USMC Rules for Fighting

[dzrtram]

Teufelhunden said it all. I was going to let this drop, and this will be my last post on this subject, however this guy illustrates exactly what I'm talking about. This isn't good natured interservice rivalry. It is exactly the kind of B.S. I've live with for years, and that's why I was so touchy about 280s remarks, which were presented in good humor.
Teufelhunden, and most marines, really think like this. Much of what he says about missions is correct. The Marine Corps is a hit and run, small mission (only by comparison) service. They cannot sustain, nor are they trained or capable of fighting a war. However, the rest of his statements are the kind of ignorant, uneducated, "Georgia Cracker"-type of boot camp history I deplore. I was taught this by D.I.s also. USMC boot camp history, so full of one-sided error and ignorance, is a disgrace, and it is not good-natured interservice rivalry, and no other branch of the military engages in this crap.
Yes, I do have the advantage of having been both an American and World history teacher. I do not expect Teufelhunden and his ilk to know all I have spent years researching and teaching, but I do not expect this kind of ignorant history to be spewed out in earnest either. This is a perfect illustration of absolutely not knowing what he is talking about. Read some history Teufelhunden. The U.S. Army has never, and will never need the USMC. The war in Europe proves that. The army could have had the 4th ID, or some other unit, where the Marines were and never missed the Marines. It is an absolute fact that our Congress, and all military officers, realize that we no longer need a large Marine Corps. It has been discussed in Congress for years that it be made a put in the navy (as in naval infantry, like Russia and others), or part of the army. It is also a fact that at one time the Marines agreed to be part of the army rather than be disolved entirely. The literature on this is endless. Start with David Hackworth, if you know who he is.
It is also a fact that, because of their disgusting ego, they decided to NOT be a part of Special Operations. However, when, in large, they were left out of most of the early and main action in Afghanistan --before Candy Bar.....ooops, I mean Kandahar....where they brought the press with them, as they usually do, they realized they needed to construct a spec op unit and become part of Special Operations. This is what they are now doing. Pretty strong proof that they had not much of what equals the army, Rangers, Special Forces, or Delta Force, and or the army special units, or Navy SEALs, etc., and now have to create one.
Oh, BTW, I almost forgot. Do you know who won the world sniper championships this last year? NO, it wasn't the Marines, it was an ARMY team, an ARMY National Guard team was second, and a Marine team was third. There ya go. Mano a mano soldier vs. marine. Who won it the year before. NO it wasn't the Marines.
This has gone on too long for me. I live with this crap all the time. I'm not going to be able to participate any longer as I am leaving town. I do hope it gets back to the humor 280 intended, though. I'm outta here.
God bless ALL our military. You too, Teufelhunden

 

[dzrtram]

280PLUS,
No problem, my friend. I admitted to Dorgunr that I overreacted. It was only because of my background. I have nothing agains the Marines, except their mouths. I respect every other thing about them. I would love to hear your friend's story of Pont-du-hoc. My Uncle lied about his age and joined the Army Nationa Guard at 14 before the war. By D Day he was a Sgt. He his the beaches at Normandy and went all the way through the Battle of the Bulge, and on to the end of the war. You sound like a true gentleman.
Best regards.

 

[Khornet]

Navy Rules

1. If it's not bolted down, steal it.
2. If it's bolted down, paint it.
3. There's the right way, the wrong way, and the Navy way.

And from a grizzled old HMCS, to me on my first Navy day: "You ask why, Doc? You must be new."

 

[Teufelhunden]

First, dzr, In accordance with the name of these forums and general standards of behavior, I would request that you leave ad hominems out of any further postings. Making references to 'Georgia Crackers', referring to me and 'my ilk', and denigrating my intelligence with such reccomendations as "Read some history Teufelhunden." and "The literature on this is endless. Start with David Hackworth, if you know who he is." are, in my understanding, generally beyond the gentlemanly boundaries of educated discussion. I had delivered my previous post with what I considered to be diplomatic and honorable terms and am sorry it was not received as such.

It is an absolute fact that our Congress, and all military officers, realize that we no longer need a large Marine Corps.

Second, if you are going to post issues which you believe to be fact but have not yet met general acceptace as such, back it up, most easily with sources and quotes from on-line references. I, for one, object to the claim that ALL miliary officers have come to the conclusion that a large Marine Corps is unnecessary. I also wonder how one can claim that the Marine Corps has even been large. There are approximately 175,000 Marines between the fleet and reserve components, a number which is far from large in consideration of the fact that the Army numbers its soldiers in excess of half a million.

Oh, BTW, I almost forgot. Do you know who won the world sniper championships this last year? NO, it wasn't the Marines, it was an ARMY team, an ARMY National Guard team was second, and a Marine team was third. There ya go. Mano a mano soldier vs. marine. Who won it the year before. NO it wasn't the Marines.

Discussing the Army sniper team's achievement only with the intent of showing how they've beaten the Marines only serves to prove that the Marines are indeed the ones who generally set the standard, and that the Army overcame a difficult barrier. Congratulations Army team, you have finally excelled.

Pretty strong proof that they had not much of what equals the army, Rangers, Special Forces, or Delta Force, and or the army special units, or Navy SEALs, etc., and now have to create one.

A description of the training every Force Recon Marine receives (from this site: "Initial training consists of Marine Recruit Training, & the School of Infantry, training as a rifleman. Students are then assigned to the Basic Recon Course. Upon successful completion of the BRC, Marines report to their assigned recon unit & receive various professional, technical and tactical training. Among these are: Airborne (basic and Military Freefall) Jumpmaster, Pathfinder, Ranger, Scout-Sniper, Combat Diver (SCUBA) Diving Supervisor, Mountain warfare & assault climber, Jungle operations, specialized training in urban tactics, Close Quarters Battle & shooting skills, demolitions, communications, photography, controlling aircraft landing operations and directing Airstrikes, Naval Gunfire and Artillery." While Force Recon might not be aligned with Special Operations as far as tables of TO&E go, assuming this means that they've a lesser quality of operative is just spiteful.

This has gone on too long for me. I live with this crap all the time.

Not to put too fine a point on this, but that you see the Marine attitude to be overbearing and aggravating is your problem. Your attitude towards your former brothers is in my estimation, deplorable. Regardless, it has absolutely no effect on the Marine Corps as a whole. Evidently my Marine Corps has failed you in some manner, but America and her people still have faith in their Marine Corps, and the rest of the world still considers us to be among the best, so I will neither cease nor modulate my admiration for my beloved Corps.

Mods, I would suggest you allow drz the benefit of a rebuttle, then lock this thread as it has strayed far from its humorous origins.

Semper Fidelis.

-Teufelhunden
aka
Corporal Jackson.

 

[GySgt]

Well put Devil Dog!!

I agree that dzr was failed by, or more likely failed, our Beloved Corps. It's hard to believe that any Marine would be ashamed of having been one, but he obviously is.

Keep the faith and Semper Fi, GySgt

 

[ninjaj448]

A question, drz...

If 'crap like this' gets to you how can you live in California (or California)?

Inter-service rivalry always has been, is and will always be around. In my view, anyone who lets this kind of bantering chatter *really* get to them is either a loser or someone who has problems that responses on this board cannot correct.

The thing is, IMHO(well, not so humble), military vets CAN dis each other because we've got our respective experiences, our histories and sense of brotherhood behind us.

Let some draft-dogding, military bashing, left wing 'activist' jump in here and see what happens. I'll bet you could join in the 'fun' then.

Respectfully,

 

[280PLUS]

other navy rules,,,

similar to the last ones but different,,,

#1. if it works, dont fix it

#2. if it doesn't work, paint it...

for dzr,,,no offense taken, i knew i'd be stirring up some stuff when i posted this thread,,,but it WAS all in good fun,,,

one pont du hoc story, they are all short, sometimes only one or 2 sentences, but one that always stuck:

in about 1987 or so (i'm guessing) he attended a reunion of the group for the first time since the war.

he said to me later, after he had come back, but maybe not in these exact words:

"i saw a guy there who all these years i thought was dead, i thought i saw him get his face shot off right beside me, but it turns out it was some other guy. I was shocked to see that he was alive"

come next d-day anniversary, someone will post a thread to recognize the day and i will post a few more of the comments he made to me about it over the years

well, here's another one, "they were shooting right down our throats"

(literally, think about it)

(as well as rolling grenades down the cliffs and cutting their ropes)

when he made that statement i saw him get a real far away look in his eyes and i knew that for that tiny moment in time, just then, this guy was right back in pont du hoc climbing those cliffs in his memory and watching his buddies die all around him again...

he climbed as a sgt btw...26 y.o.

i still feel very fortunate that i met and got know him,,,i always will,,,

m

 

[Ed Straker]

dzrtram: You claim to have been a Marine Reservist, but you continuously refer to Marines as 'they'. Why?
Semper Fi

 

[Tierhog]

Sorry for the length. I felt my Brothers would like to hear some other peoples opinions about our beloved Corps. Notice what the Army says...



"Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines."
- President Ronald Reagan

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference,
and our Marines don't have that problem."
- President Ronald Reagan, 1985


"I am convinced that there is no smarter, handier, or more adaptable body of troops in the world."
- Prime Minister of Britain Winston Churchhill


"A Marine should be sworn to the patient endurance of hardships, like the ancient knights; and it is not the least of these necessary hardships to have to serve with sailors."
- Field Marshal Montgomery


"My experience as a Marine was a very positive thing. As an enlisted man, I learned real self-discipline... It has been immensely important to me in my business career."
- J. Richard Munro, Chairman, Time-Warner Inc

You earned the title "Marine" upon graduation from recruit training. It wasn't willed to you; it isn't a gift. It is not a government subsidy. Few can claim the title; no one may take it away. It is yours forever
- Tom Bartlett - Leatherneck Magazine

"The Marines fought almost solely on esprit decorps, I was certain. It was inconceivable to most Marines that they should let another Marine down, or that they could be responsible for dimming the bright reputation of their Corps. The Marines simply assumed that they were the world's best fighting men."
- Robert Sherrod, 1943, regarding the battle at Tarawa

"Visit the Navy-Yard, and behold a Marine... a mere shadow and reminiscence of humanity, a man laid out alive and standing and already, as one may say, buried under arms with funeral accompaniments."
- Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1848


"It's a funny thing, but, as years go by, I think you appreciate more and more what a great thing it was to be a United States Marine... I am a U.S. Marine and I'll be one till I die."
- Ted Williams, Baseball Hall of Famer


Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it was some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their Commandant almost as if he was a god, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest SOB's I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and , generally speaking, of the United States Marines I've come in contact with, are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have had the pleasure to meet.
An Anonymous Canadian Citizen

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men
stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
-George Orwell

The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand.
-Richard Harding Davis, war correspondent (1885)

"I can't say enough about the two Marine divisions. If I use words like 'brilliant,' it would really be an under description of the absolutely superb job that they did in breaching the so-called 'impenetrable barrier.' It was a classic- absolutely classic- military breaching of a very very tough minefield, barbed wire, fire trenches-type barrier."
- Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Commander, U.S. Central Command, February 1991

"I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer
fighting organization in the world."
- General Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army


"Why the hell can't the Army do it if the Marines can; they are all the same kind of men...
why can't the Army be like the Marines?"
- Commander-in-Chief, AEF General J. Pershing, U.S. Army


"The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight."
- Major General Frank Lowe, U.S. Army


"I can never see a United States Marine without experiencing a feeling of reverence."
- General Johnson, U.S. Army


"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle."
- General Pershing, U.S. Army


"Lying offshore, ready to act, the presence of ships and Marines sometimes means much more than just having air power or ship's fire, when it comes to deterring a crisis. And the ships and Marines may not have to do anything but lie offshore. It is hard to lie offshore with a C-141 or C-130 full of airborne troops."
- Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA



"The American Marines have it [pride], and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky,
sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight and they know it."
- General Mark Clark, U.S. Army


"The 1st Marine Division is the most efficient and courageous combat unit I have ever seen or heard of."
- Major General Frank E. Lowe , US Army , 1950


"Your Marines having been under my command for nearly six months, I feel that I can give you a discriminating report as to their excellent standing with their brothers of the army and their general good conduct."
- General John J. Pershing, USA, in a letter to Major General Commandant George Barnett, USMC, Nov 10, 1917


"No one can say that the Marines have failed to do their work in handsome fashion."
- Major General Hagood, U.S. Army


"The Marines and Navy have never shone more brightly than this morning."
- Gen Douglas MacArthur at Inchon landing, Korean War


"The more Marines I have around, the better I like it."
- General Clark, U.S. Army


The man who will go where his colors will go, without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in a jungle and mountain range, without counting, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to Democratic America. He is the stuff of which legions are made. His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionary, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world...he has been called United States Marine.
Lieutenant Colonel T.R. Fehrenbach, US Army in "This Kind of War"


Quotes from the Navy about Marines

"There is no military body in our country of higher efficiency than the Marine Corps.
They take great pride in their profession. They never let things slack a bit."
- Rear Admiral C.M. Wilslow, U.S. Navy

"You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that
they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are."
- Father Kevin Keaney, 1st MarDiv Chaplain, Korean War


"The Marine Corps has just been called by the New York Times, 'The elite of this country.' I think it is the elite of the world."
- Admiral William Halsey, U.S. Navy


"By their victory, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the Fifth Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the American who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue."
- Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, U.S. Navy



"A ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons."
- Admiral David Dickson Porter



"My only answer as to why the Marines get the toughest jobs is because the average Leatherneck is a much better fighter. He has far more guts, courage, and better officers... These boys out here have a pride in the Marine Corps and will fight to the end no matter what the cost."
- 2nd Lt. Richard C. Kennard, Peleliu, World War II


"Remember, whatever you write, this was no retreat. All that happened was that we found
more Chinese behind us than in front of us, so we about-faced and attacked."
- Chesty Puller, USMC, speaking to reporters after the battle out of the Chosin Reservoir, Korean War


"Goddamn it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"
- Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe, USMC, Guadacanal, 13 January 1943


"I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold."
- 1stLt Clifton B. Cates, USMC, 96th Co., Soissons, 19 July 1918

"Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?"
- Sergeant Dan Daly leading his Marines forward against German troops at the Battle of Belleau Wood, World War I


"They're on our right, they're on our left, they're in front of us, they're behind us;
they can't get away from us this time."
- Chesty Puller, USMC, Chosin Reservoir, Korean War


"...we also receive from them [Marines past] the eternal spirit which has animated our Corps from generation to generation... So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have in the past, and the men of the Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served..."
- General John A. Lejeune, Commandant, USMC, Marine Corps Birthday Message, 1921


"Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; we are winning."
- Colonel David M. Shoup, USMC, Tarawa, 21 November 1943


"Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary."
- General A.M. Gray, Commandant USMC


"...in the days preceding the war the United States possessed the world's top ranking Marine Corps at a cost to the nation of $1,500 per Marine, while it had the eighteenth place Army, at a cost of $2,000 per soldier."
- USMC Commandant Vandegrift, speaking to the Senate Naval Affairs Committee, 1946


"For the Marine Corps there is no peace."
- Sergeant Edwin N. Demby, USMC; later Secretary of the Navy


"The bended knee is not a tradition of our Corps."
- General Alexander A. Vandergrift, USMC, to the Senate Naval Affairs Committee, 5 May 1946


"Retreat, hell! We just got here."
- Capt Lloyd Williams at the Battle of Belleau Wood


"We're surrounded. That simplifies our problem of getting to these people and killing them."
- Chesty Puller at the Chosin Reservoir


When an Army captain asked him for the direction of the line of retreat, Col Puller called his artillerymen, gave them the Army position, and ordered: "If they start to pull back from that line, even one foot, I want you to open fire on them." Turning to the captain, he replied "Does that answer your question? We're here to fight." At Koto-ri in Korea
- Chesty Puller at Koto-ri in Korea


"The mail service has been excellent out here, and in my opinion this is all that the
Air Force has accomplished during the war."
- Chesty Puller in a letter to his wife while in Korea


"Don't forget that you're First Marines! Not all the Communists in hell can overrun you!"
- Chesty Puller motivating his men at Chosin Reservoir


Old breed? New breed? There's not a damn bit of difference so long as it's the Marine breed.
- Chesty Puller, USMC


"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and who's coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag"
Father Dennis Edward O'Brien/USMC


"Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army."
- Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War; shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered to not wear their khaki leggings to keep the enemy from immediately fleeing

"Panic sweeps my men when they are facing the American Marines!"
- Captured North Korean Major

"They told our perimeter guard to open up or we'll blow you away and then they looked up and saw the Marines on the roof with these really big guns and they said in Somali, 'Igaralli ahow,' which means, 'Excuse me, I didn't mean it, my mistake.'"
- Karen Aguilar, U.S. Embassy, Mogadishu, Somalia, 1991

"The American Marines are terribly reckless fellows...they would make very good storm troopers."
- Unidentified German officer at Belleau Wood

 

[capnrik]

I don't post much....just read and enjoy. I've never been in the military, nor even in the Coast Guard. The only 'rank' I've ever earned is a 100 ton License in the Merchant Marine. So, as the lowliest of the low here, let me observe that pride in service is a great thing, and proud warriors are a wonderful asset.

Will they always get along with each other? Probably not.

My neighbor's son is with 4 ID in Iraq, and my other neighbor's brother is SF in Bosnia. I will tell all of you that have served the same thing I told them:

You'll never be thirsty in my house.

You'll never go hungry in my town.

If you want to wrestle, get out of the house!

 

[Sodbuster]

Why no Smedley Butler quote? BTW God bless Chesty Puller.

 

[Leatherneck]

<Leatherneck arrives late, looks around, snorts...>
So what's up with you dzrtram? Why are your skivvies bunched up so tight? Are you really a Marine? What unit?

TC
TFL Survivor


Happy Birthday, Marines! (one day early)

 

[Abominable No-Man]

All right guys, calm down. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, whatever, everyone has their mission and does it the best they can.

Interservice rivalry is one thing, but go easy, okay? Badmouthing isn't needed or wanted around here.

The way I see it, the smaller the organization the more elite they consider themselves. That's ok. All the training in the world won't equal the truly dedicated and motivated individual, and that individual can be seen in ANY of the branches of service. That's the guy who polishes his boots every night even though he knows there's no inspection the next day and they'll just get screwed up again anyway. It's the guy who cleans his weapons every day whether they need it or not. It's the guy who DOES all of his security checks on guard duty or staff duty or whatever instead of just pencil whipping the thing. It's the guy who will wake up at oh-dark thirty and tell you what the weather check for today is or guide your vehicle or whatever you ask him to instead of blowing you off. That's motivation and professionalism and it's in all the branches of service.

I will say this much: the Marine Corps has a much better public ralations bag than anyone else, so you tend not to see the warts.

ANM

 

[Delmar]

capnrik

Maybe nobody will tip their hat to you, but I will. One of my dad's best friend's was in the merchant marines in WWII and had a ship torpedoed out from under him. I grew up on Lake Superior, and while it may only be a "lake", the storms have taken a lot of pretty good sized ships, and Ed used to fascinate me with some of his stories.

Coming home on leave one time, I took a tour through the Maritime Sailors Cathedral in Detroit and brought Ed a model of a Liberty ship. It was made out of the prop of one of those old ships.

Ed was a tough ole guy, made it thru the war and retired after decades of service. Never saw the man tear up until I handed him that little gift.
He sure did his part and then some even without ending up in the waters of the North Atlantic, but like a few other notables, didn't get in on the GI Bill.

Thank you

 

[280PLUS]

thanx delmar,,,

nice tribute,,,

and the no-man hit the nail on the head too,,,

m

 

[brownie0486]

The Marines are part of the Navy,


THE BEST PART.


We always appreciated the ride to and from, thanks for the memories.

Semper Fi to my brothers, and Happy Birthday to all Marines.


Brownie

 

[Delmar]

280PLUS

I'm retired Army, and I have to say that I just don't understand where the courage comes from fighting at sea. As a teenager, I was out on a party barge with a few of my friends on ole "Lake Gitcheegoomie" (Superior) and we were having a great time until this storm came up and just about killed us all.
I do know what its like to be shot at on the land and its certainly no fun, but the sea is a different kind of terror, not less or worse than, but very different.

 

[280PLUS]

i was young,,,

and dumb,,,

i never gave it a thought,,,

i loved the sea, the rougher the better,,,foolish bravado i suppose

it wasn't going to get ME,,,i wouldn't let it,,,

i had the privlege (sp?) of not being shot at during my tour so i sit in wonderment of your courage and hope i would have measured up,,,

m

 

[OEF_VET]

Army rule.....

If it ain't broke, fix it till it is.

 

[bountyhunter]

Yes, Department of the Navy. Says so right here...

Ask a marine who supplies their medics who have to go everywhere they go, hump just as much gear, get shot at just as much, sew up their oobies ..... and still get called "squids".

Yes, it's the Navy.

 

[Ed Straker]

Marines don't have medics, we have Corpsmen. And I would never call one a 'squid'.

BTW, Teufelhunden, I'm a 'Georgia cracker', too! Semper Fi!

 

[Rockrivr1]

I have to agree that there's been ribbing between the armed forces for many years. For the most part it's good natured and every once in a while a tuffle or two will break out, but push come to shove I found that we have each other's back.

I remember a time back in the late 80s when we put into the Phillipeans from a six month Indian Ocean cruise. I was attached to a F/A-18 squadron on the USS Midway. Subic Bay was the Midway's second home and we all looked forward to the fun and adventure outside the base as we'd been out almost 4 months without seeing land.

A big group of us headed out to Subic City, which if you've never been is quite some distance away from Subic Bay. Well a group of us entered a bar that had a large group of Marines in attendance. Well I'm not sure why but before you know it the biggest bar fight broke out. Nobody was seriously trying to hurt anyone, but fists were flying. I gave some licks and received some licks until the Phillipeno Police showed up, poped a few rounds into the ceiling and tried to arrest guys. Then the Navy and Marines became one unit with the objective of getting the hell out of there. Me and three marines went out a back window. It was something right out of a movie. The four of us bobed and weaved our way through the jungle until we made it back to Subic Bay. We were laughing all the way. Three jarhead and a squid. By the time we made it back to Subic Bay our cloths were ripped, full of mud and grit and we were thirsty as hell. The four of us pounded beers till the wee morning hours. You know I'm still good friends with one of the Marines to this day. I still chuckle to this day thinking about it.

The moral, yeah we rib and fight each other. But we are all Americans and we help each other out when there is a need and a common goal.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Beav]

chinks?

 

[moa]

That brawl story about Marines and Navy reminds me of a story my father told me about his adventures during WWII in the Merchant Marines.

His ship was in some South American port city (forget which one), and on the street where all the bars where frequented by seamen, he ran into trouble with English (called them Limeys then) seamen. The Limeys resented American seamen because they made a lot more money than themselves.

Anyway Pop throws the first punch, an all hell breaks loose. Before he knew it, he says American and English seaman and sailors came flying out of the bars. He estimates the fight he started became a brawl involving at least 200 guys. He did not stick around for the end, if there was one. He was kind of proud of starting that fight.

 

[MarkDido]

To quote Sgt. Hukla in "Stripes"

"Lighten Up Francis!"

Uncle Sam's Yacht Club
1973 - 1995