Rifleman's Creed
The Rifleman's Creed (also known as My Rifle and The Creed of the United States Marine) is a part of basic United States Marine Corps doctrine. Major General William H. Rupertus wrote it during World War II, probably in late 1941 or early 1942. All Marines learn the creed at recruit training and they are expected to live by it. Different, more concise versions of the creed have developed since its early days, but those closest to the original version remain the most widely accepted.[1][2]
Original text
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!
In popular culture
The 1987 Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket, which is also sampled partially in the Fear Factory song "Crisis", the Combichrist song "This Is My Rifle", & the Killarmy song "Under Siege".
In the 1999 Neal Stephenson novel Cryptonomicon, Bobby Shaftoe modifies the first three lines of the creed to create his first haiku.
The 2005 First Gulf War film Jarhead portrays the recruits chanting a shortened version of the creed.
In the 2008 horror film The Happening, Private Auster, as he is becoming disoriented, shouts "My firearm is my friend! It will not leave my side!"
In Family Guy episode "Baby Not On Board", Joe Swanson shouts a parody of the creed (about his wheelchair).
In the science fiction novel Old Man's War, recruits for the Colonial Defense Forces are taught the creed.
In the real-time strategy game Starcraft II, one of the marine's quotes is the first line of the creed.
In 2010, Colombian artist "9000" created a piece entitled "Turing Creed", based on the Rifleman's Creed with "computer" substituted for "rifle".[3][4]
See also
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References
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Template:US military navbox- ↑ Major General William H. Rupertus. "My Rifle: The Creed of a U.S. Marine". United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10.
- ↑ Major General William H. Rupertus. "My Rifle: The Creed of a U.S. Marine". U.S. Military. About.com.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Citation/CS1/Suggestions' not found.
- ↑ 9 0 0 0 (2010-03-23). "Turing Creed". 9 0 0 0's photostream. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
