Thanks. I knew there was a relationship between the two but not aware of the extent.

The bigest mistake I ever made was accepting an invite to the club at Portsmouth to "Knock down a few pints." with my Brit compatriots. I woke up in the right rack, right compartment, on the wrong ship. 3 Ts tied up together, crossdecked too far. That would be the same night I learned how teed off the OOD gets when you request "Permission to cross the patio, daddy-O" Ah the old days :) Ah yes, for the good old days. Now days such conduct would be career ending, after they ran you before the skipper and then shipped you off to alcohol rehab of course. I wonder if how relationships with other countries armed services are formed without this type of quality cultural exchange anymore.

Even with the lack of combat experience if their training is on the same order as the UK Royal Marines I would guess they are a group to be reckoned with.

I've only been around them a few times. The old "Northern Wedding/Bold Guard/ Cold Winter ops in the 80s. (Denmark/Germany/Norway). Well trained and very professional in the higher ranks. I think my Marines understood the employment of their weapons better. Put another way my machine gunners understood the tactical and technical aspects of their guns. The RNMC gunners seemed to know the technical aspects but not as mature in the tactical. I've always said if I could pick 2 other services to be on my flanks it would be the British RMs and the South Korean Marines. I'd put the RNMC a close 3d. Is there such a thing as a bad Marine Corps?

"Ah yes, for the good old days. Now days such conduct would be career ending, after they ran you before the skipper and then shipped you off to alcohol rehab of course." Depends where you are. As long as the local police are not involved "What goes on while on float stays on float". Thats as of 2 years ago when I retired.

Depends where you are. As long as the local police are not involved "What goes on while on float stays on float". Thats as of 2 years ago when I retired Having not been afloat for a long time I cn only relate what I hear and have read. I understan that much shore leave is now accompanied by a curfew (being off the streets) as early as 2200 and that reporting back to the ship having too much to drink means disciplinary action. Heck I remember having to help carry more than one Marine up the plank in my day. Of course that was back in the days were an 18 year old Marine could at least buy a beer on post.

Mouring, I have spoken to a few of my associates in 2 PARA, who were deployed with a Dutch Rifle Company in the Kosavo ground campaign and they spoke quite highly of their professionalism, so although I personally have little experience of Dutch troops, I would imagine what you say about the Royal Dutch Marines to be spot on. I would also like to support what Ambush said. The Parachute course is an extremely difficult course to undertake. Completed into three different phases it totals 29 weeks (phase three being dependant on the weather), with week 10 introducing you into P-COY, one of the most demanding training regimes in the world. Ego flexed ;) I would also like to point to the Parachute Pathfinder Platoon, very tough lads who under go SAS style integration training.

.. ANY old reserve company from Sweden, Finland or Russia WILL beat(err.. drink) the proverbal s**t out of either of those marine forces man to man Just name the poison. 8)

Indeed; very good soldiers. Couldn't help laughing at your title though - were you aware that Bugs Bunny always refers to his hunter nemesis as "what a maroon!" Perhaps "red beret" is acceptable? Nothing personal - two nations divided by a common language, etc!...

"When was the last time the Dutch were ever involved in serious combat? Indonesia? Korea? I have to confess that I don't know much about your country's post-WWII history." Depends on what you would consider a serious conflict. CAS and strike missions have been flown above Afghanistan, we were the country that after the US and France flew about the same number of combat missions as the UK above Kosovo, where a dutch F-16MLU shot down a Yugoslav Mig-29 in the first night btw, we were active with a Royal Neth. Marine Corps 120mm mortar company and a F-16 squadron in the campaign against the Bosnian Serbs which led to the Dayton aggreements late 1995. Bosnia where several raids have been performed by the KCT (Corps Commando Troops, army special forces) and the BBE (the Marines anti-terror and CSAR unit), numerous anti-terror ops during the '70s by the BBE against amongst other the PLO, the PLFP, Japanese Red Army, and Mollucan liberation movement, I have heard from 2 Dutch sources that a few Dutch SBS special forces were used during the Falkland War, but this will never be admitted by out government, because parliament didn't meet or vote on actively getting involved, furthermore we had our colonial quarrels (structural infiltrations and intrusion of air and sea space) with Indonesia in I believe 1962, which almost led to open war (only averted because the US sided with Indonesia on this, something the people of former Neth. New Guinea are still pretty angry about btw, hence the rebels there). Than there was Korea in which we were involved with a reinforced Infantry Batallion and, offcourse Indonesia 1945-1949. Than there are offcourse, boarding actions, etc. But, those aren't serious conflicts. Most actions mentioned above aren't very large scale, but we are only a relative small country with just 16+ milion people. Regards, Mourning