The Corps

Here especially no stories about how tough it was and how far but a brief account of my time with the most beautiful organization in the world ! (ok, except for BLD Advice 😉 ). In the end, there is nothing better than being (ultimately) responsible for the results myself but so nice that I was able to gain knowledge and experience at the Ministry of Defense all those years (25 in total!). (as Marine and Civilian)

I especially want to emphasize that the Corps feels to me like this was, literally, a past life.
I left the service in 2000 and when I click on the links below myself, it is as if I have read all this in a wonderful beautiful (boy’s) book rather than experienced it myself. That also makes it easier to write about it because it no longer feels like I’m “bragging” about it.

Anyway, I remember from that time that I especially didn’t advertise the fact that I was a Marine because people had, negative, prejudices about that anyway. By now, but of course even then, I am proud that everyone knows this about my past anyway.

Example from when I was in the service myself was the night I went to see the movie “Navy Seals” with some friends.
When they pointed out, correctly, that this was all very James Bond-like, I kept my mouth shut.
Despite the fact that they all knew, roughly, what work (ok Hobby) I did I kept it to the fact that i.d.d. I had to admit that I was very much like the main character (Charlie Sheen). I am also not writing here that I have done or experienced all those things (e.g., free-fall parachute jumping or HALO jumps; there is always something left to wish for) but rather that my immediate colleagues in the same, small, unit did. Things I did still come across as if I read them in previously described (Boy’s) book.

Training

In this I must especially emphasize that within the, relatively small Corps, there are again even smaller units that all do specialized things. Once you are a Marine it takes time again, if you aspire to do so, to qualify for these (specialized-) training courses. Before you are eligible for this, you have to successfully complete other training, e.g. cold weather training. (mountain training, at the time in Scotland, Wales, and winter training in Norway)

This was not a punishment, by the way; quite the contrary. Standard joke when the weather was cold and far:
“Who has this!?” to which the standard response was “Who wants this!!!?”.
I wisely kept my mouth shut at times like that but realized how well everything was taken care of in terms of food, maps, safety, equipment (ok, that was a little less in the early years) and still, from a passion that was born in those days, I still enjoy “going into the mountains”. I am sure that the fact that as a child I did not get further than a vacation in Bakkum and Zeeland and had never been on skis in my life contributed to this but the fact remains that I have been in beautiful environments with the Corps.

One of the nice things about the Internet is that, e.g. through LinkedIn but especially through Facebook, you get in touch with many former colleagues, in this case from our service days. I am regularly asked where we know each other from, which is why I am writing this down here centrally (and only once so I can refer everyone to it).

Challenge with that, by the way, is that, especially on Facebook, there is so much (fun) information incl. photos are posted that you could make it a day job to keep track of it all.

In these 13 years (1987 – 2000) I have learned a lot, experienced wonderful moments and met fantastic people but most of all had a lot of fun.

In the Corps, I learned to lead but, just as important, learned to receive leadership, and also gained a lot of people skills in the process. After my service I was interviewed, by Frits Conijn Editor at the Financieel Dagblad and the author, for

this beautiful book

which reflects these experiences beautifully.

Especially in the beginning, when I had just left the boss (as this is called within the Royal Navy), and regularly spoke to former colleagues, I often heard: you miss it don’t you Ron ?

Of course this is the case, although fortunately this feeling wears off over the years.
However, my arguments for leaving are still valid but if I may mention 1 thing I miss most is the humor!

I used to have a pain in my stomach from laughing an average of 2 times a day, and surely that, besides the teamwork and the (physical) challenges, is what I remember most.

In doing so, I have only, even, more admiration for all the colleagues who do this work while having a family.
For me, this was the main reason for leaving, followed shortly by the fact that I like to do something new all the time.

CV / LinkedIn

I included this about my service in my resume and Linkedin profile:

The period in the Marine Corps is the result of an out-of-control tour of duty in which I eventually served for 13 years with great pleasure. These years have flown by through various training (commando, paratrooper, ski instructor, cold weather training and frogman, among others), placements and deployments (including 3 years in Curacao and 6 months in Cambodia).

Links

Here are some links to the different sections/training:

First, a piece on the

Corps Spirit/Corps Values

frogman

with a

beautiful video clip about exit and re-entry

Have nothing with nothing with “in my time” comments and mean this positively (okay, jealous!):
Back in my day, unfortunately, there were not those, James Bond, underwater scooters.

Via
this link
an article on frogman training.

command

paratrooper

military ski instructor
And that for someone who was on skis for the first time in his life at
Otto Zoetelief in Soesterberg
!
Not just this wonderful month but after that teaching in Norway: skiing, skiing, skiing; wonderful.
Of course also cross-country skiing, at least as beautiful, and telemark: superlative of all superlatives.

Cambodia

Service time in detail

Below in a little more detail my service time:
(especially for those who want to see exactly from which period/placement we know each other from again)

87-4 EVO ( Elementary Vocational Training).
German Para Training Altenstadt
87 – 90 1AGGP – 13 Infcie – (Amphibious Combat Group – Infantry Company).
first 1st pel. then 3rd pel. (Platoon)
summer 1998 Texel Boatcie LCRM (Landing Craft Rubber Motorized)
90 CBD training (Liaison Service).
91 2 AGGP (Amphibious Combat Group).
91-93 1 AGGP (including Cambo 2)
91-4 Command Training KCT (Korps Commando Troops).
92 OPLOOF (training under officer).
92/93 Cambo 2 10 VZGCIE Sisophon (Care Company)
93 KVM Training (Kikvorsman)
94-97 Amfverpel (Amphibious Reconnaissance Platoon)
97-2000 Curaçao – Bureau of Operations

Finally resigned on Curaçao and never worked another day in the Netherlands for our Royal Navy but that is another story! (which I will definitely commit to paper again).

In a nutshell, while Eveline (who wasn’t too keen on my wanting to leave the service anyway) was 37 weeks pregnant with Steijn, I went back and forth to the Netherlands in a matter of days for my job interview at DTO to make sure I had a, different, job upon my return to the Netherlands.

This partly out of self-protection! I was given the opportunity to complete my (college) Studies with an internship at Headquarters and then “if I passed the inspection” also that is the Corps 😉, “possibly be considered for a higher position.

More attractive was the offer at my old unit “in a quieter position” (if such exist) to complete my studies. Both of them I politely rejected because actually all along, partly because I rolled into this as a conscript, I had other plans for my life. On the second option, I indicated that it was not realistic to expect this to be a rest placement to which my colleague chuckled and agreed. A few months later, much of this unit was in Somalia.

What remains are the wonderful memories that I will thus someday put on paper.