[Iris7]

Marines are close to my heart.

The "Marines' Marine", Lieutenant General "Chesty" Puller said that "There is nothing finer than a good Marine". The General was a genius at understatement.

Puller is interesting. He left the Virginia Military Institute in 1917 and enlisted in the Corps so as to not miss WWI. He recieved a direct, battlefield commission in Nicaragua, I believe, and his medals include five Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit with "V" device, the Bronze Star with "V" device, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. All real, not an ounce of Kerry in that man.

Some quotes:

"Paper-work will ruin any military force"

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When an Army captain asked him for the direction of the line of retreat, Col Puller called his Tank Commander, gave them the Army position, and ordered: "If they start to pull back from that line, even one foot, I want you to open fire on them."

Turning to the captain, he replied "Does that answer your question? We're here to fight." (At Koto-ri in Korea)

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At the Frozen Chosin Marines were cut off behind enemy lines and the Army had written the entire 1st Marine Division off as being lost because they were surrounded by 22 enemy divisions. The Marines prevailed inflicting the highest casualty ratio on an enemy in history and destroying 7 entire enemy divisions in the process. An enemy division is 16500+ men while a Marine division is 12500 men.

Puller was in charge of those Marines. Quotes from that time:

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time!" At this point in time the Marines were outnumbered thirty to one.

"They are a damn site better than the U.S. Army, at least we know that they will be there in the morning."
- Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller when a journalist asked him about being surrounded by 22 enemy divisions.

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Sargent Brad Kasal is nothing more, and nothing less, than a Good Marine. There is nothing finer.

[alfa6]

Thanks for the ping Iris7

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[nicko]

there were a lot of good men died at Chosin, Army and Marine-my old man (3rd Division, 7th INF Reg) earned a Bronze Star with V device there- he didn't get it by running, and he was one of the last off the Port of Hungnam...

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Lucky for America we have the Marines we could never win a battle with the Army ..... then again we did manage North Africa, Italy, Normandy, the Rhine, and I seem to remember a few in the Pacific, Vietnam, and in Baghdad waiting for the Marines to show up.

A bunch of damn fine men in my family have worn the uniform and when I put down a Marine, he's a friend and knows it's a joke. I will say this about you and your type, once the Marines understood they were the smallest most unneeded branch they went into high PR mode.

Thank said, God Bless First Sgt. Kasal and all like him.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Iris7. God Bless the Marines and all our troops, past, present and future!

[SAMWolf]

Semper Fi Bump

[2Jedismom]

The Hobbit Hole sent this Marine a couple of our knives...