As of March 8th, the Army is changing their official military recruiting slogan from “What’s Your Warrior?” back to the 80s-90’s era slogan, “Be All You Can Be.” Recruiting slogans are supposed to illicit interest from each respective branch’s ideal recruit. So let’s take a look at each recruiting slogan, and take a guess at what they might really mean.
Marines: “The Few, The Proud.”
The smallest branch is basically saying, “In lieu of modern equipment, timely promotions, or human dignity, you get the allure of joining a branch with an illustrious war-fighting history, and dogmatic devotion to the bayonet. The Marines are basically saying, “We’re a cult, and the Kool-Aid tastes like kill.”
Navy: “Forged by the Sea.”
You forge things with fire, which is the opposite of the sea. Much like the Navy, this slogan doesn’t make sense if you think about it too much. Although, you can quench super heated blades with water. The method will give you higher hardness but more stressed component. The Navy is basically saying, “Expect to be confused and stressed out… A lot.”
Air Force: “Aim High.”
Have you secretly always suspected you’re better than everyone you grew up with? Do you like to look down on people, both figuratively and literally? Don’t settle for a boring life surrounded by losers. Because, “In the Air Force, we’re better than you, and we know it!”
Space Force: “The Sky is Not the Limit”?
You can generally tell what the current recruiting slogan is by the end of the official commercial. A few tag lines have circulated through Space Force ads but “The Sky is Not the Limit” seems to be the most common. Seeing as most people don’t quite fully understand what the Space Force does, this is fitting because if the sky is not the limit, then what is? Every combat mission has a limit of advance, but it seems like the Space Force is saying, “Hey we’re still figuring this out, but it looks cool.”
Mean Girls, 2004 (Paramount Pictures)
Army: “Be All That You Can Be.”
This iconic slogan was dug up from retirement and painted with a fresh coat to try to help the largest branch stop hemorrhaging numbers. The Army is basically saying, “How do you do fellow kids, do you wanna be goated? Just hit the griddy on down to the nearest recruiter’s station, it’s a vibe.”
Honorable mention
Though not technically a military recruiting slogan, the US Coast Guard just announced their new tagline will be “Protect. Defend. Save.” This essentially feels like they are saying, “We actually do shit during peacetime, have fun sweeping the motor pool.”
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