ABSTRACT
Systemic issues arise in work with all families, and interface issues arise with all military families. There are more commonalities than differences in the interface issues that appear across the different branches of service, but some of the differences are noteworthy. This chapter focuses on some of the characteristics that distinguish members of the U.S. Marine Corps. As the nation’s oldest branch of service, the Marine Corps has a long history and a distinct culture. As with families, knowledge of that history and culture can facilitate our understanding of individual Marines and the issues that arise with their families. Marines are a particularly proud and loyal group, highly disciplined, competent, and prone to arrogantly boasting about the Corps and devaluing the other branches of service. We will begin by exploring the idea that it can be useful for family therapists to think of the Marine Corps as a family.
