They shall be my finest warriors, these men who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them, and in the furnace of war forge them. They will be of iron will and steely muscle. In great armour shall I clad them and with the mightiest guns will they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease, no sickness will blight them. They will have tactics, strategies and machines so that no foe can best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the terror. They are the defenders of Humanity. They are my Space Marines... ...and they shall know no fear.
"You have been called upon to serve, you will be trained... and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies."
Do you wanna be a hero in the sky?
Do you wanna be a hero in the sky?
High adventure, higher pay, join the Space Marines today
And you'll get to be a hero in the sky.
—Julia Ecklar and Anne Prather, "Space Hero" (which later turns into a comic deconstruction of this trope)
All right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps! A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade! I LOVE the Corps!
From the pits of Aldebaran IX To the webs of Sigma Grex We will make a better man of you Irregardless of your sex. Though the Klingons kick sand in your face, You will know you're worth your beans When you come and sell your soul to us In the Outer Space Marines.
—The Outer Space Marines
We're Space Marines! We're glorious We're steadfast, brave and true! So don't you dirtbags mess with us, Or this is what we'll do:
We'll nick your dogs, We'll nuke your schools, We'll stretch you on a rack! We'll borrow all your garden tools And never give them back!
We are the bold marines of space We wade through gore and grue And if we do not like your face Then this is what we'll do:
We'll sneer and spit and call you names Tip napalm down your shirt Your vest will be consumed by flames And that will really hurt.