From a reader:

Have to say thanks for the little indulgence you allowed this weekend. My homepage with a starfield and the Enterprise! Jackpot!
You know me well enough to realize I can bring all good things back to the Marines, so here is a little tidbit for you and Jonah.
The reason why the best of TOS was so good, and Capt Kirk became the inspiration to many young Marine Officers, (ask them, they’ll admit it!) was not because of Gene Roddenberry. It was the other, overlooked Gene; Gene L. Coon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_L._Coon) one of TOS early producers. Coon was a South Pacific WWII Marine, and he imbued Kirk and the storylines with humor and a sense of real military leadership. He had a hand in 39 of the 79 episodes. He was reknowned as one of the fastest writers in Hollywood. And he possessed a trait shared by all Marines; a dry sense of humor.
So there you go. The Marines are what made TOS great! Well, one Marine anyway, and that’s usually all you need.
Live long and Semper fi,