>> agree with the assessment of the various branches and their suitability for BAMF Phil-to-be, but I swear I've seen dozens of fics with "Phil Coulson, Army Ranger" and many fics go so far as to put a Ranger tattoo on him. <<

True.

*ponder* Phil doesn't seem like a tattoo kind of guy to me. He relies too much on being able to fade into a crowd.

>> this is just Hermes' $.02, as I havent read much Marvel canon wrt Phil. (I believe he was a new Marvel character as of the first Iron Man film?) <<

I'm not sure.

>> I do love this interaction with the recruiter. It all feels very real, very plausible, and follows on beautifully with the earlier parts of this particular story, <<

Yay! I'm glad that resonates for you.

>> and Marines are DEFINITELY the home of some serious BAMFs. <<

Sooth.