Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential…

“Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential” is a backronym (back acronym) for the word “Marine.” This is alleged lack of intelligence not necessarily true; it has been pointed out (see below) that Marines are smarter than other armed services. “Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential” has been cited in print since at least October 1992. Google Books appears to show that this is in a 1989 book of acronyms, but no preview is given.

Another popular backronym of “Marine” is “My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment.” “USMC” backronyms include “Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children,” “Uncle Sam’s Motorcycle Club,” “Uncle Sam’s Mountain Climbers,” “University of Science, Music and Culture,” “Unlimited Shit and Mass Confusion,” “U Suckers Missed Christmas” and “U Signed the Motherfucking Contract.”

Google Groups: rec.humor
‘Dumb Americans’
Carolyn Shin
10/23/92
Yeah, and isn’t “Marine” and acronym for something like:
Muscles Are Required Intelligence Not Expected

>a href=“https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.tasteless.jokes/jOzL8tOuXmI”>Google Groups: alt.tasteless.jokes
USMC Jokes
Richard Ramiaz Banks
12/12/93
what does MARINE stand for?
muscles are required intelligence not essential

Google Groups: sci.military.naval
Brad K. Browne
5/17/95
Marine Soliders. How about Marine Jokes?
MARINE:
Muscles
Are
Required,
Intelligence
Not
Essential

US ARMY:
Uncle
Sam
Ain’t
Released
Me
Yet

NAVY:
Never
Again
Volunteer
Yourself

Googl Groups: us.mlitary.army
Military abbreviations
Charles Revie
1/28/99
(...)
How about
PFC Praying for Civilian
FIGMO F!!k It I Got My Orders
MARINE Muscles Are Required Intelligence Not Essential (a Marine told me that)

Slashdot
alternative
by Anonymous Freak on Thursday February 25, 1999 @07:53PM (#2017133) Journal
(...)
NAVY = Never Again Volunteer Yourself
ARMY = Aren’t Ready to be Marines Yet
MARINE = Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Expected (or) My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment
USAF = Under Sexed Ass F*ckers. (If any one knows one for full “Air Force”, I’d like it… It was my service.)

Google Books
Conquistador<.I>
By S. M. Stirling
New York, NY: Roc
2003
Pg. 11:
“Marine — Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential.”

Google Books
Swift, Silent and Surrounded:
Marine Corps Sea Stories and Politically .Incorrect Common Sense
By Andrew A. Bufalo
Tampa, FL: S&B Publishing
2003
Pg. 218:
They like to say that Marine stands for muscles are required, intelligence not essential, but in reality the Corps requires higher ASVAB scores than the other services.

Google Books
Not as Lean, Not as Mean, Still a Marine!:
Even More Marine Corps Sea Stories and Commentary
By Andrew A. Bufalo
Tampa, FL: S&B Publishing
2004
Pg. 308:
One of the jokes the other services like to tell at our expense is that ‘MARINE’ means “Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential.” What those detractors often fail to realize is Marines are trained to obey rules and regulations, and what could appear “stupid” to an outside observer might simply be a Marine following the rule—as he understands them to be.

Urban Dictionary

marine
(...)
Muscles Are Required Intelligence Not Essential
My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment
by Randomus Aug 12, 2006

Marine Corps Forum
roderickyseaton
03-06-07, 05:29 AM
(...)
M.A.R.I.N.E.S. (Marines Aren’t Ready In Navy Elite Seals (yet)) As opposed to the Army (Aren’t Ready to be Marines Yet).

Twitter
mtei_uni
‏@mtei_uni
ARMYって何かの略か聞いたらマリンコから
Aren’t Ready for the Marines Yet　とかえってきた。ちなみに
MARINESはMuscles Are Required Intelligence Not Essential Stupidだそうだ
2:01 AM - 16 Jul 10

Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential (“Marine” backronym)