Marines thrive on adversity

The Washington Times ^ | 11 Aug 2004 | Pamela Hess

[COBOL2Java]

RAMADI, Iraq - Living on a Marine base on the edge of restive Ramadi is a shock to a civilian's senses. It's end- lessly dusty and loud; the latrines smell; it's beastly hot. There is no color other than brown, and everyone is armed.

But mostly you marvel at how they go about their days: running with M-16s flapping against their backs for miles at high noon when it's topping 115 degrees just for the exercise; wearing long sleeves, pants, suede desert boots and 30 pounds of armor and manning a gun on top of a Humvee, faces encrusted with dust; working at least 12 hours a day — every day, with no days off — under a constant threat of mortars and rockets.

You wonder where they find the energy to play basketball at midnight — the military police do, reliably, every night, sometimes listening to rap, sometimes heavy metal and once Michael Jackson's greatest hits.

You wonder how they detach themselves sufficiently from the danger to teach fellow Marines to salsa after dinner. How in the dark of night, lit only by pale green chemical lights broken at their feet, they practice martial arts to a hypnotic drumbeat.

[COBOL2Java]

Sorry for the excerpt. New rules, mon! However, it's a very good article...

[ErnBatavia]

There is no color other than brown

Brings back a few memories; only when I was "in", it was all 'Marine Corps green' versus brown. Lots of guys referred to the Corps simply as "The Big Green"...

[kellynla]

Marines "Improvise, adapt, overcome!"

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[EQAndyBuzz]

Excellent article.

[2banana]

"You must know the commander's intent: [Our motto] is 'no better friend, no worse enemy.' But I have added: 'First do no harm.' No harm to the innocent. No harm to a prisoner, ever. This is the Marine Corps, not the National Guard," he barked, referring to the prison abuse at Abu Ghraib by an Army National Guard unit.

Not the brightest thing to say. Many reserve Marine units have been activated for duty in Iraq. The Abu Ghraib prison had plenty of active duty soldiers and so was the commander. And if it was not for reserve and National Guard units, his marine ass and unit would be in Iraq for three year stints...

[kellynla]

"We've only had one guy leave in a division of 20,000 [in the last six months] and that was a pre-existing psychiatric disorder," he said. Last year, only three left out of the 25,000 in the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, a testament to what Gen. Mattis calls a humanistic approach to keeping military personnel healthy in mind as well as body. The 1st Marine Division has had a remarkable record by another grim measure: suicide. Only two Marines in the entire expeditionary force have taken their lives. "We just do not understand what happened. He was doing good," Gen. Mattis said of one case

EXCELLENT! The other armed services would love to have numbers like that!!!!

[dukeman]

"There are some [expletives] in the world that just need to be shot." I love it!

[tailgunner]

Marines have "latrines" now? Wow. In the Old Corps we had heads in buildings and tubes and trenches in the field. Maybe the keepers of the so-called "holy ground of islam" do not allow tubes and trenches?

[kellynla]

You are free men. No one forced you into the Marine Corps

Someone needs to remind Michael Moron of this fact!!!
No one is "sacrificed" in the Marine Corps or any other armed service.
They volunteer!!!

[kellynla]

Excellent article! Thank you for posting it!

[SJSAMPLE]

Yep. Almost as stupid as all the "new sheriff in town" bullsh!t that the Corps started as soon as they got there (after the Army had been there for over a year). As soon as they started that, Najaf and Fallujah went to hell. Absolutely brilliant.

[COBOL2Java]

There are plenty of Marines who have concerns about the original case for the war. But no one doubts what will happen if they are pulled out before the job is done: This place will devolve into murderous anarchy, and quickly.

There is a mental separation here. The debate about the war is one thing; the commitment to fighting it is quite another. They mourn every loss of a comrade, but they accept it as part of the job.

Excellent reporting on her part. Too bad that waste of flesh Michael Moore will never understand this.

[military cop]

Marines take care of their own. I saw it first hand at Al Hillah last summer. It doesn't matter to them if they are a cook or a clerk or a grunt, they're all Marines first.

The army could learn some long hard lessons from the Corps.

[outlawcam]

OO-RAH! Some good reporting for a change.

[outlawcam]

And if it was not for reserve and National Guard units, his marine ass and unit would be in Iraq for three year stints...

A fact that will not change regardless of whether or not the general uses the poor example set at the prison to motivate his troops to perform better.

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

Went to Command & Staff College with Jim Mattis and served with him again when we were LtCols in the First Marine Division.

None better.

Semper Fi,

[outlawcam]

Sounds like it. Very good to hear. Semper Fi to you, too.

[TMSuchman]

We need to shout this from the rooftops!


SEMPER FI!

[A.A. Cunningham]

Like it or not Charles Graner is the new poster boy for the National Guard, particularly MP units.

Just as it took the MSG Battalion time to overcome the perception with both the public and many in the armed services that all embassy guards were just like Clayton Lonetree, the bad publicity caused by Graner, England et al, will take time to overcome. Reminding Marines that they aren't in the Army and about the lack of professionalism and discipline at Abu Ghraib is a leadership principle that has been employed since Christ was a Corporal. Thin skinned whiners who don't understand the logic behind the tactic never will. You think that the NG unit that replaced Graner's wasn't reminded that that BS wasn't going to be tolerated?

And if it was not for reserve and National Guard units, his marine ass and unit would be in Iraq for three year stints...

Unlikely. The Marine Corps is much more capable at managing its assets than the Army or the National Guard. Marines in the FMF are used to frequent and lengthy deployments. Many Marines have been in Iraq for over a year already and will gladly return to the theater when ordered to do so.