From Green Weenie to Yellow Footprints: The Change Is Forever

[DISCLAIMER]

I looked for my United States (U.S.) Marine Corps recruiter at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Bomb City on the day that I flew to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego for U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training (i.e., boot camp) in 1996.

However, among the many other lies I was told about military service by my recruiter, he was dishonest about his pledge to see me off to boot camp. Apparently, once he had an enlistment signature and accompanying warm body, my recruiter’s obligations were satisfied.

That was my first, though assuredly not my last, experience with the green weenie. Jokingly, my ass still hurts! According to one source, this term “is a reference to the timeless tradition of the military fucking its members over [to treat unfairly or harshly] in ways only the military can.”

For example, my recruiter said there were Marine installations in every major city within the U.S. I believed him. Yet, as it turned out, his assertion wasn’t true. Using imagery of a hotdog, my buns (ass) received the green weenie (dick), as my recruiter supplied the special sauce (cum).

Photo credit (edited), photo credit (edited), Designed by Magnific, fair use

Nevertheless, I gathered at the airport with fellow poolees (individuals who’ve signed an enlistment contract and taken the oath of enlistment, but haven’t yet shipped to recruit training). Away we then flew to the West Coast, having little idea about what to expect upon arrival.

While in the San Diego International Airport, having sat down to enjoy our last taste of fast food for three months, other recruits (civilians who’ve shipped to, and partake in, Marine Corps boot camp) and I observed a drill instructor (DI) descending on an escalator. He made his way to us.

The DI ordered us to discard our food and follow him. We promptly obeyed. He mostly remained silent and walked fast. After being escorted to a white bus, recruits packed the vehicle. We were then transported to MCRD San Diego, which was immediately adjacent to the airport.

By that time, it was dark outside. The bus stopped, as recruits patiently waited with a DI who stood silently. Then, as though a nearby proverbial dam holding back a sea of DIs broke, a hoard of physically fit, well-groomed, and vexed DIs in uniform poured over the column of buses.

One hyperactive DI boarded the bus in which I sat, yelling, “Get off my bus! Get off my bus! Move it, move it! Nooooowww! Get off my fuckin’ bus! Move your asses!” Into the whirlpool of disorganized recruits who were saturated with DIs swirling around them I went.

According to one source, “Every step recruits take during recruit training brings them closer to earning the title of United States Marine, but one of the first steps they take is upon the infamous yellow footprints at Receiving Company aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.”

The yellow footprints at MCRD San Diego, as well as MCRD Parris Island—arguably the lesser of the two boot camps (hey, we’re all gettin’ fucked in this post!), serve as a pivotal moment in a Marine’s military career. It symbolizes the literal steps from civilian to military member.

Per one source, the “Marine Corps used to have a slogan, ‘The Change is Forever,” as the yellow footprints begin that process. For clarity, change is defined as making different in some particular way or aspect. Noteworthy, I stated in a post entitled Change Is neither Good nor Bad:

Change is inevitable, though it isn’t good or bad. Your beliefs about that which is made different in some particular way or aspect are what render change good or bad. With this in mind, you can alter your perspective about change, though whether or not you’ll do so is entirely up to you.

I entered boot camp in 1996, receiving my discharge in 2007, and experienced significant administrative and legal woes during my time in military service, in receipt of green weenie galore! Apparently, the change I endured really was “forever” (for a limitless time: for all time).

I facetiously suggest this, as one who’s skeptical about the concept of “forever.” After five attempts to appeal my service characterization (i.e., discharge status) the U.S. Department of the Navy (i.e., parent command of the Marines) has refused to upgrade my discharge to honorable.

Qué será, será: Whatever will be, will be. Change is neither good (of a favorable character or tendency) nor bad (failing to reach an acceptable standard), because it simply is. When further contemplating this matter, I think of a book that I’ve been steadily reading.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman, who quote (page 352):

“A good isn’t increased by the addition of time, but if one is wise for even a moment, they will be no less happy than the person who exercises virtue for all time and happily passes their life in it.” —Chrysippus quoted by Plutarch in Moralia: “Against the Stoics on Common Conceptions,” 1062 (LOEB, P. 682).

Whatever good I did in the Marine Corps is as subjective a matter as whatever bad I did during my 11 years of active duty service. My relationship with time is irrelevant in this regard, not making anything better or worse, because it all occurred “today” whenever it transpired.

Per one source, “Indeed, a man would marvel what should cause Chrysippus to say, that the world was placed and situated directly in the midst, and that the matter thereof, from all eternity having possessed itself of the midst, yet is so compacted together that it remains for ever.”

Chrysippus apparently comprehended that all time is situated “directly in the midst,” essentially being “compacted together,” to the point whereby the past and the future is illusory. There is only the present. Stated differently, I said in a post entitled Today’s Gift Is the Present:

Aside from the labels we assign days (e.g., Sunday, August 24th), when you awoke today, what day was it? And yesterday? How about tomorrow? Presuming you live until the day after today, when you awake tomorrow, what day will it be? There is only ever today in which life is lived!

I once wasted many todays when lamenting the past and bemoaning the future in regard to my then-wife and then-stepdaughter. Fundamentally, I robbed myself of today’s gift relating to the present (now existing or in progress).

I maintain the same perspective regarding my journey from green weenie to yellow footprints as I do concerning “my then-wife and then-stepdaughter”—both of whom I met during my time in the Marine Corps. The change is forever, as forever is today. Thus, in the post Eternity, I stated:

I appreciate intrigue regarding the topic of eternity. As such, years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to hear an excerpt from a Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell interview series […]:

Moyers: In classic Christian doctrine, the material world is to be despised and life is to be redeemed in the hereafter, in [H]eaven, where our rewards come. But you say that if you affirm that which you deplore, you are affirming the very world which is our eternity at the moment.

Campbell: That’s what I would say. Eternity isn’t some later time. Eternity isn’t a long time. Eternity has nothing to do with time! Eternity is that dimension of here and now which thinking and time cuts out.

Moyers: This is it?

Campbell: This is it. If you don’t get it here, you won’t get it anywhere. And the experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life.

If one believes in the concept of forever (i.e., eternity), then Chrysippus’ view is as rational as Campbell’s perspective, as my metaphorical ass-fuckin’ that occurred in the Corps didn’t happen in the past or in the future when it occurred. I got fucked in the present when it happened.

Even if you disagree with Chrysippus’ view, as you believe that time is compartmentalized in the past, the present, and the future—all constituting concepts of forever or eternity, then so be it. When change inevitably occurs, as change is constant, then the change is forever either way.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

Craig, K. (2022, May 23). Marine reflects on service, honor of being detachment's first female commandant. Scripps Media, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.wxyz.com/news/positively-detroit/marine-reflects-on-service-honor-of-being-detachments-first-female-commandant

Daily Stoic. (n.d.). Translating the Stoics: An interview with “The Daily Stoic” co-author Stephen Hanselman. Retrieved from https://dailystoic.com/stephen-hanselman-interview/

Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

Hollings, D. (2026, June 16). A fountain of goodness: Subjective and objective views. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/a-fountain-of-goodness-subjective-and-objective-views

Hollings, D. (2026, April 16). Bemoaning my suffering: Consequences of my actions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/bemoaning-my-suffering-consequences-of-my-actions

Hollings, D. (2026, July 1). Change is neither good nor bad. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/change-is-neither-good-nor-bad

Hollings, D. (2026, January 18). Cultivating character… right now. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/cultivating-character-right-now

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2023, June 25). Eternity. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/eternity

Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use

Hollings, D. (2024, May 17). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better-1

Hollings, D. (2025, September 7). Free in this moment. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/free-in-this-moment

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (2024, September 24). Happy place. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/happy-place

Hollings, D. (2026, June 6). High and dry: Steering a proverbial ship around unhelpful assumptions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/high-and-dry-steering-a-proverbial-ship-around-unhelpful-assumptions

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2026, June 15). If you’re a fallible human being, then so be it: Go HAM. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/if-you-re-a-fallible-human-being-then-so-be-it-go-ham

Hollings, D. (2026, April 3). It is more human to laugh at life than to lament it. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/it-is-more-human-to-laugh-at-life-than-to-lament-it

Hollings, D. (2025, October 13). Knowledge, wisdom, understanding. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/knowledge-wisdom-understanding

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Lived experience. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/lived-experience

Hollings, D. (2023, March 21). Matching bracelets. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/matching-bracelets

Hollings, D. (2026, April 28). Metaphor: Life’s a dance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/metaphor-life-s-a-dance

Hollings, D. (2025, September 26). Observing eye and perceiving eye. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/observing-eye-and-perceiving-eye

Hollings, D. (2023, April 24). On truth. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-truth

Hollings, D. (2024, June 16). On virtue. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-virtue

Hollings, D. (2024, July 20). Perspective shift. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/perspective-shift

Hollings, D. (2024, July 10). Preferential should beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/preferential-should-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2026, July 21). Qué será, será: Whatever will be, will be. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/qué-será-será-whatever-will-be-will-be

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2025, August 13). Rational versus irrational thoughts and beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-versus-irrational-thoughts-and-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2026, February 24). Skepticism: I doubt it. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/skepticism-i-doubt-it

Hollings, D. (2026, May 31). Standards and principles. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/standards-and-principles

Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Stoicism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/stoicism

Hollings, D. (2025, October 22). The construct. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-construct

Hollings, D. (2026, April 13). The future’s not what it used to be. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-future-s-not-what-it-used-to-be

Hollings, D. (2022, December 14). The is-ought problem. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-is-ought-problem

Hollings, D. (2025, February 13). The past is passed. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-past-is-passed

Hollings, D. (2026, February 21). The preferences versus expectations paradigm: Love is not enough, though virtue is. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-preferences-versus-expectations-paradigm-love-is-not-enough-though-virtue-is

Hollings, D. (2026, April 23). The three traditionally identified components of the mind: Affect, cognition, and conation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-three-traditionally-identified-components-of-the-mind-affect-cognition-and-conation

Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal

Hollings, D. (2025, August 24). Today’s gift is the present. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/today-s-gift-is-the-present

Hollings, D. (2025, July 18). We decide whether to label something good or bad. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/ we-decide-whether-to-label-something-good-or-bad

Hollings, D. (2026, January 21). Y’all police best be ready! Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/y-all-police-best-be-ready

Hollings, D. (2026, March 8). You are not your beliefs or ideas. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/you-are-not-your-beliefs-or-ideas

Keane, B. (2012, May 3). Yellow footprints: The initial step into recruit training. Official U.S. Marine Corps Website. Retrieved from https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/527487/yellow-footprints-the-initial-step-into-recruit-training/

Lorber, K. (2022, August 26). Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers (full series) [Video playlist]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiYnNom7SVRMjsi2WSpIGBlo1UDhlXyvz

Miller, E. (2022, January 11). 5 green weenie encounters that will make you hug your DD-214. Coffee or Die Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.coffeeordie.com/article/5-green-weenie-encounters

Plutarch (translated by Goodwin, W. W.). (n.d.). Part of: Plutarch’s Morals, 5 vols.

The Morals, vol. 4. Liberty Fund, Inc. Retrieved from https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/goodwin-the-morals-vol-4

Rawpixel.com. (n.d.). Hot dog sticker vector. Magnific. Retrieved from https://www.magnific.com/free-vector/hot-dog-sticker-vector_28428311.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=28&uuid=b9b42af4-8154-43f8-ad6e-a485563d5a28&query=hotdog

Seetwo. (n.d.). Do not walk or stand here symbol sign isolate on white background vector […] [Image]. Magnific. Retrieved from https://www.magnific.com/premium-vector/walk-stand-here-symbol-sign-isolate-white-backgroundvector-illustration_275808417.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=14&uuid=ae0cdfd2-cb08-4867-a455-c67c3313de9a&query=yellow+footprints

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bill Moyers. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Moyers

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Chrysippus. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysippus

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Drill instructor. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_instructor

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Joseph Campbell. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_campbell

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Recruit_Depot_Parris_Island

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Recruit_Depot_San_Diego

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Moralia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moralia

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Plutarch. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutarch

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Husband_Amarillo_International_Airport

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Ryan Holiday. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Holiday

Wikipedia. (n.d.). San Diego International Airport. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_International_Airport

Wikipedia. (n.d.). United States Armed Forces oath of enlistment. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces_oath_of_enlistment

Wikipedia. (n.d.). United States Department of the Navy. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_the_Navy

Wikipedia. (n.d.). United States Marine Corps. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps

Wikipedia. (n.d.). United States Marine Corps Recruit Training. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps_Recruit_Training