Army vs. Marines

[Walt's Daughter]

I understand the concept and your feelings about building a strong appreciation of the history of the marines, the army, etc. I too think it can't be emphasized enough! One thing it does is to install a strong sense of pride, and that can never be underestimated.

 

I recently spoke to a young man who was in the Navy. Mind you the NAVY wasn't at the Battle of the Bulge , but I was kind of shocked when this young man (about 25), wasn't even aware of BOB! He's "been in" for five years, and I really thought military history should play a much larger role.

 

I gave him some background, and he then admitted it sounded "familiar". Told him some good movies to watch, and since he likes history, I encouraged him to go on from there.

 

I didn't take your opinion as a slam against the army, but an honest assessment of how different the branches are from a teaching aspect. From my understanding, it is true that the Marines DO instill a very strong sense of pride, and that pride stems from a firm grasp of the WHOLE picture passed down from continuous generations. Of course that doesn't mean the army or other branches do not take pride in themselves, or do a good job of training leaders, etc., but I think it simply means that the Marines try even harder to do so.

 

As you stated, this is more or less your modern assessment of the post WWII military, and I thank you for sharing your always insightful posts.