The best place to become a warrior?

[Carol]

Marines are not cage fighters, and although we train in hand-to-hand combat, we train to kill, not to stop. We do not train in self-defense, we train to destroy, overrun, and dominate. It's not a fair comparison, because even a cage fighter stops when his enemy can no longer defend himself. We kill. But it's a different environment; what's appropriate on the battlefield is not appropriate in the ring or the dojo.

Our primary tool is not our empty hands, but a rifle:



There is nothing in all the world like a US Marine. Some fun quotes:



Every service has a 'special forces', and the Marines have Recon, but it's not the same; Marines *are* special forces. All of us.

And as any soldier who spent any time on a combined arms exercise or in a combat zone with Marines can tell you, you never fight one Marine. You take on one, you take on all. Army of One? No thanks. We fight together, we're a unit, a group, we're Brothers in Arms. We don't fight fair, we take what we want and paint "USMC" on everything that we capture from friend or foe. We do more with less and complain about it unceasingly from morning until night. The most dangerous Marine in the world is the one who has quit bitching, because now he's good and mad. Whereas soldiers don't like being called 'doggies' and sailors don't like being called 'squids', we have no problem being called Jarheads, Gyrenes, Leathernecks, Grunts, Canon Cockers, Mud Puppies, or Sea-Going Bellhops. We know it's just envy. Everybody wants to be one of us; most don't pack the gear. We don't take just anyone, and no one who enlists is entitled to call themselves "Marine" until graduation day. And once a Marine, we are that forever; it can never be taken away from us. There are no ex-Marines, there are no former Marines, there are only Marines and everybody else. If you're not a Marine, well, you're not part of the brotherhood.

We're the hub of the universe, baby.

Our dress blues are the best looking uniforms ever since the German SS. The Marine NCO in dress blues with the blood stripe and the NCO sword is a sight that makes women swoon. We kick *** and take names. We're heart-breakers and life-takers. We're a bunch of swaggering, insufferable, pricks, and that's how it goes. We walk it like we talk it.

[yt]
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UwY67LYzH7Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UwY67LYzH7Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
[/yt]

We're everywhere, still Marines, old and out-of-shape, working in every profession, hardly recognizable anymore. But one thing I know, one thing every Marine knows, is that if the crap hits the fan, we only have to call for our brothers and they will come running. No Marine ever turns his back on a brother. We are the real deal, there's nothing else.

To be a brother in that band of brothers is like winning the lottery over and over again every day for life.

I....need a cold shower. Night all.

 

[blink13]

Tez, good discussion. Got your PM, thanks, and yes, you still owe me $200, so I'll be waiting for that.

Now that I'm up, you're probably sleeping, of course.

 

[blink13]

Ah, the old argument. Americans say they got the best army, the British reply that the US only are the most powerful and don`t fight as smart as them. Can`t say I totally disagree.

On a completely unrelated topic, Cirdan, I did visit your country in 2006. We stayed in Vaernes and toured the "caves" near Trondheim to learn more about the gear the Marine Corps has there (MCPP-N) - the stuff that our airlifted Marine Expeditionary Brigade would have fallen in on in the event of a Soviet advance. Very interesting stuff. As a history major (and Jew), I was interested in the, ah, construction history of the hangars at Vaernes, too. http://www.marforres.usmc.mil/MFRNews/2008/2008.06/caves.asp Of course, right now, the caves are fairly empty of ground equipment, as most of it has been painted tan and sent to the desert. Thankfully it was never used for its original intended purpose, eh?

I really enjoyed my trip. We toured the Forsvarsmuseet and the Nidaros Cathedral (breathtaking) and generally enjoyed city life in Trondheim. The Guardsmen who hosted us were exceptionally helpful and friendly. It was great to see so many active people out on bikes, and it seemed every person was fit and attractive!

I speak of my short time there often. You have a beautiful country with fantastic people. Thanks!

 

[Cirdan]

Thanks Dave. There are actually a lot of installations that were built during the nazi occupation that are still in use. Many were used to store allied equipment, other found civillian use like the one in Tromsø which was changed into a big underground parking house. We had a big party inside "the Mountain" at Bardufoss when we closed down that place some years ago.

Glad you enjoyed your stay in Trondheim. Let me know if you ever visit the capital of Oslo and I`ll show you around. We`ll have a beer and watch the fit Norwegian girls, LOL :cheers:

 

[blink13]

Thanks, Cirdan, will do!

I just saw this today and thought it topical -

http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/CG-USF-I-ltr-to-CMC-(23 Jan 2010).pdf

 

[Carol]

You might get a kick out of this guys. I met up with a friend of mine at the train in to Boston. Going in, we passed a development called "The Shoe". It was once a huge factory, the buildings are reinforce concrete with floor-to-ceiling windows. It was built before electricity was commonplace, and what they made was the machinery used to make shoes. The company was the United Shoe Machinery Corporation. It has since been remodeled in to modern offices.

http://www.cummings.com/history.html

As we were going by there, my friend was telling me a time when he was going in to Boston with his father, on the same train. The weather at the time was awful, and my friend said he was a bit of a hellion...which was really trying the patience of his dad. When his dad was at his wits end said "You see that smokestack out the window" My friend looked out, saw this massive complex in the rain and mist, and this smokestack which seemed to be glowing. A spotlight was shining on it, showing the initials of the United Shoe Machinery Corp.

My friend's dad said "Read those letters." My friend dutifully said U...S...M...C. Dad said "That stands for United States Marine Corp. Now if you don't straighten up, I'm gonna turn your butt over to The Marines on our way home!" :lfao:

My friend said he calmed down...and that building scared the bejeezus out of him for a few years. :lol:

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The Marines: When it absolutely, positively, has to be destryed overnight.

Let us win your hearts and minds, or we'll burn your damned huts down.

The Marine Corps: America's 9-1-1.

Marine Snipers: Don't run, you'll only die tired.

The Marine Corps: Heaven won't have us, and Hell's afraid we'll take over.

The only thing more deadly than a US Marine is a US Marine without coffee.

The only serviceman a Marine respects as much as another Marine is a US Navy Corpsman.

 

[blink13]

The only thing more deadly than a US Marine is a US Marine without coffee.

Ain't THAT the truth!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Ain't THAT the truth!

Do they still speak of the 'lifer hook' that every Master Sgt has instead of an index finger?

My wife still shudders when I drink two-day old coffee at room temperature. It's just gettin' good and she wants to throw it out!

 

[xJOHNx]

A warrior is someone who fights against something...

I fight my demons everyday, as do alot of other people. Not giving into desire and fighting for justice. That's what I see as warrior-like qualities.