Concerning Bearing

I was once asked, “How does the USMC teach Marines to go from a seated position to standing in that ‘Marine posture’ with hand outstretched in less than the time it takes me to blink? See, I drive around a lot and when I spot a recruiting station I go in for a hand shake, to a man the Marines perform the aforementioned maneuver.”The questioner went on in some detail about meeting Marines who effortlessly untangled themselves from various seated positions to stand immediately straight, shoulders back, hand extended in greeting, yet ready for action.

Marines put a lot of stock in bearing. One of the 14 Leadership Traits, it is defined as: “The way you conduct or carry yourself. Your manner should reflect alertness, competence, confidence, and control.”

Personally, I prefer the word comportment, but it’s the same thing. A civilian friend once described it as an air of: “… not to be %&@#!* with.” It’s not about giving off a bad ass vibe though. Any thug can be a tough guy. A Marine should be firm, courteous, tactful and leave you with the impression if the wolf came knocking he’d kick the wolf’s tail for you. This seemingly small attribute can leave a lasting impression on those who witness it in action.

The question reminded me of standing post on embassy duty in Madrid. One evening after normal hours an Air Force buddy who worked in the embassy mail room stopped by Post One to ask about something. Post One is the main guard post at every American embassy Marines provide security for. Essentially it is a duty hut composed of bullet resistant glass and CCTV gear. It provides a very visible Marine presence to anyone entering or exiting the chancery.

I have no memory of the conversation. I do recall since it was after hours and almost everyone had gone for the day, I had relaxed somewhat from the pacing tiger posture I normally adopted while on duty to leaning casually on the window ledge. In contrast, this could best be described as a loose bag of laundry posture.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the elevator doors. They suddenly opened and out came the Defense Attache Officer, a Navy Captain. My instant transformation to the position of attention with crisp salute and proper greeting as the Captain left for the day completely stunned the Air Force mail handler: “Dude! How did you do that? You, like, totally uncoiled yourself in the blink of an eye!” What to a Marine was a seemingly mundane event turned into a story this guy told for weeks afterward.

How do we teach it? I really don’t think there is an instruction manual on comportment, but institutionally the Marine Corps understands the importance of professional bearing. I always told the Marines if they looked squared away then they probably were squared away. If they looked like a sloppy bag of smashed buttocks, then it is likely they are exactly that. Perception is indeed reality.

As pertains to recruiters, I’ve heard more than one story from a Marine who related they joined because they were sitting in the office of one of our sister services until they saw the Marine recruiter swagger past. Their unanimous response to this was: “Wow! I wanna be like that guy!”