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Military meme pages have cemented a special place in the hearts of service members. The niche humor resinates with those who have served, allowing us to vent our unique kind of frustrations. We also use them to keep in touch with our battle buddies by tagging each other or sending memes to our group chats. However, many pages have taken it one step further to include impacting actual change. Here are some of the meme pages that have had real world impacts.
DD214 Memes
Once a Marine, Always a Marine isn't just an old-timey bumpersticker. It means taking care of your brothers, Thats what DD214 Memes did when they saw Marines were being fed moldy, and expired food. As a result, the Marines were given adequate nutrimental nourishment, and even a pizza party.Likewise, they have exposed several instances of obscene command authority abuse, and stood up for junior Marines. Rank and leadership are privileges that are earned through demonstration of proficiency and dedication. Some who have abused these positions for personal gain have become all too familiar with DD214 Memes who hosted a tournament for the worst command. Although, they felt it equally important to highlight the good leaders, and subsequently hosted tournament for the best commands.
Decelerate Your Life
This long time Navy staple has been cranking out original content for years. The humor is so well done that even prominent civilian celebrities (like adult film mega star Christy Mack) follow them. Beyond the jokes, the duo who run the page saw the need to step in on behalf of sailors on many occasions.For instance, there was an alarming spree of suicides aboard the USS George H. W. Bush, and Decelerate Your Life (DYL) began demanding the Navy take action. They became such a thorn in the side that the Official Government Facebook account for the Bush blocked DYL from commenting. This was later ruled to be unconstitutional, reminding the military that they cannot block accounts as a way to suppress their freedom of speech. DYL would be interviewed by national news bringing a massive spotlight to the issue of military suicide.
Disgruntled Docs
According to the USO, "The Hospital Corps is the most decorated rating in the Navy and one of the most decorated in the military. Members of the Navy Hospital Corps have earned 22 Medals of Honor, 179 Navy Crosses, 959 Silver Stars and more than 1,600 Bronze Stars."Despite this, Docs have among the lowest promotion rate in the military. Furthermore, they are often times over worked, and under appreciated. This pandemic has shown exactly how important our medical personnel are. Disgruntled Docs has stepped up to bat for the Docs of the world by calling out instances of hypocrisy and mistreatment. Additionally, they have highlighted the specific plight of the Corpsman attached to Marine units. Arguably, this being one of the most unique experiences in the military. I wouldn't trust anyone else to take my core temperature.
It says a lot that it takes meme pages to stand up for our troops. Next set of elections, we must take a real close look at the voting records of those elected to represent us.
