SwiftVets.com

[lthrneck]

The Marine as seen by.........

Himself:
A Stout, Handsome, Highly-Trained Professional Killer and Female Idol, who
wears a star sapphire ring, carries a finely honed K-Bar, is covered with a
crisp cammie cover, and is always on time due to the reliability of his
Seiko Diver's Watch.

His Wife:
A stinking, gross, foul mouthed bum, who arrives home every 6 months or so
with a seabag full of filthy utilities, a huge ugly watch, an oversized
knife, a filthy hat, and a hard-on.

Headquarters Marine Corps:
A drunken Brawling, HMMWV stealing, women corrupting liar, with a star
sapphire ring, Seiko watch, unauthorized K-Bar, and a fuc*ed up cover.

His Commanding Officer:
A fine specimen of a drunken Brawling, HMMWV stealing, women corrupting
bullshitter, with a star sapphire ring, fantastically accurate Seiko watch,
finely honed razor sharp K-Bar, and a salty cammie cover.

Congress:
An over paid, over-rated, tax burden, who is however, indispensable since he
will volunteer to go anywhere, at any time, and kill whoever he is told to,
as long as he can, drink, brawl, steal HMMWV's, corrupt women, kick cats,
lie, sing dirty songs, wear filthy cammies, big sapphire rings, over-sized
knives, Seiko watches and really fuc*ed up covers.

Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States:
"Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a
difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem. "

General Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army:
". . . these Marines have the swagger, confidence, and hardness that must
have been in Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Shenandoah. They remind me of
the Coldstreams at Dunkerque."

Admiral Chester Nimitz, U.S. Navy, of the Marine Corps battle for Iwo Jima:
"Uncommon valour was a common virtue"

General Douglas MacArthur, US Army:
"I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is
not a finer fighting organization in the world!"

Lieutenant Colonel T.R. Fehrenbach, US Army in "This Kind of War":
"The man who will go where his colors will go, without asking, who will
fight a phantom foe in a jungle and mountain range, without counting, and
who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without
complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered
Britain to Democratic America. He is the stuff of which legions are made.
His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and
coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to
his orders. As a legionaire, he held the gates of civilization for the
classical world... today he has been called United States Marine."

An Anonymous Canadian Citizen:
"Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever
witnessed. They treat their service as if it was some kind of cult,
plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up
to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths,
worshipping their Commandant almost as if he was a god, and making weird
animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the
drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest
SOB's I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond
man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set
them apart and, generally speaking, of the United States Marines I've come
in contact with, are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I
have had the pleasure to meet. "

General Pershing, U.S. Army:
"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle! "

General Mark Clark, U. S. Army:
"The more Marines I have around the better I like it! "

General Johnson, U. S. Army:
"I can never again see a United States Marine without experiencing a feeling
of reverence. "

Richard Harding Davis, war correspondent (1885):
"The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand. "

An Anonymous U.S. Marine:
"I recently attended a Kansas City Chiefs football game at Arrowhead
Stadium. It was their annual Veteran's day salute so members of all the
services were asked to participate in the festivities.
A color guard for the National Anthem was provided by the Buffalo Soldiers
Association. They looked very sharp in their 1800's era U.S. Army Cavalry
uniforms. Following that the U.S. Navy parachute team put on an impressive
display that brought great cheers from the 78,000 football fans in
attendance. Shortly after that we were treated to the truly awesome sight of
an Air Force B-2 Stealth bomber flyover as well as a few other aircraft. All
of these sights were truly appreciated by the crowd (especially the B-2) who
let it be known by their cheers. I expected that was all that we would see
of the Military that day.
I thought we would see a high school or college marching band during
halftime. Few watch these shows anyway because they have to use the head or
grab another beer (or two) during the intermission.
Shortly before half time, however, I looked down on the sidelines near the
end zone and saw the Silent Drill Platoon forming up. As the halftime
started the players left the field and the announcer came on the public
address system and advised us of the Platoons performance. Many of us
Marines have seen these performances in the past and they are always
awe-inspiring. I did not expect that the large "civilian" crowd of football
fans would be as appreciative of the Silent Drill Platoon as they had been
of the high-tech B-2, or the daring of the Navy parachute team. I however
was on the edge of my seat. As the Platoon marched onto the field it was
very noticeable that the crowd was growing quieter. Soon the Platoon was
fully into their demonstration and the stadium was silent.
>From high in the stands upper reaches where my seats were I was able to hear
the "snap and pop" of hand striking rifle. Both big screen scoreboards
displayed close ups of the Marines as they went through their routine. As
they completed their platoon demonstration and lined up for the inspection
the crowd began cheering as the Marines twirled their rifles in impossible
fashion. Then came the inspection. Again the crowd fell silent and watched
intently as rifles were thrown, caught, twirled, inspected and thrown some
more. Each well practiced feat brought a "wow" or "did you see that?" from
those sitting behind me or next to me.
I sat there in my silent pride as I watched my brother Marines exit the
field. A young girl behind me asked her mother a question about how the
Marines learn to do the things they just did. The mother replied "They
practice long and hard and they're Marines, so they're the best."
Semper Fidelis!!!

Happy 229th Birthday!
_________________
"Old Breed, New Breed, There's not a DAMM bit of
difference so long as it's the MARINE Breed"
- Lt. Gen Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller

Semper fi
uuurah
Carry On!!

[blue9t3]

So whats not to like?
_________________
MOPAR-BUYER

[scotty61]

Under Clinton we used to hear the terrrorists say that the US Marines were not their equal and would cut and run after a few casualties. After 9-11 we have seen that they were right about the Marines not being their equal.
_________________
John Kerry. A Neville Chamberlain for our times.

[GenrXr]

[lthrneck]

A little poem someone sent me.

Sand of Christmas

By Michael Marks
I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
and looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.
The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Chargers lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.
The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
and so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.
And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
eight Humvees ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens,
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.
They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.
There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn't need an ornament--they lacked a Christmas tree.
They didn't have a present even though it was tradition,
the only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.
I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There's nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight,
our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,
to worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.

He looked at me as children do and said it's always right,
to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.
And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

God bless you all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.
The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can't repay.

Copyright 2003 Michael Marks: "I freely submit this poem for reprint without reservation--this is an open and grateful tribute to the men and women who serve every day to keep our nation safe."
_________________
"Old Breed, New Breed, There's not a DAMM bit of
difference so long as it's the MARINE Breed"
- Lt. Gen Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller

Semper fi
uuurah
Carry On!!