Disclaimer: Terminal Lance is in no way sponsored nor endorsed by the United States Marine Corps or any other branch of the US Armed Services. All opinions and properties belong solely to the creator and no one else.
The Comic
Terminal Lance is a comic created by myself, Lance Corporal Maximilian Uriarte, USMC. The idea behind Terminal Lance is to poke fun at the Marine Corps much like Gunny Wolf’s old Sempertoons, but with an emphasis on the grunt Lance Corporal’s point of view. As an 0351, this is a point of view I’m very familiar with.
The Creator
Terminal Lance Corporal Max 2010
Baghdad, 2009: Terminal Lance Corporal Max
My name is Max, I’m an 0351 Assaultman stationed in Hawaii. I’ve been to Iraq twice, first as a turret gunner of an MRAP in 2007-2008 in the Zaidon region. My second deployment, my artistic talents brought me to the world of Combat Art and Combat Photography. I worked with our ComCam shop for the entire deployment and got to travel all over Iraq shooting photos and sketching Marines at work. Aside from that, in my 3.5 years in the Corps I’ve been a SMAW Gunner, Team Leader, Squad Leader, .50Cal Gunner, Combat Photographer, and a Combat Artist.
The Namesake
The term “Terminal Lance” comes from a phenomena common to the Marine Corps infantry: the inability to pick up Corporal, sometimes due to a number of things–sometimes not. In my case, as an 0351, my MOS’ cutting score is beyond ridiculous when it’s not closed. In the mid-to-upper 1700′s, someone like me who has done a number of noteworthy jobs and never been in any kind of NJP (Non-Judicial Punishment) situations, it’s just a matter of cutting score.
For those of you who don’t know what a cutting score is, it’s a broken system of numbers that the Marine Corps uses to promote people. It’s a value based on your physical performance, rifle score and other factors like time in service. Outside of the infantry, people are usually promoted around 1500. The score to promotion is determined by the number of active corporals in relation to the MOS. i.e.: you can only have so many corporals per MOS.
The Project
This project has been a long time in the making. I thought of the concept a couple of years ago but hadn’t had a chance to sit down and do it until now.
I hope the Marines reading this appreciate the humor and where I’m coming from. If you’re not a Marine and you’re still reading this, good job! Most of the terminology in this comic is derived from the Marine Corps, so good luck deciphering it.
Comic updates are scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays.
