With all due respect, that's just the wrong way to look at this. You play like you practice and you practice like you play..... In war, especially urban guerilla warfare, there are innumerable variables presented that the planners haven't thought our in advance. After proper training of basic combat, you are placed in STRESSFUL environments that you can control somewhat.... like a city. There is nothing like moving through a city to show you how hard it is to "move through a city" .
The men that have returned, and officers, have informed the Marine leadership the tales of operations in the field. With the experiences that they have, plus dedication, discipline and hard work...you can develop a force that will hopefully have fire discipline, adaptability of maneuvers and tactics, logistic info (how much fuel, ammo, supplies you need per day/hour/week in an urban environment)
The only way to do this is to do it in the field.... it also shows the captain, lieutenant, major or whatever how to deal with civilian authorities.
This mayor has actually screwed with the Marine grunts but has really helped the commanding officers learn about the importance of "attention to detail" in that the chain of command of the city needed to be up to speed.
Just like going into a South/Central American village or any village/city/ you have to deal with the "big chiefs" in order to move safely in and out of their area. This shows respect, gives you a heads up about who really is in charge (in case you've got to kill him) and can provide insight on the physical layout of the place you're going to sweep, destroy, search or whatever.
So in spite of this pussy mayor of Toledo thinking he was screwing with the Marines, a smart Marine will take this as a lesson learned and move on and adapt.
........... I'd still like to stick a 10 1/2 so far up his keister that his nose bleeds.
Think about what you are saying here man...
Paint me a realistic picture of a battle in one of our cities! You think it is going to be as easy as the Marines waltzing in, setting up a perimeter on one building down town and them stopping the militants? Has Iraq taught you nothing about this urban warfare issue?
This threat had better be stopped well before it has time to entrench and grow, otherwise you’ll have a absolute blood bath on your hands. What do you think they will do? Call in sorties and laser guide munitions on the Merrill Lynch building on 4th street because of the Snipers all over the place. I think not.
Response for the other thread...
How would you handle mass evacuations from a city?
Be realistic. Sending in a company of Marines to plar war games in a city is not going to do sqwat but get the masses used to seeing it. It’s got to be stopped before muslims get in and set up shop, and this is NOT the job of the Marines. Intimidating the enemy with their presence is NOT going to work.
Seriously, think about it real hard...
In addition to post 97, I’d like to add that it is my hopes that the Marines already know what this takes in regard to logistics. They had better already know.
While the Marines are certainly willing to be shot at by some crazed Moonbat US citizen with a deer rifle; or be hit over the head by a brick, by some other US citizen Moonbat who thinks that one of them is a giant spider, there is something more important.
A US Marine is not just a representative of the United States. They are a very expensive piece of equipment that is essentially owned by the United States. And while they may be more than willing, or even eager to expose themselves to dangers or risks, from tattooing to being assaulted by US civilians, it is not their *express right* to damage US government property without permission or direct order.
So while I agree that it is important to have realistic training, I also recognize that it is the prerogative of the US government that US Marines not engage in certain conduct, no matter how honorable, that may result in damage to them as a combat asset.
And some types of interaction with US citizens is just such conduct. It may not only result in personal injury to US Marines or civilians, but damage to the unit and possibly to the entire US Marine Corps, if nothing more than bad publicity by hostile news media, or frivolous litigation in civil court.
I fully understand this is crap, as well. But it is the reality in which the US Marine Corps operates in the United States. And I’m pretty sure that JAG would agree.