Are Marines Soldiers?
82324
Marine is capitalized, and if you ever called me a soldier (even though I'm now a nice respectable physician) I would take your head off. The term soldier comes from the latin world for coin something like soldieri, and is akin to mercenary. Not a very safe thing to ever say to a leatherneck...young or old.\n\nedit: I got all riled up there..having just read the title. I like your thinking Fox. I was probably one of the few liberals back in my ANGLICO days, but since I was high speed/low drag I was allowed my views..as it should be. I think the military needs to be a-political. History has shown what can happen when it is not.
426525
The US Marines are a land-attack unit of the US Navy. i.e beach landings. The marines are also known to be highly trained in combat and have some cool equipment. They are also well versed in both marine and land combat.\nMarines are excellent for river patrols too.\n\nThe US Army, well, is the Army. They do ground-based attacks, with of course Army aviation. Their speciality is artillery and everything to do with the ground. They have almost no relation to the sea, but sometimes perform beach landings.\n\nBoth units use similar weapons, but very different aviation equipment\n\nIn terms of actual service differences, I'll try to phrase it a little better. In terms of land warfare equipment, there are some, but few differences between the Army and the Marines. In terms of training, Marine bootcamp is longer, is segregated by genders, and culminates in a 52-hour test known as The Crucible. In terms of doctrinal/tactical differences, the Marines are designed to be shock troops, conducting an intial assault as the first assault forces to enter a war. Thus, the Marines tend to have the highest physical requirements. The Army (not including its special ops units such as Rangers, Green Berets, or Delta Force) are designed to take part in a sustained ground war and thus are trained as your "average" soldier.
586634
It feels great to be called US Marine.  That's why I joined.  And I've met three former Army girls in my battalion who had the guts to join up as well.  Obviously I'm not the only one who knows where the best are supposed to be.  Semper Fi.
618541
This always poses some interesting facts to contrast:\n\n1) The US Army were formed for the people of the United States, whereas the Marines are exclusively for the President. The Army is supposed to be a long term occupational force whereas the Marines were designed as an all-purpose expeditionary force. Both roles are used when required, but Marines are a short term strike force.\n\n2) The Army is it's own department, whereas the Marines come under the Navy.\n\n3) Naval officers also partake in some Marine missions, such as medics and chaplains.\n\n4) The Marines specialize in amphibious landings whereas the Army is more of a dynamic land force. The Army actually has more watercraft than the Marines do, and the Army also does a lot of riverine operations\n\n5) The Army is distinctly American since it was lead by General George Washington, however, the Marines are based on the concept of colonial Marines, who are British in heritage. \n\n6) Only Marines are allowed to guard foreign consulates and embassies.\n\n7) The combat uniforms are different for both services: the Marines use the MARPAT (Marine Disruptive Pattern) for camouflage, whereas the Army has transitioned into the ACU (Army Combat Uniform)\n\n8) In foreign policy, the use of deploying a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to the closest body of water in a troubled region, usually shows the United States' intent that it is prepared to launch a landing and potentially invade a territory. Thus, the MEU is similar in policy to an aircraft carrier battle grouop. The Army is a different sort of threat if, in the case of Iraq, we base it forward from another allied country to prepare for war. In both cases, the United States visibly and explicitly illustrates a military might to coerce another delegation for cooperation.\n\n9) The Army has had it's special forces organized for decades, but the Marines only recently acquired their special operations status in November last year. \n\n10) Army special forces are used for purposes such as taking over airfields, anti-terrorist operations, and reconaissance. The Marines have call their forces, "Force Recon", which is basically a forward information post detailing enemy movement and possibly engaging the enemy.\n\n11) Army fixed wing aircraft are not attack planes, but recon and cargo planes, whereas the Marines have attack aircraft based off naval aircraft carriers.\n\n12) Army aircraft are not intended to land on ships, and Marine aircraft obviously are based off ships. \n\n13) Marines have ceremonial swords\n\n14) The Army is used more in peacekeeping operations and reconstruction efforts. \n\n15) Biggest similarity: Both the Army and Marines are "on the same team" when it comes to war: we both fight for the interest of the United States, and her people serve both services. \n\nIt would be biased to say that one is better than the other, but the truth is that these services are indeed different and cannot be judged on the same level. It is all subjective to one's interests and favored opinions
623789
Marines....always marines.
583913
Why? Why the Marines?\nAre you upset about them?\nWhat did they wrong?
840660
I know what are troops are doing on a daily basis, unfortunately most Americans don't, I can tell you are a jar head and thanks for your service, only a Marine would have called me "Top" thanks for responding to my joke, it was a good one! Semper Fi, my brother.MGYSGT WOODALL
38853
The Marine Corps does not believe in "Special Forces"  their view is that all Marines are special forces.  They've have fought tooth and nail NOT to be made a part of SOCOM for years ~ but due to the recent terrorist threat of recent years ~ have finally relented.\n\nTherefore they're forming a new "regiment" comprised of RECON and Force Recon ~ (not the same animal ~ there's a difference between the two)  \n\nAs I understand it, they're not going to be so much a part of SOCOM, as another tool in the shed that SOCOM can call upon, when and as needed.  \n\nMost of the confussion about the SEALS, Green Beret, DELTA Force, RECON, Force RECON, and Rangers is in-house poltical among the varioius branches of the military.  On the one side ~ each branch of the military has their own ax to grind ~ and dog in the fight.  Marine Recon and Force Recon was NEVER meant to to compete with the Green Berets, SEALS, nor Rangers.  They were formed to provide reconnisence to a Marine battalion and/or division in the field.  \n\nThey're Billy Bad Azzes in that they do perform alot of the same or similar type missions that SEALS, Green Berets, Rangers do, but they do what they do to be the eyes and ears out front to let the Marine Commander know what out there and what he's up against. \n\nSOCOM is an effort to bring all these different forces together and to utilize them in their most efficient manner for the task at hand.
364891
The comparison is usually between Army and Marines rather than Infantry to Infantry. The Army has a very different function than the Marines, and a wider mission during wartime. \n\nThe first difference is between the missions of the respective forces. The Marines are a relatively small branch of the Navy. Their mission  is primarily to conduct initial combat operations from a forward deployed platform (such as a big ass boat) and establish a beachhead from which they can operate until follow on forces arrive. \n\nThe Army’s mission is a little bigger. Along with establishing a foothold, they also expand the foothold into entire theaters of operations. The Marines fight battles. The Army fights the war. \n\nThe Marines are not really a self sustaining force. They take the beach (or whatever) and hold it until support arrives. It might sound like this is a bad thing, but in reality this is part of what makes them such a proud and ass-kicking force. There is a lot of pride in knowing that you are at the tip of the spear. \n\nThe Army has the same capability in its Light Infantry units. They do not specialize in amphibious operations, but rather in Airborne, Air Assault and Land based assaults. The Army’s Light Infantry units, such as the 101st ABN (AASLT), 82nd ABN Div, 173rd ABN BDE, 10th Mountain Div and 25th INF Div (L), are used as rapid deployment units capable of taking and holding ground until the rest of the Army can establish themselves. It goes without saying that one of the premier Light Infantry units in the world is the 75th Ranger Regiment, consisting of three Ranger Battalions that are ALWAYS on call for any contingency. \n\nWhen you get right down to it, the Light Infantry and the Marines both take a lot of pride in a tough job. They both also have generally higher Discipline and Esprit de Corps than your average Combat Support or Combat Service Support unit.\n\nThen we have the Mechanized Infantry. Units like the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions are heavy, powerful and slow to deploy. They pack a lot of punch, but moving all those M2 Bradley IFVs and M1 Abrams tanks along with all their logistics and support, is a major undertaking in itself. The Mechanized units have plenty of pride in what they do, but usually aren’t considered “elite”. This could be because of the perception that they spend all their time inside huge armored vehicles and don’t face the same kind of danger as a grunt. There is some truth to this in a large scale, high intensity conflict. However, today’s mechanized Infantry soldiers are operating “boots on the ground” just like everyone else in Iraq. \n\nOne reason the entire Marine Corps is considered “elite” is because, as I said earlier, their entire organization is predominantly combat oriented. Even the support units they do have are inculcated with the idea that “every Marine is a rifleman first”. This has always been a necessity for the Marines, who often operated with limited support for extended periods of time.\n\nBy contrast, in the past, Army support units have mostly operated in relatively safe areas, setting up well behind friendly lines. This was a fairly viable option in the past, when “lines” actually existed. In today’s fluid combat environment however, there are no “lines”. Every soldier must be a soldier first, and a personnel clerk/mechanic/cook/technician second. When GEN Pete Schoomaker took over as the new Army Chief of Staff, he immediately made this a matter of Army Policy in his vision for the future. \n\nThis is already being implemented in BCT here at Fort Jackson, and presumably at the other training facilities throughout the Army. The training has changed a little already, but major changes are underway for the coming classes of soldiers. Anyway, before I get too far off topic…\n\nA second reason that Marines are considered “elite” is because they consider themselves “elite”. This is a self fulfilling prophesy
952301
The Marines are a relatively small force.  They are stationed in the toughest locations.  I believe the ratio is probably 3 to 1.
841457
Marines is the best in soldiery.  It is the most disiciplined fighting force as a large unit and you will become respected by people by being a Marine.
607442
I served in the Marine Corps during Desert Storm and we did train for all possible scenarios on land and sea.  We trained for Oil Platform and ship takedowns.  It only takes a platoon of about 25 Marines to assault a cargo sized ship and stop it dead in the water.  \nThe helicopters used to pick us up off a Navy ship and then we would fast rope down to the oil platform or ship and then blitz the crew.\nDuring the revolutionary war... Marines crossed over to British ships to kill everybody in sight.  Sailors were used to sail the ships and shoot the cannons.  Marines were used to kill the enemy with sharpshooting skills or hand to hand combat.
825002
Ask a Marine recruiter.  They'll pump you full of information.
878976
Yes, exactly, precisely.\n\nThe job of the Marine Corps is to storm ashore and take command of an AIRPORT and the high ground around it, make the runway ready and set up radar to land planes.  The Navy stays offshore for sea superiority and support firepower and then the Air FOrce comes in to the airport to establish over-ground air supperiority and the Army flies in to fight the rest of the land battle.\n\nThe Marines are the Navy's wedge into ground operations and the opening of a battle to the Air Force and then the Army.\n\nA modern Army gets smashed and cut off without sea superiority and air superiority.  So the first objective is an AIRPORT near the WATER in modern warfare --that's what the Marines do (and do very well because they are always practiciing amphibious operations).
542840
Historically, Marines were part of the Navy (The Navy was first; the Marines are an "arm" or a department of the Navy), and served onboard warships. They assisted the crew in battles, boarded enemy ships, conducted small coastal raids, and protected the officers from mutiny by the crew. Eventually they have become the primary landing force. The word "Marine" is Navy in German.\n\nThe Marines' paychecks still are drawn on Department of the Navy checks.
298501
I have SEVERAL very good friends who are Marines or ex-Marines. Most of them are ALOT smarter than they are given credit for. They all do have one thing in common... \nThey all think they are the best... AT EVERYTHING!! & They have little to NO respect for any other service or even fellow Marines who don't do the same job they do. I sit and talk to one of my best friends he & I are like brothers. BUT!!... He hates the Army and thinks anyone who served in the Army must have joined because they weren't able to handle the Marines. And the other branches rate even lower!!\n\noldarronxxx We ALL serve and do what we do at a moments notice & leave our family behind for 6, 12, or even 18 months at a time! Ohh... and That "Blanket of Freedom" isn't provided by just the Marines & they are NOT always the first in nor the last out!\nThats more of that "brainwashed" stuff everyone is talking about.
890363
I am gonna enlighten you.\nThe Marines and the Army are not the same outfit.\nThere are also Navy Reserves, Air Force Reserves, and Coast Guard Reserves.