Our Precious Freedoms Max and Shirley Corley

They were both Marines when they met. Shirley served from 1975-89 as a public affairs and photography officer and retired a captain. Max served from 1971-95 in the infantry and retired as a lieutenant colonel. They say that as civilians now, their time in the military has affected how they see American freedoms.

Shirley: “I always had jobs, and the worst ones were when they go, ‘Well, how fast can you type?’ I was in the pink ghetto forever, and you see all of these men making so much more money; even for equal jobs, they’re just not paying the women. It’s just pin money for you if you’re a woman. With the military, it’s equal pay, and I thought that was a pretty good deal.” 

Max: “I went on active duty for a multitude of reasons, very few of which were what you would call high-level reasons. I went to leap tall buildings in a single bound and to travel overseas and have adventures. It’s only later, as you get older and mature, that you start to think about the freedoms that you’re actually protecting.” 

Max: “One day, I sent one of my lieutenants over to her office because we were having an event. … And my lieutenant came back and said, ‘Boy, you ought to check out the cute lieutenant that works at the base photography.’ So I did, and the rest, as they say, is history. We just celebrated our 40th anniversary.” 

Shirley: “From my time overseas, I learned that Americans don’t understand how much people overseas want to come here and be one of us.” 

Max: “I think the thing that makes us different and the right I’m most proud of having defended is the right of Americans to express themselves, to disagree with their government in a hopefully peaceful, respectful manner. I think especially in today’s times, with the political discourse in this country, I think that’s an absolute requirement that people be able to express themselves.” 

Max: “You don’t have to spend a lot of time in the third world or in authoritarian governments to be affected. For example, when we went to Saudi Arabia, you look around, and you see how the Saudis are treating their own people, how they’re treating their women, what the quality of life is in terms of not only material benefits, but the expectations for education, etc. You come back, and you just want to kiss the ground when you get off your plane in America.”

Shirley: “Every time people find out we’re veterans, the first thing people say is, ‘Thank you for your service.’ And we’ve talked to so many veterans, and we all go, ‘Too bad they don’t know how much fun it was.’ You get paid; they give you food; they give you clothes. You’re like Rambo out there with an Uzi, firing a tank gun.”