Best representation of USMC on TV.

[radio relay]

At the Iwo Jima Memorial, on the Marine Crosp birthday, a couple years back. Everybody kept asking him to say "gollie", or were saying it to him. He was good natured about it, but didn't hear him say it.... Maybe he was afraid Sgt Carter, would smack him.

I actually couldn't stand the show. I think a bunch of writers who had been in the Army wrote the scripts. Calling a Gunnery Sergeant, "Sergeant"? They could have at least gotten terminology correct.

However, the uniforms were right on for the Vietnam era. Although, not one Marine in the show had Vietnam ribbons, and Vietnam was never mentioned at all. Early political corrrectness.

[RLeon]

Originally posted by rsta

RLeon, as for "Major Dad, you were probably just hot for "Gunny"!

Dang, you got me...that Gunny was HOT!
On a different note...Anyone see American Ninja 2(I think)...where the protagonist were two army guys posing as Marines??...That movie really makes me angry, it's got to be the worst representaion of Marines ever...

[seabag]

"Mail Call" on the History channel would get my vote. Although not specifically geared toward the USMC, the Gunny exudes pride for the Corps, and that's what we're all about!
He occasionally cracks me up as well!

What gets me ****ed is to see a "Marine" in a movie or tv show with sideburns and a sloppy uniform-thankfully this does'nt happen to much these days.

[Joseph P Carey]

Originally posted by seabag
"Mail Call" on the History channel would get my vote. Although not specifically geared toward the USMC, the Gunny exudes pride for the Corps, and that's what we're all about!
He occasionally cracks me up as well!

What gets me ****ed is to see a "Marine" in a movie or tv show with sideburns and a sloppy uniform-thankfully this does'nt happen to much these days.

In truth, I think that the Marines have a pretty heavy lobbying power on TV shows and Movies as to how a Marine should be dressed and his personal cleanliness when in uniform. Even Gunny Carter, from Gomer, was half way squared away when it came to his uniform, the pleats and the haircut and all that. It is rare that you will see a Marine on any series that is not up to standard, uniform wise, with exception of the haircut, and some facial hair, unless it is a really low budgeted show, Marines are pretty well the top of the line in Hollywood military portrayals, sort of sacrosanct.

[Sgt Ski 2/7]

The best I seen so far was a single episode of JAG called "Never Coming Home Alone" . It was about a Marine killed in Iraq and what the family goes through when the body comes home to be buried.It bought back alot of memories about a friend of mine who was killed during the Gulf War and what it was like to bury him. One of the best shows I have ever seen to put the feelings of being a Marine and the closeness felt among brothers..


SEMPER FI

[Joseph P Carey]

Originally posted by Sgt Ski 2/7
The best I seen so far was a single episode of JAG called "Never Coming Home Alone" . It was about a Marine killed in Iraq and what the family goes through when the body comes home to be buried.It bought back alot of memories about a friend of mine who was killed during the Gulf War and what it was like to bury him. One of the best shows I have ever seen to put the feelings of being a Marine and the closeness felt among brothers..
SEMPER FI

Truthfully Shi, I never saw that episode of JAG, but is that the best representation of the Corps as you see it? You believe that the one aboration is the story of the Marines?

Tell me Ski, of the 24 Marines that were killed in the Gulf War, how many of them had problems with being buried by their families? Perhaps there is something here that we need to talk of as a group. What was your friend's name? And, What was the problem with his funeral?

[Sgt Ski 2/7]

Christian Porter with 3/7 there was no problem it was just all the feelings. I reminded me of the closeness and the brotherhood felt between Marines. Something that people on the outside have a hard time understanding. We all know the friendships that are formed in the Marines are some of the closest that you will ever find but when you spend every day digging foxholes guard duty 4 hour op watches than you becomes closer than some of your family members. And when that person is taken away from you by our own friendly fire incident and he is torn apart in front of you by a M1A1 round it is hard. Than you have to go home with the body and put on a brave face in front of the family it is hard.

The funeral was excellent in all Military tradition but sitting there as they bury your friend is hard on all your emotions. That is why I was saying that episode reminded me best about what it is to be a Marine. There are other great shows my favorite is Full Metal Jacket but since I was not even born in 69 I cannot say that best represents the time era......

[Joseph P Carey]

Originally posted by Sgt Ski 2/7
Christian Porter with 3/7 there was no problem it was just all the feelings. I reminded me of the closeness and the brotherhood felt between Marines. Something that people on the outside have a hard time understanding. We all know the friendships that are formed in the Marines are some of the closest that you will ever find but when you spend every day digging foxholes guard duty 4 hour op watches than you becomes closer than some of your family members. And when that person is taken away from you by our own friendly fire incident and he is torn apart in front of you by a M1A1 round it is hard. Than you have to go home with the body and put on a brave face in front of the family it is hard.

The funeral was excellent in all Military tradition but sitting there as they bury your friend is hard on all your emotions. That is why I was saying that episode reminded me best about what it is to be a Marine. There are other great shows my favorite is Full Metal Jacket but since I was not even born in 69 I cannot say that best represents the time era......

In all honesty Ski, Friendly fire incidents are not so rare in any war. They happened in Vietnam, they happened in Korea, they happened in the Gulf War, and most recently, in the assault on Baghdad, it happened in Iraq, and in the case of the former defensive back, Pat Tillman, from the Arizona Cardinals, it happened in Afghanistan.

I would say a full 20% of the Marine's casualties in the assault on Baghdad happened due to one incident in Iraq when an Air Force Jet attacked US Marines on the supposed wrong side of a bridge during the assault. The fact remains, things have gotten much better than they were in the past, and without putting Global Positioning Chips into each serviceman, whereby even the enemy could find our troops by pressing a button, there is nothing that can be done about it. We had a saying for it in RVN, "$hit happens!" It is still the same for any warfare. When your number comes up, it does not matter if the munitions was made in China, Russia, the Czech Republic, or Dover NJ, you are dead all the same! It is the cause that matters and the mission that is most important. Warfare is not a safe place! It was never meant to be!!!

[Sgt Ski 2/7]

I understand fully about friendly fire incident but when you are involved in 2 of them in 48 hours you come to think of being jinxed. Luckily in the first one no one was killed only a Plt sgt was shot in the neck and a 60 gunner took out a saw gunner. The plt sgt was shot in the throat area and lived and the saw gunner was hit and the round tumbled down the barrel and went into his arm. it was between 2 plts in the same company and the second someone was killed. I understand the friendly fire incidents because I have been involved in them.

[Joseph P Carey]

Originally posted by Sgt Ski 2/7
I understand fully about friendly fire incident but when you are involved in 2 of them in 48 hours you come to think of being jinxed. Luckily in the first one no one was killed only a Plt sgt was shot in the neck and a 60 gunner took out a saw gunner. The plt sgt was shot in the throat area and lived and the saw gunner was hit and the round tumbled down the barrel and went into his arm. it was between 2 plts in the same company and the second someone was killed. I understand the friendly fire incidents because I have been involved in them.

And... We are talking about the best trained, and most disciplined combat troops in the world! What is your point? Like I said, $hit happens!

Fiendly fire is just one additional way of coming up dead in combat. We had a Machinegunner named Hogan, when his watch was done, he fell asleep with a replacement A-Gunner on watch with the gun. Hogan rolled over in his sleep, and the sound startled the replacement, who turned the gun and fired into him. Hogan, being a tough Irish Lad, lived with 20 holes in him, and in the morning, he was transfered out to the Philippine Islands.

I saw him the next day at Clark AFB, because I was wounded the next day while on Operation Texas. He was still alive then, but I often wondered about him all these years!

I recently joined my Company Assoication (Kilo 3/7), and Hogan's name was not on the list of those Killed, but I received a list of my former Company Marines sometime later, and I was surprised to find that he lives to this day in Canastota, NY. Like I said, one tough Irish Lad, but also, like I said, if your number is not up, nothing can kill you!