"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine."

[thedrifter]

The following is an excerpt from an email home from an Air Force ordnance demolition unit team member describing his first night at Kandahar airport:

"One of the perimeter positions only a hundred yards or so to our left took some incoming fire and we all went to general quarters, taking defensive fighting positions in our bivouac in case they penetrated to our position. The Marines quickly repelled the attack. It will not bother me should I live my entire life without having to kill a man but I have to say I'm glad to be surrounded by a thousand 19 year-old Marines who can't wait to. They will be leaving in a few weeks and turning over the base to the Army. I will miss them.

"The only tents the Marines use are one-man pup tents and they are everywhere. Each foxhole and DFP (defensive fighting position) around the camp is accompanied by two of these humble little tents.

"I have a renewed respect for the Marines. They arrived a month ago, dug in, and have been living out of these ridiculously small, 5 x 5 tents ever since. No heat, no latrines, no showers, nothing but backpacks, weapons, helmets and flak vests, and lots of ammo. And they've been doing it every day. Four man teams at each position, two sleeping, two on watch. God bless them every one."

"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine."


Sempers,

Roger

[firstsgtmike]

In situations like that, Marines consider it "Baby Sitting Duty".

[thedrifter]

Mike, how many times in the past have we had to BABY SIT...........LOL
Even in Viet Nam we had we Baby Sit General Westmoreland.....LMAO

Sempers,

Roger

[SHOOTER1]

Ya the one time in Nam we had the army babysit us (we had been at it for three days without sleep) at MarbleMountain , we got hit, 6 of us in the camp, but only two of us came out, Sgt. Willy and myself, seems the new dogfaces fell asleep on post. Never trusted them again.

[firstsgtmike]

Center for Strategic and International Studies <br />
1800 K Street N.W. Washington DC, 20006 <br />
<br />
Re: &quot;Today's Army&quot; - View of a USAREUR Bn S-3 <br />
<br />
Dear CSIS, <br />
I read with great interest your report...

[firstsgtmike]

Part 2 <br />
<br />
9. &quot;Proper&quot; race and gender relations, currently propagated in the Army by the much despised and canned &quot;Consideration of Others&quot; program, has guaranteed the poorest possible social...

[greensideout]

As a training NCO in the mid 80's for an army combat enginner battalion I can say that this officer is right on with his evaluation of the status of the army today. I too, maybe more so having come from the Corps became extremely frustrated with the army's training requirements. They were to much in to little of time to be accomplished in an effective and productive way. The bottom line for me was something I said to my wife one evening. "I think that I'm just training these soldiers on how to die on a battlefield". I left the service even though I was offered a position of higher responsibility and an opportunity of rapid growth in rank.

What he has said here is important, I hope that all our members read it. Like it our not, we need a strong army beside us. The Corps is too small to go it alone in a big fight. We have our mission and they have theirs. We want them to do theirs well. We want them well trained and they are not getting it in my view. Not because of the junior officers or NCO corps but because of the "management style leadership" required by the upper brass whos only interest seemed to be in their own careers.

Thanks Fristsgtmike for bringing this our way.

If things don't change for the army, God help us all.

Semper Fi

[SHOOTER1]

Show this to the Senetor that wants mandatory Military conscription, they give them all Berets they dont earn, how demorolizing, Im not quite so proud of my Green one now.

[wrbones]

Screw 'em, SHOOTER! They didn't earn theirs! You did!


That Senator wants to go to everyone serving in the Armed Forces fer a couple years like some of the European countries and Israel do.

Might be ana idea, but what about the so called DOD budget andVeteran's benes and all that goes with it. Political and economic changes we can't even begin to consider.

[greensideout]

Shooter1,

Don't understand your comment. All this "new leadership" concept came into being about 1967. Didn't hit the field till much later. The lag effect.

I didn't like the idea of being ,"a first line supervisor". Can you belive that cra*? I was a ssg who had the responsibilty to lead and train men, to make sure that they had what they needed.

If I had earned a Green Berets, I would be dam* proud! I didn't.

Semper Fi

[Barndog]

Senator Charles Rangel, Democrat, NY... Bronze Star, Korea

Gentlemen:

The good Senator has paid his dues unlike a vast majority of the REST.

It sure would change the aptitude of those in power of sending kids to war zones like they have been all over the world since the mid 80's.

It's a start to changing it. And it's gotta start somewhere. Maybe those Chickenhawks would be a little different if there were no college deferrments, or political deferrments - like so many of them took in Vietnam.

In case you hadn't noticed - this administration doesn't care about Veterans like US. But, unified..........

I bet they listen without choice

Semper FI

Semper FI

[greensideout]

Barndog, the deferrments are no longer in place. If the balloon goes up and the draft begins the elite will have to find another way out. Can't wait to see what it will be.

I was set to do processing when the draft began. Well, for 30 days and then my butt would follow. Not any loopholes that I'm aware of.-----We'll see.