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I often refer to the world outside of the military as “the real world,” for a variety of reasons really. The inner circle jerk of the military is not a very good representation of 99% of America, where the rules of society are very different. In the military, specifically the Marine Corps, being able to do pull-ups until your biceps explode is a feat worthy of recognition. When taken out of context, they can seem somewhat silly and largely irrelevant.
Of course, the obvious part here is that the military is a very physical job. On some level, these things actually matter when it comes down to how well one can perform their duties. If you can’t hump all day in 120 degree heat wearing 80 lbs of shit on your shoulders, you may as well not bother. Regardless, (and I’ve said it before a thousand times) the promotion system within the Marine Corps is wrought with absurdity. Instead of bestowing the rank of Corporal on lowly Lances based on merit or experience, it’s based on a series of numbers that loosely relate to their job. I’m not saying the PFT isn’t important. I’m saying that after multiple combat deployments, the PFT is irrelevant.
I’ve also mentioned before that I don’t have a better system to recommend. However, it’s hard to convince me that the cutting score system isn’t broken when you have perfectly good Lance Corporals–first class PFT’s, expert rifle scores–who can’t pick up after multiple combat deployments because of this silly system. The average grunt doesn’t care why, they just care that it happens. And it happens all the time.
In other news, I’ll be heading off to LA again this weekend to start work on a film project–unrelated to Terminal Lance (sorry guys). I’ll probably be there for a couple weeks, but I still plan on updating the comic as scheduled on Tuesdays and Fridays.
I wanted to briefly mention that the Facebook page has been full of derp lately. I understand that some people got their panties in a bunch over Tuesday’s comic. Unfortunately, I don’t really care. I’m well aware that as Terminal Lance became popular within all ranks and MOS’ of the Corps, it attracted people who may not understand what Terminal Lance actually is. I didn’t pick the name “Terminal Lance” because I wanted to celebrate the Corps’ in all its glory, I picked it to reflect on the nature of this comic and what it represents: Infantry Lance Corporals who don’t give a shit.
If you don’t like Terminal Lance, myself (Max) or anything else about this site; feel free to fuck off. I’m not going to stop doing what I’ve always done to accommodate anyone. Terminal Lance is a black and white, comedy comic strip that makes fun of the Marine Corps. If you came here expecting something else, I don’t know what to tell you. I started this comic over two years ago, passing out fliers at the infantry barracks of Kaneohe Bay and placing business cards strategically in the electronic card readers of peoples’ rooms. This comic is my baby, and I’ve put my name on everything I’ve done since day one.
Now that that is out of the way, be sure to check out my un-military comic endeavor “Into the Mangrove,” it’s sure to tickle your pickle.
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