The Marine Corps has always been grossly underfunded. This has encouraged Marines to get what they need through less legitimate means. There is a saying that says, “Marines never steal,” which is the biggest load of crap ever. Marines don’t call it stealing, they call it some shit like, “tactically acquire.”

Everywhere you go in the Corps, you need gear watch on your shit, because someone is going to always try to steal your shit. In the Corps, if you do get your shit stolen, it’s more than likely your fault.

In the movie “Full Metal Jacket,” Private Pyle leaves his foot locker unsecured. His drill instructor sees this and says, “If it wasn’t for dickheads like you, there wouldn’t be any thievery in this world, would there?!” Kind of ass-backwards logic, isn’t it?

There’s even an entire chapter (Chap. 10) in a book on the Commandant’s reading list on stealing (First to Fight by Victor H. Krulak)! Back then Marines stole everything from lumber to jeeps. On a side note, that book is an incredibly dry book and it took me forever to read just a few pages.

Stealing doesn’t solve the problem. Bottom line is that someone else is going to be missing something. You can prevent this cycle of stealing by making your shit hard to steal.

Tactically acquiring other people’s shit since 1775.