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Subject: US Marines and British Infantry
BRoger    11/5/2004 5:25:59 AM
How does quality of a US Marine compare with that of the standard British Infantry soldier? I ask because I find it interesting that the Black Watch Regiment in Iraq (British infantry) are replacing US Marines in their role near Baghdad.
 
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Mike From Brielle    Erhan   2/2/2007 9:43:44 PM
 

That’s all you got some rumors/ scuttlebutt about some one told me this and that, and everybody knows this BS, one Soldier who you doubt deserved any medals (what does it matter there non-combat and the Army uniform sucks so bad anyhow that they've got to put some Kind of BS dressing on it to at least make it presentable).

 

Funny thou you should mention Vietnam.  I had Joined Uncle Sams Misguided Children (USMC) just at the raged edge of that betrayed conflict and never got to see action there but all of my instructors had and most of the people that I had the privilege to serve under as my supervisors.  Among these was a retread sergeant from the early part of the war who was enrolled in the same electronics / Comms courses I was and he was looking at it as a way to get a general change in life by getting some scoop on high technology. He had I believe a good conduct medal, a Vietnam era national service medal, and something else that I don't recall.  Three stinking medals. He had to take the aptitude test a few times but finally he had scored high enough on the tests that they let him into the school.  You see he had been a combat engineer / demolitions ~ 65 to around 68 and after having lost his contracting business, wife and family after a series Tornados that ripped thru southern Ohio in the early 70's I think he went back to the last place I believe he had any friends and that was the USMC. 

 

Anyhow I and a friend had been stuck on the barracks mid watch (11:00 to 07:00) on a Friday night and the Sergeant had drawn NCOIC (adult supervision).  Well my friend and I got there about ten minutes early and we were quizzing the previous watches NCOIC, who we knew to have been a Recon, about all he could tell us about the real Marine Corps and Recon in particular. Anyhow with about a minute to spare our NCOIC shows up and we all relieve the previous watch after having gone thru the formal procedure, sign the book, and exchange some pleasantries.  The Recon Sergeant appears to know a few things already about our NCOIC and mentions that he is a Vietnam Combat Vet (maybe he was just trying to dodge our pestering).  Already thou the new NCOIC is not so much looking at me as intently gazing at me and asks if I from Southern Ohio. I say no.  It turns out that he had joined the Marine Corps under an old buddy program (they don't do this anymore) with a bunch of guys from his Football and wrestling teams and I was a dead ringer for one of the Guys he joined with. I believe in this program you'd all join together, go through boot camp together, and all serve as nearly as possible in the same unit when you were posted to overseas (Vietnam). His stare unnerves me a little because there seems to be a lot behind it but I haven't a clue what.  My friend would say latter that he noticed it too. 

 

Its not time to do our first round yet so both of us newbie's start asking him if he could tell us about Vietnam and the fighting he had been in.  He looked to the side a second or two and puts on a slightly sheepish grin and starts to convey the various operations he was involved in.  At first he relates how he basically fought all along route 9 and anywhere from Con Tien to the Au Shau valley. Somewhere during his story I learn that of him and his buddies only he survived the war and that the guy I reminded him of had been his best friend.  Around now both me and my friend detect a slight tremble in the old sergeant’s voice and we make the first of a few attempts to break off the conversation because we both feel we're touching a raw nerve somehow.  But the old sergeant refuses as if he's facing an old enemy and will not back down and as calmly as he can he continues to reiterate his experiences and how he lost each friend.

 

Finely we get to where he lost his last friend and it turns he was the guy I reminded him of.  Well it wasn't pretty. It seems that (I found out latter in life) that Sec of Defense Mac Nammara had ordered that a electronic fence be installed along the DMZ and that large quantities of Marines had to be detailed to guard the fence that was supposedly guarding all of them.  I heard latter that Mac Nammara had gotten this brilliant idea from a squash buddy in Harvard while they were playing.   Latter from a CWO who I had taken some courses from and had worked for who ran most of the Marine Comm going into and

 
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Yimmy       2/3/2007 9:08:43 AM
Just to add my two cents - medals in the US are an utter joke.
 
Medals for getting wounded?
 
Medals for passing training?
 
Medals for going on NATO exercises?
 
Medals for flying over Northern Ireland?
 
Jokes.
 
 
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Yimmy       2/3/2007 1:05:19 PM
Just in addition to my last post, I don't have against against American medals for valour.... its the other stuff which is, odd.
 
 
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BadNews    I Must Be Missing Something   2/3/2007 3:25:13 PM

Just to add my two cents - medals in the US are an utter joke.

 

Medals for getting wounded?

 

Medals for passing training?

 

Medals for going on NATO exercises?

 

Medals for flying over Northern Ireland?

 

Jokes.

 


TWENTY SIX YEARS A MARINE
FOUR NATO EXCERCISES
SEVERAL SCHOOLS
AND YES I DID AT ONE POINT FLY OVER NORTHERN IRELAND
 
NEVER RECEIVED A SINGLE MEDAL FOR ANY OF THAT!
 
PERCEPTION RARELY MEETS REALITY, AND FOLKLORE USUALLY GENERATES IGNORANCE
 
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Yimmy       2/3/2007 3:30:01 PM
Look, I think I know well wnough that Americans get medals for passing training, for getting wounded, and for foreign exercises (reference ex CBE04). 
 
The only possible myth is the Northern Ireland one, while in person other American soldies have told me it is true, and said they themselves thought it stupid.  Perhaps they fell for the same myth?
 
 
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Ehran       2/3/2007 3:46:21 PM
So for those who served Ehran why don't you just shut up and not bother the people that serve the common interest of the West and freedom and go hug a tree, protest against some politician, or dance in a gay pride day like your free to do but don't bother the people who gave you that freedom.

mike there is no particular reason for me to think that the poor buggers suffering in vietnam contributed anything to my freedom today.  it was a tragic waste of lives and coin that if anything wound up reducing the security of the west while the us military recovered in the 70's.
 
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Ehran       2/3/2007 3:49:30 PM

Just to add my two cents - medals in the US are an utter joke.

 

Medals for getting wounded?

 

Medals for passing training?

 

Medals for going on NATO exercises?

 

Medals for flying over Northern Ireland?

 

Jokes.

 


had a look at the army's list of decorations which include a medal signifying your taking a training course outside the continental usa lasting 10 days or more.  guess everyone who goes on ex in alaska gets one of these things every time they go?  the army has a number of gongs for things entirely unrelated to combat.



 
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Ehran       2/3/2007 3:54:47 PM
mike since the end of ww2 the usa has awarded 388 medals of honour while the british have awarded 13 VC's. 

even allowing for the size difference between the two forces 30 to 1 is quite a massive difference and presumeably the ratio extends as you go down the list of awards.

 
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BadNews    I Must Be Missing Something   2/3/2007 4:00:52 PM
Maybe in the Army or Airforce, But NOT The USMC, which what this thread was originally about, relax, was not calling you out, just setting the record strait,
 
 
 
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BadNews    Subject: US Marines and British Infantry   2/3/2007 4:20:57 PM
ORIGINAL Subject: US Marines and British Infantry
 
Yes I admit that the US Army allows ribbons for some pretty silly stuff, even the Soldiers I know say that,...
 
But the fact is that those of you using Medals as a comparison of US MARINES and UK Infantry are heading in wrong direction. The USMC does NOT award medals for graduating from Basic training, unless you are talking about the NDSM (National Defense Service Medal) an award for serving on active duty for more than 180 days during a declared time of national crisis.
 
Tyhe USMC DOES not award medals for graduating from schools
The USMC does NOT award medals for participation in NATO Excersises.
 
What the US Army awards has NOTHING TO DO With orginal post.... Period, end of story...
 
Post like this are basically a monument to ignorance, they promote nothing but boisterous claims from on side or the other.  They usually present arguments from both sides from people that know little of what they speak.
 
And for those of you citing Grenada as an example, those who were there and on Active duty in the USMC at the time remember the laugh we got when all thoise medals went flyng out to US ARMY personel, NOT to Marines spare a few purple hearts.
 
And finally, as I have stated in here a week or two ago, in my tenure as a Marine, I had the privilage to work with Soldiers from the UK and some Royal Marines, I respect them beyond what mere words can offer, too bad I didn't get any medals for that, they would have looked awesome on my study wall.
 
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