Historically speaking, answer which soldiers had the greatest esprit de corp without being too patriotic?
451077
King David united the tribes of Judah and Israel and set leaders over his men known as "the thirty".  These men had great admiration for each other and for their leader.  Among them were "the three" who responded to David's request to drink of the water from his home town of Bethlehem.  They broke through enemy lines to fulfill this wish of their leader whom they loved so much.  This story and more of David and his men can be read in I Chronicles 11.
973265
Thank you...Semper Fi.  Once a Marine always a Marine...Master Gunnery Sergeant, USMC...2nd Force Recon, Charlie Company...From the Halls of Montezuma, To the Shores of Tripoli, We will fight our Country's battles.....
829025
this one is my personal favorite\n\nhttp://www.soldiersangels.org/
396377
Ask a Marine what's so special about the Marines and the answer would be "Esprit de Corps", an unhelpful French phrase that means exactly what it looks like - the spirit of the Corps, but what is that spirit, and where does it come from? \n\nThe Marine Corps is the only branch of the U.S. Armed Forces that recruits people specifically to fight. \n\nThe Army emphasizes personal development (an Army of One), the Navy promises fun (let the journey begin), the Air Force offers security (its a great way of life). \n\nMissing from all the advertisements is the hard fact that a soldier's lot is to suffer and perhaps to die for his people, and take lives at the risk of his/her own. Even the thematic music of the services reflects this evasion. \nThe Army's Caisson Song describes a pleasant country outing. Over hill and dale, lacking only a picnic basket. \n\nAnchors Aweigh, the Navy's celebration of the joys of sailing, could have been penned by Jimmy Buffet. \n\nThe Air Force song is a lyric poem of blue skies and engine thrust. All is joyful, invigorating, and safe. \n\nThere are no land mines in the dales nor snipers behind the hills, no submarines or cruise missiles threaten the ocean jaunt, no bandits are lurking in the wild blue yonder. \nThe Marines Hymn, by contrast, is all-combat. We fight our Country's battles, First to fight for right and freedom, we have fought in every clime and place where we could take a gun, in many a strife we have fought for life and never lost our nerve.\n\nThe choice is made clear. You may join the Army to go to adventure training, or join the Navy to go to Bangkok, or join the Air Force to go to computer school. You join the Marine Corps to go to War! \n\nBut the mere act of signing the enlistment contract confers no status in the Corps. \nThe Army recruit is told from his first minute in uniform that "you're in the Army now", soldier. The Navy and Air Force\nenlistees are sailors or airmen as soon as they get off the bus at the training center. \n\nThe new arrival at Marine Corps boot camp is called a recruit, or worse, but never a MARINE. Not yet, maybe never. He or she must earn the right to claim the title of UNITED STATES MARINE, and failure returns you to civilian life without hesitation or ceremony.\n\n************************************************************ \nMy Son proudly served with the 31st MEU Marines SOC 1996 /2000
297561
Georges Clemenceau was the most reknowned leader of France during WW1 after Paul Painlevé.  The leader was referred to as a "premier", not "presidente".  I don't believe France had a president until the new republic formed by Charles de Gaulle in 1958.\n\nThe idiot "unluckyone" above me doesn't seem to know the difference between ww1 and ww2; the French fought practically alone against the Germans for many bloody years of brutal trench warfare.  There is no shortage of courage among Frenchmen ... which doesn't mean that they're great fighters, just that they do have a lot of courage.\n\nSee the link below for a biography.
1028479
On November 8th, 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump, in Vietnam, were ambushed by over 1200 V.C. \n\nForty-eight American soldiers lost their lives that day.\n\nqbqbqb, I hate to break the news to a historian, but there's no such thing as a "VC Regular." There's VC (Viet Cong, Victor Charley, which was like a militia) and there's NVA (NVA Regular Army). The the case of the Ia Drang Valley, those were NVA.\n\nTOYS 'R' US KID, don't mind what sgt_k says, you're welcome to your opinion. I'd like to see 'em come home too.
173876
Airforce: "Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do"\n\nNavy: "Non sibi sed patriae" (Not self but country) is unofficial\n\nArmy: "This We Will Defend"\n\nUS Coast Guard. "Semper Paratus" (Always Ready)
909641
I prefer the philosophy of George S. Patton.\n\n"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
868200
Yes, they had arguably the most disciplined military in the whole conflict...
264368
I believe that he was patriotic in the sense that patri means father and he honored the fathers of his nation, being abraham issac and jacob, however, probably not patriotic in the sense you mentioned.  he instilled the values of obeying the government he was under(render to caesar what is caesar), BUT his ministry was for peace and of a humanitarian nature, no where is it mentioned in the gospels that it is ever, ever ok. to kill.  we should be against war and the depravation it causes.  that said it is important for us to pray for those who have hardened hearts to this issue, as well as prayer for those who are in the military.  they are doing what they are told but i am sure many of them would like peace.
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nikky_c2000 - You had better thank your lucky stars that the brave men and women in our military generally support your right to make such an ignorant, thoughtless, godawful statement.\n\nVietnam War veteran Wil Boc put it best when he wrote:\n\n"Since the American Revolution, we have learned\n\n"That it is not the poet, but the soldier who maintains our freedom of expression;\n\n"It is not the journalist, but the soldier who maintains our freedom of speech;\n\n"It is not the lawyer, but the soldier who maintains the greatest system of justice in the world;\n\n"And it is not the politician, but the soldier who provides for our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness."\n\nnikky_c2000 - You would do well to remember that next time you see a soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine. They are doing the job you refuse to do to keep all of us free. You should thank them.\n\nI see you are a Brit, so let me put it to you like this: If it wasn't for the men and women of the armed forces, you'd be answering this question auf Deutsch right now.\n\nEDIT: tink41503 - Thank you for your service!!
784974
Jean Luc Picard all the way!!  He was a man who just commanded respect from everyone he encountered.  He was a man so in control of himself that his crew trusted him without question.  Respect is always the most important aspect of a leader.  Picard earned the respect of everyone.\n\nRemember when Worf got mad at him and said - "if you were any other man I would disembowel you right here."  I think that says it all.
681312
DeKlerk of South Africa because he had the guts to free the blacks in a white society.\n\nWinston Churchill of Great Britain because he stood strong against Nazi Germany and was the last free nation involved in WWII.\n\nFranklin Roosevelt of the USA because even with in a wheelchair he was able to guide the USA out of the Great Depression and win WWII.
380670
I would say the best snipers goes to the British...UK....since their military is longer history compare to USA.
21307
The French Foreign Legion?\n\nMercenaries, cutthroats, and occasionally good soldiers who joined the Legion for fun, to escape the law, or for money. It's had a reputation as a strong fighting unit but it's generally looked down on by professional soldiers because they are a very motley crew.
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Tough one.  Hannibal, Alexander the Great, Napolean, Stonewall Jackson, and Rommell come to mind quickly for army commanders.\n\nNaval tactics....Nelson, Spruance, Tanaka, and Cunningham also come to mind quickly.\n\nPicking one great of all time is pretty difficult, especially given the different periods of warfare, and your particular definition of tactical.
1053339
Wow.  What a question.\n\nI'm going to limit my answer to the 20th Century, because this is a very difficult question to answer if you take all recorded history.  There are so many variables.\n\nMy vote would go to General of the Army Omar Bradley who was one of the most successful American field commanders in World War II.  Most overlook Bradley in favor of Patton, but Bradley was a brilliant tactician and his troops loved him.  \n\nUnlike Patton, who was very controversial and who was resented by many under his command, Bradley was very popular with fellow commanders, including Patton.  He did not seek publicity, nor did he get much.\n\nOther contenders might be Field Marshal Zhukov, the Soviet commander who took Berlin, Eisenhower, who balanced military and political pressures to lead a successful European campaign, and British General Horrocks, another unsung field commander who probably helped avoid making Operation Market-Garden a bigger disaster than it was.\n\nMacArthur also deserves a good deal of credit for his brilliant attack at Inchon in the Korean War.