Posted on 01/01/2012 6:01:50 PM PST by South40
Today, the U-T launches a new tradition. Each Jan. 1, we will honor the Person of the Year, an individual or category of individuals with San Diego ties.
We can think of no better way to begin this tradition than by selecting as our first winner the Marine. Since Sept. 11, 2001, America has relied on the Marine to keep us safe from terror at home and to take the fight to our enemies abroad, a task our Marines have handled with immense courage, professionalism and honor.
Some of the 56,000 Marines based in San Diego County — the West Coast hub for Marine ground and air forces — have served a half-dozen or more tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Their sacrifices, and those of all the other military personnel based in our county, have been enormous.
Some have died, some have suffered horrific injuries, some are wounded in less-obvious ways. The Marine’s family also has borne a huge burden.
Yet the Marine perseveres, caring for loved ones, protecting our nation and demonstrating the wisdom of Marine Commandant Charles McCawley’s 1883 decision to make “semper fidelis” — Latin for “always faithful” — the Marine Corps motto. When not defending this nation abroad, the Marine is our neighbor, our friend, our children’s coach, our school’s supporter, a welcome, constructive and beloved member of our community.
The U-T is far from alone in its admiration. “Some people work an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference to the world. But the Marines don’t have that problem,” President Ronald Reagan wrote in a letter to a young Marine about to deploy on a dangerous mission.
We couldn’t agree more.
In recognition of all the Marine has done for San Diego, for the United States and for the cause of freedom, the U-T salutes the Marine, our 2011 Person of the Year. Semper fi!
SEMPER FI and thanks to all U.S. Marines.
No offense to the Marines- they can be the Person of the Century, but this year, the SEALs really took the cake.
What about the Soldier, Seaman, Airman and Coastie. I suppose they are just chopped liver.
Aside from the name of the target, what the SEALs did in the Osama compound was not in any way a complicated deal. I’m sure they would agree.
Comparing sneaky assets with the overt power of a Marine unit,,,apples, oranges.
And not to be cold,, but SEALs are often misused and pushed into the role of infantry, where they are consistently wiped out after inflicting very heavy casualties on their attackers. Grenada, Panama, “Lone Survivor”, the CH-46 shootdown this year,,, etc.
The common mentality that they are literal supermen, extremely superior to a solid USMC unit, or Paratroopers, or Rangers, leads to their misuse and waste.
The truth is, you could not have done the work of the USMC with our SEAL force. But the USMC could have accomplished any SEAL work.
The cheerleaders for all “special” units may never admit it openly, but they know it’s the truth.
Coasties saved lives, and are widely known to ROUTINELY do things that would scare a sane person senseless. Sailors are in every marine unit. Sailors deal with low tech pirates that will give you a low tech death. Sailors work on flight decks. Airmen notice how aircraft engines somehow magically sound rougher, at night, deep over central asia, with no lights on the ground in any direction, hours from nowhere with only muslims waiting on the ground below, if they even survived a bailout.
So yes,, they (and the Marines) are all indeed,” chopped liver”. But today, the USMC got a thank you from the hometown paper, it isn’t meant to insult anyone else.
I posted this to contrast Time Ragazine's Person of the Year, filthy hippie terrorists. At least the UT made an effort.
I think you are correct. Special Forces have their unique roles to play, but when they are misused by their “handlers” they suffer death, usually. Here is an interesting artical by a former Army Ranger qualified Officer on “elite” units:
http://www.johntreed.com/airborne.html
CH-47
“Marines. No better friend, no worse enemy’’.
Yes it was a 47! My default braintrack kicked in again.
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