A poem by Major General William H. Rupertus, USMC....

"MY RIFLE"

Creed of a United States Marine

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 weakness, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights , and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am 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!

General Rupertus isn't Longfellow but he was writing in different times and under different circumstances; not bad stuff IMHO, not bad at all.

IMO it's worth repeating, it is part of the history of the United States of America.

Also known as the Rifleman's Creed or the Marine's Creed, several of the lines of this simple poem are rather widespread through American culture, simply because of their common use in military movies. In the film Full Metal Jacket, they recite this creed before bed every night while holding their M-16s; Private Swofford shouts several lines repeatedly while jamming his rifle in the face of one of his teammates in the movie Jarhead. What most people don't know is that the Rifleman's Creed is actually still in use by the military. Though shown as archaic or barbaric in Full Metal Jacket, I was actually forced to memorize it when I was in boot camp just a few years ago. The Marine Corps considers it not only an invaluable way to increase a recruit's dedication to his rifle, and his pride in the Marine Corps, but it is also another one of the connections we have with all of our brothers from the past.

Major General Rupertus's poem is not only a wonderful work of art, but a priceless, and long-lived, tool of the American military. Welcome to the Suck, gentlemen.