When A Sgt Major Asks, "Are You Ready For What Your Going To Get Hit With?

I'm learning slowly, that when any NCO or officer says something like this I should consider running.

Its Sunday morning. Quite day, usually. I spent 12 hours at the museum yesterday, my feet hurt, I was tired. I asked that I not get stuck back at Iwo Jima in the morning because, according to the schedule, I was the only docent at the museum in the afternoon and I'd be stuck back there all afternoon. I don't mind doing 4 hours back there - - 8 hours - - different story. So, the two men I was working with this morning split things up as such, one did the tour the other took the flag and I was the wanderer.

There was a gentleman with a Marine standing in the middle of the atrium this morning. I thought they were just a father with his Marine son. Well, the Marine walks over to me and asks, "Are you prepared for What You are Going to Get Hit With?"

I looked at him like a deer in headlights. "Um, got no clue what I'm about to get hit with."

"Really, you don't know?"

O.k. the Marines at the front desk probably knew, but for some reason, none of us Docents asked them to tell us what was on the schedule. We weren't expecting anything as today was the Marine Corps Marathon.

"Your about ready to get hit with about 400 Marines in half an hour."

Oh, nice. We've had that happen several times over the year so it didn't really phase me.

They came in like a flood! It was a bit nuts there for a while. Made the morning go really fast. The cool thing, when regular guests came in, they were so impressed to see all of the Marines. I even had a few people come up and tell me that they were so excited to walk into the museum and see the place full of them. I noticed older veterans speaking with groups of the younger Marines in the different galleries. I wished I had my camera.

The Marines don't know it, but they are as much the attraction here as the artifacts.
I will share a negative. I had a veteran get upset with me about "magazine" and "clip" when describing the Rules of Engagement of the Marines at Beirut. "Its not a magazine, its a clip." He said. O.k. -- I told everyone I wasn't in the military, I sometimes mess up the jargon. He replied, "well, I was and was a Marine and its a clip." and he walked off, away from the tour I was giving. O.k., no problem. So anyway, I run into him again with my tour group and he walks past me and under his breath says, "Get it right its a clip, not a magazine." He didn't say it under his breath in a nice way either, it was as if he was disgusted.

I'll be honest with you, this messed with my brain the rest of the tour - - I just dreaded running into him.

So I've been here at home trying to find the difference between a magazine of ammo and a clip of ammo. Does anyone know? Is a magazine a big box full of ammo and a clip just a few rounds?
I have been corrected in the past on the difference between a tactical withdrawal and a retreat and shrapnel and fragments. I now know the difference and I have made those adjustments to my vocabulary As a non military person - - we use what we hear most often - - and that most often is on television and we know how often TV gets things right.