How John Wayne saved the United States Marine Corps

The Coach's Team ^ | 6/5/16 | Susan Frickey

[Oldpuppymax]

With the conclusion of WW II the years of bloodshed and mind-numbing violence finally ended. But a massive demobilization of servicemen began, the purpose to slash military spending. Liberal Democrats supported an effort to completely abolish the Marine Corps, first established under Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Language of Liberty

This effort was supported by the Doolittle Board, created by the Truman Administration and headed by none other than Army General Jimmy Doolittle himself. The Board called for the Marine Corps to be disbanded as a separate military outfit and unified with Army units.

As you can imagine, this didn’t go over well with Marines who had sacrificed so much to the war effort and distinguished themselves for valor and bravery against all odds, often over and above the call of duty during those brutal years. Several enterprising Marines with Hollywood connections thought a movie built around the famous Joe Rosenthal photo of the Mount Suribachi flag raising on Iwo Jima would help secure public support of the Corps.

The Marine veterans brought the idea to Hollywood director Allan Dwan who saw the merit in it and wanted to be involved in the project. The movie was to be called “The Sands of Iwo Jima” and everyone agreed the only big name Hollywood star fit to play the role of hero Sgt. John Stryker was John Wayne.

Wayne read the script, didn’t like the adaptation and turned it down. Never ones to back down from a fight, the Marines had Marine Corps Commandant, General Clifton B. Cates board a flight from Washington to California to personally explain to Wayne what was at stake – the very existence of...

[Fai Mao]

Cool

[Vaquero]

I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.

John Wayne as JB Books. “The Shootist “

[john drake]

Yep, the enemies of freedom never give up their desire to destroy the Constitutional Republic which theoretically represents and the U.S. Military that protects it and us. The left are relentless, godless, control freaks that want nothing better then to destroy America, primarily from within, and with help from our enemies abroad. Things are going to get bumpy, put on your seat belts and get ready for a fight, it’s coming.

[The Sons of Liberty]

How John Wayne saved the United States Marine Corps

I long for the days when men like John Wayne were the heroes. Now we have pantywaists like Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, et.al. telling how to think, and the news media is in full mourning for a draft dodging, malcontent, subversive, muslim - mohammed ali.

[DrPretorius]

From the article:

“...in October 1979, Ronald Reagan’s biography of his dear friend John Wayne appeared in Reader’s Digest. Reagan imparted this advice: “Don’t ever trust a man who doesn’t like John Wayne. A man’s opinion of John Wayne is a good rule-of-thumb test of his character and moral values. To admire John Wayne is to admire the heroic and the morally noble. To sneer at John Wayne is to admire the opposite. It’s revealing that you find very few liberals among his admirers, and very few conservatives among his detractors.”

[SoCal Pubbie]

Marion “Duke” Morrison sought an appointment to the Naval Academy as a high school senior in 1925, but when that fell through he accepted a football scholarship to USC. Duke Morrison became John Wayne in 1931 when the unkown actor won the lead role in the big budget film The Big Trail.

[Vision]

Thirty years later, in October 1979, Ronald Reagan’s biography of his dear friend John Wayne appeared in Reader’s Digest. Reagan imparted this advice: “Don’t ever trust a man who doesn’t like John Wayne. A man’s opinion of John Wayne is a good rule-of-thumb test of his character and moral values. To admire John Wayne is to admire the heroic and the morally noble. To sneer at John Wayne is to admire the opposite. It’s revealing that you find very few liberals among his admirers, and very few conservatives among his detractors.”

[Covenantor]

Reagan imparted this advice: “Don’t ever trust a man who doesn’t like John Wayne.

A man’s opinion of John Wayne is a good rule-of-thumb test of his character and moral values.

To admire John Wayne is to admire the heroic and the morally noble.

To sneer at John Wayne is to admire the opposite.

It’s revealing that you find very few liberals among his admirers, and very few conservatives among his detractors.”

Words to live by. In my 68 years I have found this to be 100% true.

[bigtoona]

I will say that Doolittle was a great, great man who basically turned the war in our favor on the Japanese front. He created and designed the bombing of Tokyo which demoralized the japanese and made them question the emperor for the first time. He was air force so he obviously had little skin in the game for the marines. So I can see why it made sense to some people to combine them with the army for some efficiencies.

Not saying I agree with it, just that some of the people supporting it had the best interests of the military in mind while others were probably commies that wanted to weaken us.

[Covenantor]

dang... you guys hadn’t yet posted when I started formatting that quote on my virtual kb.

GMTA

;>)

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAQZo2S71OU

[real saxophonist]

On Parris Island in 1989, we were shown two movies. Sands of Iwo Jima, and The D.I., with Jack Webb.

[oh8eleven]

The Doolittle Board quietly disintegrated and no politician on Capitol Hill has ever again suggested disbanding the Marine Corps.
Øooooobama is trying hard as hell.
FUBO.

[moovova]

John Wayne knew the US Marines already belonged to the US Navy. (...sorry...lousy squid joke, I know.)

[Snickering Hound]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_A._Johnson

Truman hated Marines going back to his days serving in WWI.

And when he couldn’t get Forrestal to slash and burn with the Navy and Marine budget he brought in Louis Johnson, arguably the worst Secretary of Defense this country ever had.

[BwanaNdege]

Ooooh Rah!

It was good to learn that The Duke had repeatedly tried to enlist at the start of WWII.

I’ve been a bit surprised that Obama has not tried to dissolve the Corps. He will probably mandate that the Corps camo uniforms be switched to fuschia & chartreuse, as a parting shot, before he leaves office.

Or, he may have enough sense to realize it is not a good idea to be on the “BIg Time Bad List” of BOTH the SEALS and the Marines.

[centurion316]

The Chowder Society saved the U. S. Marines. John Wayne played a role in a movie. The Chowder Society was a group of active and retired Marine officers who lobbied, launched public relation campaigns (this movie included), and a number of other things that were probably improper for serving officers. They succeeded using their very refined political skills that are still a hallmark of the Marine Corps to this very day.

http://www.bluetoad.com/article/The+Chowder+Society/32339/0/article.html

Much more available online, google it.

[semaj]

"On Parris Island in 1989, we were shown two movies. Sands of Iwo Jima, and The D.I., with Jack Webb.

It was the same for us Hollywood Marines.

[ETL]