|
The Corps has survived after all these decades because
of the desire to excel from young men and women. That burning
pride is what sets us apart and when can distill people from
the society at large with that kind of desire, we guarantee
that the tradition that our predecessors paid for in blood will
live on yet another generation. Why do you think we are still
around and still the premier fighting force the world has ever
known?
Did you know that in Somolia, they called the Marines
“Black boots” because the Army wore tan, desert-style
boots and we wore the standard black combat boots. It was common
knowledge for the Somolis to avoid the “Black Boots”
at all costs and not engage in combat with them. The Marines
couldn’t pick a fight there because no one would fight
them. THAT is the respect and reputation that the Marine Corps
enjoys. There are many examples throughout history where the
Marines show up and the enemy basically says, “Ok, that’s
it, we’re done. The US Marines are here…”
The good thing about that is that, while we know how
to fight, to win without fighting is the ideal situation and
we avoid a lot of bloodshed by beating the enemy with our reputation
before we even have to engage. But if they are foolish enough
to continue, well, we do what we do and once that monster is
unleashed, I’d hate to be on the business end of that
situation. It really is amazing to see the fighting capability
of the Marine Corps and once you see it, you realize that it
is NOT all hype and the reputation is well earned. I have seen
mock battles that just left me speechless and my only thought
was “What enemy could ever survive that?”
|
