Need for Marines

[Desdichado]

I honestly believe the Marines just being there makes the Army better. Worthier competition one could never have.

Even if they never did a useful thing again for the rest of time, the things they've done in the past ought to have secured their permanent existence. They earned that. They earned it at Tarawa and the 'Canal, at Okinawa and Iwo and the Frozen Chosin, Khe San and Hue and Dong Ha and a thousand other places I can't even think of right now.

I sleep pretty good knowin' the Gyrenes are out there doin' their thing. I wouldn't want to live in a world without 'em.

[DMZ-LT]

I fought as a CAVALRYMAN , I did not ride a horse , I did not carry a saber but I was a CAVALRYMAN. MARINES may not sweep beaches much any more but they are MARINES. Tradition , the cultural continuity in social attitudes and institutions is very important to us. Besides " If you ain't Cav , you ain't shit " Good post Ron

No!No!No!
We for sure need to keep the Marines around.
They LIKE to charge hills,beeches,villes and what not.
Hell,they charge stuff that doesn't even NEED to be charged just to stay in practice I guess.
Bout the only thing I'm much in favor of charging is the chow line.So I think we really ought to keep folks around who really get into that kind of thing.

[Seascamp]

Setting the devil dog saga, history and tradition aside, there are purely technical reasons why the USMC is going to be around for a long time to come. Presently the rapid unsupported deep strike capability of the USMC is at about 300 km from the beachhead. No branch of the Army has the equipment or tactics that can even come close to that number. Sure the Army could re-equip, link up with a Carrier battle group, learn amphib/LPH operations and all that and do a similar deal, no doubt about it. But I don?t see the USMC or Navy extending any invitations to the Army to come learn their turf, at least not right now.

That Marine bulldog wearing the Iron Mike is known to grab some interloper Army britches right at the butt at even a hint being on the wrong turf. Then there is the issue of Marine forces afloat that is an integral part of our Fleet tactics of ?grab em by the nose then kick them in the ass?. I would speculate that a crack Army Infantry or Airborne outfit could be trained to do the same deal but I really don?t see Army jump wings or Army Infantry crossed rifles being put on the bridge plate of a USN Warship, especially not in the gator Navy, yikes!!!!

Scamp

[39mto39g]

We (I) am not going to get rid of the Marines here on this sight, or in our lifetime, But There need is not there any more, We don't charge beaches or anything else anymore. They can practice there beach asults all they want, that dosn't mean they will ever use the skill. The last real opertunity for the Marines to charge the beach was a decade ago in Kuate, And that assult was a diverson from the real assult. Just not gonnna happen.
The Marines don't do anything that a Army unit couldn't right now. The last forty years or so the Marines have not asulted any beaches, They have fought from fixed defencive possitions that any Army unit could have done the same thing,
I will have to through in an exception to what I said, although it wasn't a beach, When I seen those Marines turn and walk over the cannel bridge in the new city of Hue headed for the cididal, I was sure glade that I wasn't a Marine. And being truthfull, I don't belive there are but a handfull (small Hand) of Army units that could have done the job as well as the Marines did in Hue.
That still don't mean there needed today.

Ron

[usmcsgt65]

39, you started an excellent post. I have enjoyed reading the responds. One aspect that has not been brought up, is the fact the Marines as "light infantry" contines to show the Army's "top brass" what can be done. The Army said there own light infantry could "go anywhere at any time" becuase they could bring artillery with them or a tank detachment. The Marines bring all combat arms with them. Also, the Marines do more with less than all the Armed Services. Oh, to have a real budget, I must be under the influence of the CA fire smoke.

[39mto39g]

What is combat arms?
Marines do more with less?
Marines showing the Army "top brass"

Ya might want to splane these a might.


Ron

[usmcsgt65]

Combat arms are those areas, infantry, artillery, air support, medical (corpsmen, old MASH units), etc. that deal directly in combat.

The total Marine Corps budget is less per size (unit) than the other branches. An Army battalion receives more money than a Marine battalion. Modernization in the Marines is behind the other branches, talking generally.

The Army a few years ago wanted to eliminate or reduce the number of Army light infantry divisions. If I remember right, the Army "top brass" said the light infantry did not have the staying power is be effective over about a week or less before the heavy divisions had to replace them. Marines basically said that they have been doing that since WWI.

39, we must be close to responding to each other in the same time frame.

[39mto39g]

The Army has the same "Combat" arms

The Armys unit or Division budget depends on the job they are asked to do. A mec inf unit needs different things than a Airborne unit,
I would suspect that a Light infantry unit that is not mec or airborne and has the same number of people, would have close to the same budget in either Army or Marines.

Staying power for an infantry unit depends on there resupply lines, It makes no difference if its a Army unit or a Marine unit, If you have supplies for a week then a weeks is all you get.
Marines arn't super human or magichans.
I would think asking a light infantry unit to have over a week staying power is asking a lot. There not designed for long term.

Ron

[reeb]

Ron,

Please send us ALL ( even the Marines ) some of that stuff your smoking........

The USA needs ALL Branches of the Service, ( even the CG ).

I get it that you think ( personally ) that even the other bBettle ranches of the service dont need paper workers, pushing the paper work around. Let the Civies do it for us , huh???

Heck, lets just get rid of all the Special Forces.......

Here you go Ron:

New enlistees for Iraq, Iran;;;;;

Gomer Pyle Marines
Sgt Bilko Air Force
Mchale Navy
Bettle Bailey Army
Wetbacks CG

enough.............