear are achieved by modeling courage and
counter balance by a strict regimen of training and
discipline – For example, extreme practice and
cultivation of skill are rewarded with honor – the
pinning and award of Paratrooper Jump Wings, the Recon
Marine’s Combat Dive Bubble. Such are examples of
Courage and Honor for fellow Marines to see and desire
to achieve. The Warrior Ethos exemplified in all its
glory.
Pressfield goes on to discuss how different
societies are either shame-based or guilt-based.
Japanese, Pashtunistani, Roman, Alexander’s Macedonian,
Ancient Spartans as well as the USMC are all given as
examples of shame-based warrior cultures. For example,
if a warrior showed lack of courage in battle, he would
be mocked, ridiculed, and outcast from society. The
opposite of shame is honor – and in how many ways do
the marines honor different types of courage and valor?
How many priceless medals exist for a Marine to earn
and wear with pride? Dozens. The higher the precedence
order of each ribbon worn, the more respect and Honor
shown by a Marine’s peers and comrades. There’s a
reason “Death Before Dishonor” quoted is displayed in
flash art on tattoo parlor walls next to or nearby USMC
Bases worldwide. It’s a mantra, a small part of what it
means to embody our Warrior Ethos. Pressfield notes, “
There’s a well-known gunnery sergeant in the Marine
Corps who explains to his young Marines, when they
complain about pay, that they get two kinds of salarya financial salary and a psychological salary. The
financial salary is indeed meager. But the
Psychological salary? Pride, honor, integrity, the
chance to be part of a corps with a history of service,
valor, glory ; to have friends who would sacrifice
their lives for you, as you would for them- and to know
that you remain a part of this brotherhood as long as
you live. How much is that worth?”.
“The joys of misery” are lauded as an inherent
part of the Warrior Ethos. Pressfield describes “Among
all elite U.S. Forces, the Marine Corps is unique in
that its standards for strength, athleticism, and
physical hardiness are not exceptional. What separates
Marines instead, is their capacity to endure adversity.
Marines take a perverse pride in having colder chow,
crappier equipment, and higher casualty rates than any
other service.” “Nothing infuriates Marines more than
to learn that some particularly nasty and dangerous
assignment has been given to the Army instead of to
them. It offends their sense of honor.” The willing and
eager embracement of adversity is key in the Warrior
Ethos. At this point in the text, “The warrior Ethos”
may as well be synonymous with USMC Espirit de Corps.
In conclusion, Author Steven Pressfield laments
“The hardest thing in the world is to be ourselves. He
asks, “Who are we? Our family tells us, society tells
us, laws and customs tell us. But what do we say? How
do we get to that place of self-knowledge and
conviction where we are able to state without doubt,
fear or anger, “THIS is who I am, this is what I
believe, this is how I intend to live my life”? He
wonders, “How do we find our true calling, our soul
companions, our destiny”? In this task, The Warrior
Ethos is our greatest formidable tool. The Warrior
Ethos forces us to learn incredible self-discipline as
well as cultivate incredible resolve. Choosing to be a
part of something bigger than ourselves, a force to be
feared and revered, making that leap and volunteering
to be a part of the toughest and most feared branch of
service in the United States Military is choosing to
create a life of greatness for each individual part of
the whole. The warrior ethos instilled in our Marine
Corps is essentially just one identity or stage on each
individual Marine’s path to maturity and yet becomes
the solid foundation of many identities and aspects of
personality to follow. Whether that be the exemplified
20+ year Career Warrior Marine who chooses to stay with
the pack for as long as possible, or the single
enlistment/tour young Marine whose character is forever
bettered because of this introduction of ethos.