My stepfather's attitude is, you know, we want you coming home after a war. Some people join up for precisely that reason though. I really like the way author richard b. Frank describes the marines and endum. And this mix that you get during this period between the old timers who were there o long before this war was on the horizon,. The guys who ind up when the big build up began, before pearl harbor. They knew their weapons and they knew their tactics. Many wore expert badges with bars for proficiency in rifle, pistol, machine gun, hand grenade, auto rifle, mortar and bayonet.