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Ken Lyons
05-16-05, 06:32 PM
My neice is attending college in Tennessess. Her instructor told her that there was a plan to disband the Marine Corps during WWII but due to the battle of Iwo Jima the Marine Corps was saved. I know there were a couple times in history when there was a movement to abolish the Corps but I really doubt what her history instructor told her.

Has anyone every heard of this or know of any documentation of it.
Semper Fi
Ken Lyons

law_student
05-16-05, 07:21 PM
The classic book "The US Marine Corps Story" by J. Robert Moskin addresses the issue of efforts to disband the Marine Corps. (see pages 432-436). I'll look for some more of the historical documents, but Moskin provides a great overview.

Here are a few of the relevant points from this book. All you poolees should definately read it at some point. This information is within the context of post-World War II; however, there have been at least 7 attemts to disband the Marine Corps or merge us into the army.

Semper Fi,
Dan

-After every war, there were attempts to reorganize or disband the Marine Corps. (pg. 432).

-After World War II, Army leadership wanted unification, but the Navy and Commandant Vandergrift opposed unification. (pg. 433).

-Before the Senate Naval Affairs Committee, Vandergrift noted that since 1829 the Congress had five times rejected proposals to destroy or severly damage the Corps. (pg. 433).

-When HR 2319 was introduced in February 1947, it did not mention the Marine Corps, but the Corps was vindicated by the National Security Act of 1947, which gave it legal status. (pgs. 434-435).

-Eisenhower, the Army's Chief of Staff, opposed having two land armies. Vandergrift assured him the Marine Corps had no ambition to become a second army. (pgs. 434-435).

-There were later battles after the Korean War. Public Law 415 of the 82nd Congress created at least 3 combat divisions and made the Commandant a co-equal with the other heads of services. (pg. 435.)

law_student
05-16-05, 07:31 PM
Oh yeah, her history teacher was probably referring to Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal's quote. When the flag went up on Mount Suribachi, Sec. Forrestal turned to Lt. Gen. Smith and said, "Holland, the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

I certainly think that the flag-raising played a powerful role in strengthening the public perception of the Marine Corps, but Vandergrift still had to put up a fight to save the Marine Corps after World War II. I'll look for documentation of any political leaders that fought for the life of the Marine Corps based on Iwo Jima alone. My best assessment is that Vandergrift convinced the Congress that the Marine Corps had a valuable role to play in amphibous warfare.

Semper Fi, Dan

Lock-n-Load
05-16-05, 08:27 PM
:marine:Post WW2 President Harry Truman did his damnable best, to just do away with the USMC...he banded in a clandestine manner with other cohorts in both halls of Congress along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff [no Marine General was allowed on the JCS then]...he made several derogatory remarks about the USMC...allow me the paraphrase here..."The USMC has a better propaganda agenda than that murdering Joseph Stalin"..."The USMC is the Navy's Police Force [billy-clubs and all]"...some Marine Amtracs that went into Wolmi-Do island and Inchon had Marine graffiti all over their sides, "Harry-Ass-Truman's Police Force"...A Reserve Marine Captain, then an Illinois Congressman, Paul Douglas, led the worthy cause and scrounged up enough votes to kill any such Congressional legislation to do away with the US Marine Corps...I can tell you, Harry-ASS-Truman was never a friend to the 1st Marine Division FMF all during the Korean War nor certainly never to the entire Corps...he made our heroic endeavors look insignificant; whereas, Gen Douglas MacArthur praised the USMC to high heaven for securing Wolmi-Do in 58 minutes and then with alacrity onto the amphibious victory at high tide for the invasion at Inchon and days later the the fierce urban battle for the liberation of Seoul...so much for Harry-ASS-Truman...check him out after WW2, you don't have to doubt me and other combat Korean War Marines...HST was a lousy President after WW2 ended...even all the southern democrat states [the Dixie-crats] boycotted Truman's re-election at the 1948 Convention...he also cut to the bone, the defense budget to less than the prewar 1941 defense budget...he had no foreign policy in the Far East to check the rapid expansion of Communism by allowing the Red Chinese to ouster our ally Nationalist China off to Taiwan and stating Japan is the extreme limit of American influence in the Far East excluding South Korea from the American security blanket in the region in 1949 and withdrew all US Army troops out of South Korea, too...he hid behind the A-Bomb [Pax America 1945 - 1950]...then it all blew up in his face when Communist Russia detonated their A-Bomb late in 1949...South Korea was ripe for a Communist/Mongol invasion later in midsummer 1950...Truman's popularity sunk to only 29% when Gen MacArthur was greeted with the biggest parades ever in San Francisco and New York City in April 1951, since Truman relieved him in Korea, after 52 years of faithful and dedicated service to the United States of America.......Semper Fi:marine:

hrscowboy
05-16-05, 09:09 PM
also why dont you all look what rumsfield wants to do by closing the bases he wants to make the army of america trimmer and more unified is what this dumbshlitz thinks. I cannot believe we have a commander of chief that is even allowing this ****bird rumsfield to do what he wants to do.. Gentlemen its time for the Veterans to take our country back. And prepare to protect our country with what ever it takes in Man Power and equipment and screw the damn idea on what it cost.....

CHOPPER7199
05-16-05, 10:47 PM
I BELIEVE I SAID IT ON ANOTHER TREAD, RUMSFELD IS AN IDIOT. AN OLD GRUNTS OPINION. HOW COME TEXAS AND FLORIDA WERE SAVED? OH, CHIT, FORGOT, BOTH BUSH COUNTRY.

troop901
05-22-05, 06:06 PM
Well, Eleanor Roosevelt was a very well known hater of the Marine Corps and wanted her husband to disband them, seems a Marine had his way with one of her relatives. Now when Eleanor died and went to heaven, she arrived at the pearly gates where she met St. Peter. St. Peter said, Eleanor, we have been expecting you, go right on in. Eleanor said, wait a minute, before I go in I need to ask you a question, is there any Marines in heaven, because I dont like Marines and I will not enter if they are here. St. Peter looked at her and said, well, ofcourse there are no Marines in heaven, she said, ok, but you better not be lying to me, he said, I am St. Peter, I dont lie. So she entered into heaven. A few days later St. Peter heard a blood curdling scream and saw Eleanor come running out, he asked her what was wrong, she said, you lied to me. He said, I am St. Peter, I never lie, she said, well, you lied to me, you told me there were no Marines in Heaven, St. Peter looked at her and said, I did not lie, there are no Marines here. She said, well, you lied this time cause I just saw a Marine walking down the street in full dress blues. St. Peter laughed and said, no, that wasnt a Marine, that was God, he just likes to think he is a Marine.

ridingcrops
06-05-05, 01:14 PM
I heard Harry Trunman hated the Corps because a Marine dumped his daughter and that was the way he was going to get even with the Corps.

Ed Palmer
06-05-05, 01:59 PM
You know that Rome wasnt built in a day. Well they finialy figured out why ! there Wasnt any Marines there to get the job done

Don Faria
06-05-05, 05:29 PM
On the ship going to Korea most of the Marines had "Harry's Boys" printed on their dungarees...

Marine65
06-05-05, 06:34 PM
An interesting book to read on this subject is "The First To Fight," by Lt Gen Victor H. Krulak.

nevada kid
08-28-10, 11:03 AM
if the marines dont want to be army soldiers then why do they keep getting bigger.
put them back on ships where they belong.and not too many of them

FistFu68
08-28-10, 12:14 PM
:evilgrin: Disband My beloved Marine Corps (LMFAO) :D We send more Fucing RagHeads,Commies,and all the other Scum Bags straight Too HELL than all the other brances of the Military combined...Hell We even got NUKES...We are The Green Machine The Killing Machine... Semper Fidelis :iwo:

Kegler300
08-28-10, 03:13 PM
The Marine Corps is the world's 911 force, and has sealed their legacy as such. There may be talk, suggestions, recommendations, etc., by those who have never served in the Marine Corps, to disband the Marine Corps, or merge with the Army, but that talk quickly turns to scuttlebutt and embarrasses those who even consider the thought.

When you're the finest, screw the humility. We are the best, period.

Zulu 36
08-28-10, 04:03 PM
Wow, this thread is a golden moldy.

MOUNTAINWILLIAM
08-28-10, 04:07 PM
Disband the Corps? ............. I don't think so, it might take a "little tweaking" to the U.S. Constitution (See exerpts from same below). It has been a tradition that Navies throughout history have always been manned by Sailors and Combat Personnel (Marines).



" Clauses 11, 12, 13, and 14. The Congress shall have power *** ;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marqe and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years.

To provide and maintain a Navy.

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces. "



:iwo:

Wyoming
08-28-10, 04:07 PM
Wow, this thread is a golden moldy.

Ha, wait till you get to 'The Art of Spit Shining'.

It's older than this one.:D

Theoldgunny
08-28-10, 04:48 PM
Heck everytime the war is winding down or they are talking save money or realing the services thy are talking do away with the corps but the army and the airforce cant do the same thing because they are two different forces not one theat has both air and ground under a single command

nevada kid
08-28-10, 05:28 PM
the usmc was never intended to be a large ground force. seems like they have just
evolved into one.

UMDStudent24
09-19-10, 09:19 AM
For another book that briefly touches on the attempt to disband the Marine Corps during that period, check out First to Fight by Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak.

UMDStudent24
09-19-10, 09:26 AM
An interesting book to read on this subject is "The First To Fight," by Lt Gen Victor H. Krulak.


I just saw your reply. You beat me to the punch.

Old Marine
09-19-10, 12:02 PM
Some DORK in DC is always wanting to disband the Corps. Not going to happen.

usmc987332
10-04-10, 10:26 AM
My neice is attending college in Tennessess. Her instructor told her that there was a plan to disband the Marine Corps during WWII but due to the battle of Iwo Jima the Marine Corps was saved. I know there were a couple times in history when there was a movement to abolish the Corps but I really doubt what her history instructor told her.

Has anyone every heard of this or know of any documentation of it.
Semper Fi
Ken Lyons

I think there is just a little confusion here. What really happened was that when one high official saw the flag atop Suribachi, he made the comment that the event would guarantee the existance of the Corps for another five hundred years. I don't believe there was any plans to disband the Corps;.

Bob Alllen
B128

Zulu 36
10-04-10, 11:11 AM
I think there is just a little confusion here. What really happened was that when one high official saw the flag atop Suribachi, he made the comment that the event would guarantee the existance of the Corps for another five hundred years. I don't believe there was any plans to disband the Corps;.

Bob Alllen
B128

There was indeed a plan after WWII in 1947 when Truman was re-organizing the military (making DoD, creating the Air Force, etc). He wanted to fold the Corps into the Army. But during Congressional hearings on the matter, Congress was so lambasted by Marines, Marine supporters, and the media, that the idea was given up.

This incident caused the infamous comment from Truman that the Marine Corps had a propaganda machine the equal of Stalin's.

usmc987332
10-04-10, 11:43 AM
There was indeed a plan after WWII in 1947 when Truman was re-organizing the military (making DoD, creating the Air Force, etc). He wanted to fold the Corps into the Army. But during Congressional hearings on the matter, Congress was so lambasted by Marines, Marine supporters, and the media, that the idea was given up.

This incident caused the infamous comment from Truman that the Marine Corps had a propaganda machine the equal of Stalin's.

Sorry, I should have said not at the time of IWO. Yes, after the war and at the time of reorganization, many things were discussed. At the time of Iwo we did have a rift with the Hearst newspapers, but there was no official plans to disband the Marine Corps. Truman did not become president until after Iwo.

When the Unified Code of Military Justice was created, it makes sense that we would have questioned the need for two infantry forces. I believe the Marine Corps still exists.:banana:

Bob Allen
B128

ggyoung
10-06-10, 07:16 PM
Well, Eleanor Roosevelt was a very well known hater of the Marine Corps and wanted her husband to disband them, seems a Marine had his way with one of her relatives. Now when Eleanor died and went to heaven, she arrived at the pearly gates where she met St. Peter. St. Peter said, Eleanor, we have been expecting you, go right on in. Eleanor said, wait a minute, before I go in I need to ask you a question, is there any Marines in heaven, because I dont like Marines and I will not enter if they are here. St. Peter looked at her and said, well, ofcourse there are no Marines in heaven, she said, ok, but you better not be lying to me, he said, I am St. Peter, I dont lie. So she entered into heaven. A few days later St. Peter heard a blood curdling scream and saw Eleanor come running out, he asked her what was wrong, she said, you lied to me. He said, I am St. Peter, I never lie, she said, well, you lied to me, you told me there were no Marines in Heaven, St. Peter looked at her and said, I did not lie, there are no Marines here. She said, well, you lied this time cause I just saw a Marine walking down the street in full dress blues. St. Peter laughed and said, no, that wasnt a Marine, that was God, he just likes to think he is a Marine.

Now wait just one minute here. What about Capt. Roosevelt USMC XOR of one of the radder bns. Her son. What about Eleanor's famous quoits about Marines? Ike did not want Marines in Europe but he had some working with the OSS the four runner of the CIA.

SGT DDS
11-04-10, 11:04 PM
He was in the Army in WWI
Yet as President
He was Commander in Chief
So that made him a "Wannabee" Marine
And that ate him up....:cry:
:banana:

Semper Fi
SGT DDS

leprechaun9544
11-05-10, 12:04 AM
The Marine Corps is the world's 911 force, and has sealed their legacy as such. There may be talk, suggestions, recommendations, etc., by those who have never served in the Marine Corps, to disband the Marine Corps, or merge with the Army, but that talk quickly turns to scuttlebutt and embarrasses those who even consider the thought.

When you're the finest, screw the humility. We are the best, period.

Truer words were never spoken...Ooooh-rah

Mongoose
11-05-10, 08:36 AM
I heard Harry Trunman hated the Corps because a Marine dumped his daughter and that was the way he was going to get even with the Corps.
If my memory is correct. Trumans daughter was jilted by a Marine Corps Captain. Afterwards Truman said the Marine Corps was nothing more than a bunch of over paid, over sexed, professional killers.

ese4mc
11-05-10, 09:42 AM
http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/---:usmc:

ese4mc
11-05-10, 09:51 AM
http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/---:usmc:GREAT INFO HERE

yanacek
11-05-10, 10:55 AM
Now wait just one minute here. What about Capt. Roosevelt USMC XOR of one of the radder bns. Her son. What about Eleanor's famous quoits about Marines? Ike did not want Marines in Europe but he had some working with the OSS the four runner of the CIA.

You're correct about Roosevelt's son serving in the Marine Corps. Despite that, Eleanor had a dislike for the Marine Corps. In early January 1944 she was hosting a party for some of her friends on the rooftop of a hotel in downtown Havana. While that was going on, a group of Marine pilots, flying "Mitchell" medium bombers, also happened to be headed towards Havana. Flying over downtown, they noticed the lights of Eleanor's party and buzzed the affair, causing a panic and disruption of the event. Old Eleanor was on the phone with Batista Field almost before her guests could pick themselves up off the ground. This resulted in a major a$$-chewing for the guys, however despite that everyone had a very good liberty. True story.

usmc987332
11-05-10, 11:46 AM
The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marines.

Eleanor Roosevelt 1945

hoodab
11-05-10, 12:02 PM
You know that Rome wasnt built in a day. Well they finialy figured out why ! there Wasnt any Marines there to get the job done

That's awesome! Oorah!

usmc987332
11-05-10, 02:12 PM
I have done a lot of browsing on this subject lately, but most of what I see is a lot of rumors in anticipation of what is to come sooner or later. If and when total peace does come, the military will undergo drastic cut-backs. As in the past, a close look will be taken of the Marine Corps. Some will come to the conclusion that the Marine Corps is simply a duplication of things done by other services and advocate its abolishment. Others will hold out for a small combat ready force, ready to put out the fires which will spring up around the world. The Navy will contend it should return to its original purpose, a small expeditionary force ready for the use of the Navy.

The Corps has always survived, tomorrow may be a new day. Who knows.

Discussion based on rumor is of little use, except to perhaps creating thinking we do not want.

JohnEaceHunt
11-13-10, 04:50 AM
NO, na-da, never happen. They will try to down size it, but congress will never let them disband it. Takes 10 army to make up for 1 Marine, and you tell me we will be dis-banded. Thats a fact few know. I've seen it. We will hit, do damage, and get out. The v-22 will be cancelled. There are enough 46's in Monthan storage to re-issue the Squadrons back the 46's. Cut back on fuel, and put a small tele-scoping re-fueling probe on it, and it will do what we did in Vietnam. Thats absolute. The 22 is on the chopping block as the EFV for amphibious assaults is. Ring-a-ding. Semper Fi, and READY-APP.