[SoCal Pubbie]

"There aren't many rich Orange County mall rats that come to the Marines out of high school."

The Orange County Register had a picture of SSGT Billy Harrell and his wife a few days ago. Harrell died from a bullet wound to the neck in Iraq, serving with the Marines. Harrell grew up in Placentia, in Orange County. If the author is implying that OC kids don't make the sacrifice he can kiss my ass.

[broadsword]

"Give it a rest, Francis."

[vanderleun]

SoCal writes:>If the author is implying that OC kids don't make the sacrifice ...

The "author" ( myself) is NOT making that claim.

The author directs you to contemplate the difference between the
phrase "not many" -- which was what he wrote -- and "not any" which he assumes you read in a dyslexic fugue state.

[Steel Wolf]

I don't think he's saying that no people from Orange County join the military. His point is that few do. Most people in OC wouldn't consider it; it's a very alien and unusual thing to do.

I can tell you that from first hand experience. I joined the Army right out of high school, and I've been here ever since. Care to guess how many people from Orange County I've bumped into over the last decade, to say nothing of other people from Newport Beach? I've met three times more people from South Dakota.

Care to guess how 'cool' the people from my peer group thought joining the Army was at the time? Their reaction was substantially different than a round of high fives. There was widespread speculation that I was pulling their legs.

So, if the author wants to contrast two cultures, he'd have a hard time finding more divere ones than the Marines and Orange County. People from OC aren't bad, but, as a rule, they have different values, priorities, and world views than your average Leatherneck.