CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa — The line continued out the door at the MHG mess hall on Monday, with Marines eagerly awaiting a handshake and autograph from the man many indicated they viewed as a punk music legend.

“I hope he signs my guitar. He might break it instead,” said one Marine waiting in line, smiling as if he might enjoy it either way.

Henry Rollins, 44, first came to musical prominence before many of the Marines who met him Monday were born.

He broke out as lead singer for the pioneering punk band Black Flag in 1981, singing songs such as “TV Party” and “Slip It In.”

He formed the Rollins Band in 1987, and cultivated a following for his spoken-word albums and books. He has appeared in several movies, including “Bad Boys II,” “Jackass: The Movie” and “Johnny Mnemonic.”

While those roles brought more commercial notoriety, it’s his brand of loud, high-energy music that continues to inspire his most devoted fans.

“It’s the same story for most of us,” said Pfc. John Vanecek. “We’ve listened to his music and watched him do his thing. It’s great to see him in person.”

Whenever he has the time, Rollins says, he jumps at the opportunity to meet servicemembers around the globe.

“That I can go somewhere, meet some guys for 10 minutes and make them happy … it’s the only redeemable aspect of relative notoriety,” said Rollins, whose current trip is his fifth USO-sponsored tour, this time in conjunction with Marine Corps Community Services.

Rollins, who grew up in Washington, D.C., and later attended military prep school, said he always has respected what servicemembers do for their country.

He greeted servicemembers in South Korea last week and is scheduled to visit mainland Japan later this week.

Rollins also watches and reads a lot of news, he said, but added his visits to Iraq and Afghanistan gave him a broader picture than through media.

“There is a lot of stuff you don’t see on the news, like the humanitarian effort taking place in Afghanistan,” he said. “You have people setting up dental clinics in places where some people have never owned a toothbrush before. But that’s not sexy news. There’s no … blowing up.”

Rollins also talked with Marines and sailors Monday, candidly discussing working on his new album, his friends and his aversion to drugs and alcohol.

His straightforward talk was exactly what they expected, many of his fans said. Some, like Pfc. Vann Magruder, appeared barely able to contain their excitement.

“One of my bands used to cover a lot of Black Flag,” Magruder said. “I never thought I’d get to meet him.”