By 
Artillery Marines in the 08XX field like their big guns. They like them long and erect while firing hot loads on America’s enemies. When the enemy is playing hard to get, Arty is able to penetrate any defense from a distance with their massive cannons.
Anyone joining an artillery battalion can be sure that whatever they may lack in the length or stature of their personal firepower, they’ll certainly make up for it with the big boom-booms they wield on the battlefield.
Can you believe that in 13 years of making Terminal Lance comics, I’ve never once done anything about Arty? Hopefully it’s not too-little, too-late, as most of the Marine Corps’ artillery will be undergoing drastic force modernization and a slight shift away from the phallic glory we know and love.
For now, though, they can stand tall and proud.
Pro-tip: groom well and shave the base to make it look bigger.
As a boot I was briefly attached to an arty unit during a training exercise around 1993. once during this deployment they allowed me to insert the primer and then pull the rope to fire the 155mm howitzer. To me, at the time, it had felt like the entire Earth moved a wee bit when it went off. It became a ‘core memory’ for me.
Fun fact, artillery observers are put in FIre Support Teams. FIST for short. The individual is referred to as a FISTer.
Redleg, here. Army 1976-1980. My MOS no longer exists, it was Cannon Fire Direction Specialist, 13E. The first Army FISTers, 13Fs, began as 13Es who volunteered to reclass into the newly-created MOS.
Any time I see something like this, I get warm fuzzy memories.
I was at Camp Las Pulgas with the 11th Marines in the mid-80’s and we still had some of the 155 pigs before all units got the newer M198 towed guns. I was a communicator so we got moved around a bit. Once when I was with one of the firing batteries they let me fire one of the little 105 shells. I still have the brass the gun apes (0811) let me keep.
We were always preparing for some big war in the desert…who knew? Oh those simpler times.
My best friend in high school joined the Marines, I went Army. He was so gung ho I figured he’d do 20. He also went in open contract and was assigned to Arty and went to 29 Palms after his MOS school. He hated both Arty and 29 Palms so much that he went UA and finally turned himself in after about a month. Got kicked out with a general discharge.