[Clintonfatigued]

Veterans are best qualified to comment on this.

[Obadiah]

Okay, I’ll comment. When I served drugs were a big problem in the military. They came down hard on drug use. They had better swiftly crack down hard on gang activity, or suspected gang activity!

[Michael Barnes]

Back when I joined in 1989, the Corps had its share of gang bangers within its ranks. There were only a few that I witnessed that did not shed their "ways". I think part of that was due to those Marines serving in relative proximity to where they came from (In this case, Pendleton, they were close to L.A, Long Beach and San Diego). They should have been shipped off to Lejeune.

At any rate, I don't believe it is the propensity to use ones training after getting out, it should be better screening prior to letting assholes who have no intentions of changing their ways into our ranks (I tend to believe I was an asshole who ran across kind, compassionate and caring Drill Instructors who cultivated my self being into being a productive human being with a size 11 boot up my ass; but that's just me.)

[Sawdring]

You need to watch Gangland : Basic Training on the History Channel. It was all about gangs in the military.

[TopQuark]

Veterans are best qualified to comment on this.

Why? It's not a military issue. When religion and morals are under attack in society at large, the immorality will eventually propagate everywhere --- the corporate boardroom, the governor's mansion, the White House, the military... We are not even allowed to call scum by its name: terrorists are "activists" (according to Reuters), hoodlums are "underprivileged," Muslim rioters are "youths." Is is any surprise that the "underprivileged," the "youths," the "activists" become more and more emboldened and sophisticated?

[KC_Conspirator]

They have had issues with gang members for many years in the armed forces, dating back decades. Hell, on some carriers old gang bangers would segregate themselves in parts of the ship until some senior person would notice and break it up. It was an issue in the 90’s, and is becoming an issue again. Hell, we have gang graffiti in Iraq, for crying out loud.

[MSF BU]

This would not be happening if there were more Republican families like the McCains and Hunters and fewer like the Romneys and Huckabees. I believe, peronally, that one of the greatest advantages of staying in the military is that you typically don’t have to deal with people like Schumer, Spitzer, Obama and (Mark) Warner because guys like them never join the service. It puzzles me that more young men out of conservative families don’t view military service not as an option but instead as an obligation. There are five active services and seven reserve components; young elibible men should do the right thing and join one.