Umar Bin Hassan: I was all messed up my junior year. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I mean, I was playing football, being a football and track star, you know, it was good. But I almost quit to join the Marines

SameOldShawn: Wait a second, one of The Last Poets...?

Umar Bin Hassan: I wanted to be a Marine, man! When I was in junior high, I used to see all the movies bout the Marines and how heroic they were, and I read a book by Chesty Puller... Matter of fact, when I was in junior high school I had this teacher Thomas Thomas, an ex-Marine. He used to weight-light, this guy, and he always used to talk about this guy Chesty Puller, who was a hero from the Marines. And I read about Chesty Puller, a big hero, so I wanted to be a Marine. I liked those uniforms, the white and blue uniforms. I thought they were cool

But, however, this was a time during the Vietnam War, so they were showing these body bags coming back from Vietnam. Someone said, "Fuck the Marines, fuck the Marines. You ain't gonna be a Marine." Them little 5'3" rice-eating boys were sending big, strong, buck black and white boys home in body bags, so I said no. I mean, these people were fighting for their land. You know, you might not make it back, but I thought I would maybe make it. I wanted to be in Force Recon too, the ones who were the first to take it out and make some hits. I wanted to be in Force Recon. But they didn't have me so, like I say the riot went down, I got an act and here I am, in New York City, trying to be a Last Poet