The various services are super, however, I support the Marines above all others. They are often treated like the step-child, yet never act like toy soldiers. Let the chips fall where they may. I am very happy General Mattis is a Marine! We are seeing the results of his leadership.
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I understand your loyalty. I feel the same affection toward the Army. But I will never laud the Army so as to even imply the other branches are lesser.
When I was a young Army buck sergeant, it was a combat-experienced Marine gunny who weighed in when some interservice rivalry was getting out of hand.
He told us that individuals of one branch who publicly trash the other branches are really only touting their own branch due to their own individual insecurities. And, he observed, those who did it tended to be marginal performers within their own respective service.
He said that excellence, whether personal or organizational, speaks for itself. It is only those who do not create it with their actions who must gin it up with their words. He was black . . . and added that was like racism, that losers always need someone to look down on to feel better about themselves and they hide behind their group membership to do it. And he said that when they do it, it is transparent to every mature person within hearing distance.
Finally he told us that it disrespects the heroism, loss of life and limb, and sacrifice by the families of those who serve and have served in the other branches.
And that he had never better hear it . . . or hear OF it again.
I understand that “excellence speaks for itself.” However, when everyone is thought of as excellent(Equal), there is no excellence any more. Excellence becomes average.
My favorite General of all time is George S. Patton. ARMY. I give credit where credit is due “in my opinion.” Some think him a blowhard or overrated, never recognizing his genius. I am entitled to my opinion. Patton said, “When everybody is thinking the same,somebody isn’t thinking.”
Unfortunately, excellence is disappearing thanks to the wimps who give out participation trophies so no child has to work harder, train more diligently, sacrifice play time for work or study time, and in general rise above the norm. It’s called “belonging to the group” instead of perfecting personal responsibility. That which made America Great, Personal responsibility, is being destroyed on all fronts in our new “everybody is the same” culture.
I will continue to pick and choose based on MERIT. Lauding my favorites is in no way disrespectful of others. It is expressing MY OPINION which will not be beat out of me by a cultural shift in this country.