MARSOC to become New Raiders..

[FoxtrotOscar]

marsoc-patch.jpg

The fabled Marine Raiders live again, if in name only. The commandant of the Marine Corps said Wednesday that Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command will be renamed and rebranded in honor of the elite World War II unit.

During MARSOC’s change of command ceremony at its headquarters in Sneads Ferry, N.C., Gen. Jim Amos said all units within the parent command would undergo a name change: 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion would become 1st Marine Raider Battalion, and so forth.

The move is a significant reversal for Amos, who has been careful to maintain official distance between the eight-year-old legacy of MARSOC and that of the Raiders, who many people consider the first elite Marine operators.

In 2011, Amos rejected a proposal to rename MARSOC for the Raiders during a gathering of general officers in New Orleans, saying, according to one general in attendance, ‘your allegiance, your loyalty … is to the Marine Corps, based on the title you have on your uniform.’”

Nonetheless, Amos has been lobbied heavily by the Marine Raider association to make the change. Amos appeared at the organization’s annual reunion last August as the guest of honor, where a member of the group managed to surreptitiously slap a Raider patch on his uniform just as photographers snapped a photo.

In March during a social media forum, Amos hinted that the issue might resurface, saying officials were looking into the name change.

He finally made the decision at an executive off-site meeting with other generals in late July. That meeting also resulted in the creation of a new primary military occupational specialty for MARSOC officers.

“The recent Marine Raider reunions have highlighted their strong desire for their legacy to not be forgotten and to be carried on by another Marine Corps unit,” MARSOC spokesman Capt. Barry Morris said in a statement. “We feel we owe it to those Marine Raiders still alive and their families to make every attempt to do so.”

Morris said the move also creates a logical historical link between the work of MARSOC and the elite Pacific missions of the Raiders, seven decades ago.

Raiders were renowned for mounting long-term operations deep behind enemy lines, with little to no logistical support from larger American forces. Not unlike the Army’s Long Range Recon Platoons years later in Vietnam, Marine Raiders were proficient at the types of unconventional warfare methods most often attributed to today’s Special Operations Command.

“It helps tell our story that the Marine Corps is not necessarily new to the world of special operations,” he said.

While the MARSOC units will adopt the Raider name, Morris said they will not be authorized to use the most famous Raiders symbol: the blue-and-red emblem with stars and a menacing skull.

MARSOC operators have been spotted sporting a patch with the raider skull during deployments in Afghanistan, albeit without authorization.

“MARSOC unit emblems will continue to use the blue Raider shield with southern cross,” Morris said.

The blue shield and the constellation, overlaid with an upward-facing Raider stiletto knife, already present in all MARSOC battalion emblems, are a nod to original Raiders imagery.

Nonetheless, Morris said the command is prepared to overlook unauthorized use of the patch by motivated MARSOC operators.

“MARSOC will continue to follow Marine Corps uniform standards with respect to wearing unit patches,” he said. But “We anticipate MARSOC Marines to informally use the original Raider patch as a means to display esprit de corps, unit pride, and Marine Corps heritage.”
MARSOC itself will retain its official title, but the tenant units will be formally reflagged with the publication of an upcoming Marine administrative message, Morris said.

The next change for MARSOC may be updated training that further emphasizes the linkage between today’s critical skills operators and the Raiders.

The Raiders legacy is already mentioned during the individual training course that all operators pass through to enter MARSOC; it’s not yet clear how other training evolutions could be modified to reflect the Raiders history.

“MARSOC is the modern-day embodiment of the Marine Raiders of World War II,” Morris said.

“Our mission set includes not only the raids and guerrilla operations conducted by the Raiders, but also foreign internal defense, security force assistance, counterinsurgency operations, and a host of other capabilities that are uniquely relevant to modern day conflict.”...

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[29palms]

The reason they disbanded the Marine Raiders in the first place was that they figured that an elite unit was not needed within an elite branch of service.

[FistFu68]

Aye Aye That Yessir If I was a YoungBuck 0311 right now I'd strive 2 be PointMan in them 2014 Raiders Yessir Git Sum They are some RealBazzes

[29palms]

The Raiders were recruited within the USMC branch as needed. I don't think the Raiders were really any better than the grunts hitting the beach on Iwo or any other campaign. Just different missions somewhat. And how do you leave 19 guys in Makin and figure out only until you get back to Hawaii that you left them behind? To be beheaded by the Japanese? Fog of war?

[FoxtrotOscar]

The Raiders were recruited within the USMC branch as needed. I don't think the Raiders were really any better than the grunts hitting the beach on Iwo or any other campaign. Just different missions somewhat. And how do you leave 19 guys in Makin and figure out only until you get back to Hawaii that you left them behind? To be beheaded by the Japanese? Fog of war?

29palms...

Your entitled to your opinion, that's a given..

Without any firsthand knowledge of what "Select" Marines go though to earn and distinguish themselves from other Units is beyond the norm...!!!

For some reason I see your post as an attempt to denigrate the name "Raider's" with the comment of leaving others behind...

****t happens in war, it's not a video game, nor is it the movies...!!!

Read what did "HAPPEN" in History books and perhaps go and talk to some of these Marine Raiders that are still alive, this might enlighten your opinion and view...!!

I've said what I wanted to say briefly, and that''s my opinion pure and simple...

Nuff said...!!!

[29palms]

I'm not denigrating anyone. It's a fact that some guys were left behind on Makin for whatever reason. No head count? Didn't find out what happened till after they got to Pearl Harbor? I wonder how Carlson did not get court martial-ed over this. Don't make me out to denigrate anyone because I stated a fact. Guys got left behind for WHATEVER REASON. That's all I said. And. That is MY opinion.

[29palms]

Without any firsthand knowledge of what "Select" Marines go though to earn and distinguish themselves from other Units is beyond the norm...!!!


So I take it you are on the side of needing an elite unit within an elite branch of service. A Special Ops kinda guy.

[29palms]

Davy Crocket didn't go down fighting in the Alamo like the painting depicts. He was most probably executed by Santa Ana while kneeling down and buried in an undignified grave. I know this rained on a lot of Texans parade growing up believe all that happy horse....sht but its all documented heavily on the "MEXICAN" side in which most Texans don't want to believe. I have nothing but love and admiration for the Raiders and Carlson himself. I understand fog of war, I understand confusion, the need to get out of dodge to avoid enemy torpedo's, but fact is, guys got left behind. Someone got off lightly on that one. Raiders were treated like hero's, America needed a hero, they needed a victory and all that. The reality was that Makin was actually not all that. We didn't hold it, we lost men wiping out the garrison, didn't really accomplish much. Guadacanal is another story. With a happier ending.
If I stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima and went through all that blood bath of a cruciibal, and I saw a RAIDER batallion marching by, do you think I would have felt any less of a Marine than they? Many Marines were getting killed on the beaches of the Pacific. No less than Raiders were. Just different missions. Maybe a bit more Gung Ho.

[29palms]

And I wish to point out. I lived in the Pacific for 7 years, on an island called SAIPAN. I probably know WWII history more than most people know. I've talked to many veterans including Guy Gabaldon. Read many books. I've seen the fortifications and museums on Guam and Saipan, Nagasaki and stood on ground zero . Seen suicide cliff on Saipan and Tinian, been to Okinawa and Iwo Jima. You can view my gallery on my profile and check out a picture of a Japanese tank I took on Saipan.

[FoxtrotOscar]

I'm so glad your "Special" 29 palms...

I'm all tingly knowing you lived on Saipan...

Mr.. Been there - Done that...

Nuff said...

rolling-eyes-loud.jpg

[FoxtrotOscar]

Now, lets stay on topic...

Anything else, start a new thread...!!!

[Phantom Blooper]

Let's not make this go South with all warm and fuzzy and tingly thingies.....Now special dats' a different story!

[josephd]

I am gonna go out on a limb here and agree with the point 29palms is attempting to make(or what I think he is at least).

I give ALOT of respect for infantry Marines, Recon men, and MARSOC operators. Each has its own special indoctrination and training that make them what they are. I am not going to hold a MARSOC operator on a pedestal though and swing from his nut$ just because he went through the pipeline to become what he is. As a POG reservist I have had the rare privilege of getting to work around(not with really) a few recon and special forces units in country. They don't hold themselves higher than anyone else and when it comes down to it they are doing nothing different than what any other infantry platoon is doing. They are just doing it on a smaller scale, under different circumstances, and made to sound cooler than it really is. I don't think I am going out on a limb when I say that if you gave a properly trained squad from a regular line platoon the would be able to accomplish the same thing.

I have no problem with renaming MARSOC being renamed Raiders, just based on what we are as Marines and being connected to our heritage it would be an honor to be named something of that nature. But for everyone(current Marines and Vets) to get the warm & fuzzies and act super motivated all of a sudden is like jumping on a sports team bandwagon when they go undefeated. It is a discredit not only to those operators but also to the average grunt with boots on the ground. Even the other POG MOS' that have seen their fair share of combat.

[FoxtrotOscar]

Back to the story...!!!

It is about Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command will be renamed and rebranded in honor of the elite World War II unit.

Nothing about the Marines being "Special" or Supermen.. just the re-naming of the Unit in honor of another from a different era...

The MOS will distinguish one specialty from another... This is just a name...!!!

[josephd]

I don't wanna stay on topic.....I wanna rant and rave about mindless garbage, post in 10 year old threads like they have relevance, and pretend like I know everything there is to know about being a Marine because I shook a Generals hand