The United States Marine Corps will launch Semper FI – Your Story, inviting everyone who has been impacted by the Marine Corps – whether as a Marine, a family member, or as someone who had an unforgettable experience with Marines to tell us about it. The campaign will continue until the end of the year, with the best videos posted to the official Marine Corps website, Marines.mil/SemperFi.
The core of this project is the use of social media, which provides an interactive approach to sharing the many untold personal stories that the Marine Corps has impacted. The Semper Fi – Your Story campaign will promote submissions across Marine Corps social media sites and selected storytellers will be given the opportunity to recreate their experiences with a professional production team and share their stories in nationally recognized media outlets , Marines.mil website and other future Marine Corps media projects. There is no deadline for submissions, as this event will continue through 2014.
Participants’ videos should try and answer one of the following questions:
- What is your favorite memory of your service or your encounter with Marines that reflects the Marine Corps motto of ‘SEMPER FIDELIS’?
- What is your favorite memory of your service or your encounter with Marines that reflects the Marine Corps motto of ‘Once a Marine, Always a Marine’?
- How did joining the Marines or dealing with Marines impact your life regarding the moral, ethical, intellectual, and cultural ethos of the Marine Corps?
- What legacies encouraged and impacted you personally throughout your time with Marines or the Marine Corps?
The United States Marine Corps is America’s most recognizable and revered service. With more than 180,000 Active Duty, 40,000 Reserve Marines, and millions of Former Marines and Family Members still living today, there are boundless stories and experiences that have never been told. Semper Fi – Your Story is seeking videos that show why people love the Marine Corps at all levels, from 3rd generation Marines whose service is a family hallmark, to the Marine who wanted to challenge himself beyond his limits, and everything in between.
Once your video is completed, upload it to your personal YouTube, Vimeo, or other file sharing device.Then, tweet @USMC with the link. You can also email us the link at SemperFi@usmc.mil Many videos will be shared using the Marine Corps social media outlets.
Those wishing to submit a written story can submit an essay of no more than 1,000 words accompanied by up to five images. All stories submitted before the end of the year will be entered into a contest to have your video featured on the USMC.mil homepage and Marines TV.
Directions for submission and video guidelines
Submission procedures:
Begin by creating a 3-5 minute video sharing your experiences and try to integrate the following themes:
What is your favorite memory of your service or your encounter with Marines that reflects the Marine Corps motto of ‘SEMPER FIDELIS’?
What is your favorite memory of your service or your encounter with Marines that reflects the Marine Corps motto of Once a Marine, Always a Marine’?
How did joining the Marines or dealing with Marines impact your life regarding the moral, ethical, intellectual, and cultural ethos of the Marine Corps?
What legacies encouraged and impacted you personally throughout your time with Marines or the Marine Corps?
Once completed, upload your video to a personal YouTube, Vimeo or other video sharing website.
To share with the Semper Fi –Your Story experience, tweet the link to @USMC or simply email us at SemperFi@usmc.mil
A written essay of no more than 1000 words can also be submitted to us with up to five photos.
Suggestions for submission:
We want to know who you are. We want to hear you tell your story. This social event wants to share what makes the Marine Corps great of all for us, past and present. Below are some tips for things to include in your submission. These are not requirements; we want you to decide how best to voice what it means to be one of the few.
-Begin by including your name, rank, and any units that you want to share
-Video shots or photos of your awards or personal accomplishments
-Bring in more than just yourself – the Marine Corps is a family
-Share how your service impacted you in your professional and personal endeavors.
-Remember that while these are personal videos, they must reflect the Marine Corps ethos and standards of professionalism.
-Be as creative as you like - it is you we want to hear about.