Sen-elect James Webb USMC background-MC Times

[KB]

The Lore of the Corps
Sen.-elect Webb earned Navy Cross in Vietnam

By Keith A. Milks
Special to the Times

Former Marine James Webb burst into mainstream American consciousness in April when he announced his candidacy for one of Virginia’s two U.S. Senate seats. While Webb’s life unfolded for most Americans during his campaign, he has long been one of the best-known Marines of the Vietnam era.

Born Feb. 9, 1946, in Saint Joseph, Mo., the son of a career Air Force officer continued his family’s military tradition by entering the Naval Academy in 1968.

Opting for a Marine commission, Webb was trained as an infantry officer and promptly sent to Vietnam, where he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, and found himself in the volatile An Hoa Basin. For months, Webb and his Marines fought the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong in some of the most brutal combat of the war.

Webb racked up an impressive combat résumé in Vietnam, earning a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts and, most notably, the Navy Cross. Although most Marines know of Webb’s Navy Cross, few know the details of how he earned the nation’s second-highest award for battlefield valor.

It was July 10, 1969, and Webb was leading his platoon on a search-and-destroy operation when they stumbled upon a well-camouflaged string of enemy bunkers.

Although the bunkers appeared abandoned, Webb placed his men in a defensive posture and carefully approached the first with his pistol drawn. Without warning, three Viet Cong fighters leapt from the position.

Webb acted without hesitation and grabbed one of the fighters. The other two surrendered after looking down the barrel of his .45-caliber pistol. Turning over the prisoners to his men, Webb and one of his Marines cautiously approached a second bunker containing two Viet Cong soldiers.

As Webb approached, the Viet Cong tossed a grenade at him. Webb responded with a claymore mine that obliterated the bunker and its occupants. Webb quickly searched the bunker and connecting tunnel for items of intelligence value and then turned his attention to the third bunker.

As Webb and another Marine prepared to assault the bunker, an enemy hand grenade spiraled out of the position and landed at their feet. Webb slammed a few well-placed shots into the Viet Cong soldier; then, he shoved his Marine away from the grenade, placing himself in the path of the resulting explosion.

Shrapnel sliced into Webb, who ignored his numerous wounds and tossed a grenade into the bunker, eliminating the threat.

After Vietnam, Webb served as an instructor at Officer Candidates School and on the Navy secretary’s staff. He left the Corps in 1972 as a result of the wounds sustained in Vietnam — shrapnel is still embedded in one of his kidneys and at the base of his skull — and worked as a lawyer and Emmy award-winning journalist. He later served as the assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs and, eventually, as Navy secretary during the Reagan administration.

The outspoken 60-year-old won his bid for the Virginia Senate seat after a long, hard-fought campaign undertaken while wearing his Marine son Jim’s combat boots.

[California Joe]

Tough guy. Too bad he's such a liberal pervert and not more like that nice George Allen.



:)

[KB]

I liked the claymore in the bunker aperture...nice touch.

[California Joe]

That was badass. Reading that reminded me of that episode of Band of Brothers where they take out the German 88s.

[Aerosoul]

Impressive service. I'd've voted for him.

[Ordie]

Tough guy. Too bad he's such a liberal pervert and not more like that nice George Allen.



:)

Liberal? No
Conservative? Yes

Pervert?
You got to be kidding.

[KB]

In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate's Limits

By Michael D Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page A01

At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.

"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.

Webb was narrowly elected to the U.S. Senate this month with a brash, unpolished style that helped win over independent voters in Virginia and earned him support from national party leaders. Now, his Democratic colleagues in the Senate are getting a close-up view of the former boxer, military officer and Republican who is joining their ranks.

If the exchange with Bush two weeks ago is any indication, Webb won't be a wallflower, especially when it comes to the war in Iraq. And he won't stick to a script drafted by top Democrats.

"I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall," Webb said in an interview yesterday in which he confirmed the exchange between him and Bush. "No offense to the institution of the presidency, and I'm certainly looking forward to working with him and his administration. [But] leaders do some symbolic things to try to convey who they are and what the message is."
In the days after the election, Webb's Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill went out of their way to make nice with Bush and be seen by his side. House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) sat down for a lunch and photo opportunity with Bush, as did Democratic leaders in the Senate.

Not Webb, who said he tried to avoid a confrontation with Bush at the White House reception but did not shy away from one when the president approached.
The White House declined to discuss the encounter. "As a general matter, we do not comment on private receptions hosted by the president at the White House," said White House spokeswoman Dana M. Perino.

Webb said he has "strong ideas," but he also insisted that -- as a former Marine in Vietnam -- he knows how to work in a place such as the Senate, where being part of a team is important.

He plans to push for a new GI bill for soldiers who have served in the days since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but not as a freshman senator. He has approached the Democratic leadership about getting senior legislators to sponsor the bill when the 110th Congress convenes in January.

A strong backer of gun rights, Webb may find himself at odds with many in his party. He expressed support during the campaign for a bill by his opponent, Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), that would allow concealed weapons in national parks. But an aide said this week that Webb will review Allen's legislation.

There are going to be times when I've got some strong ideas, but I'm not looking to simply be a renegade," he said. "I think people in the Democratic Party leadership have already begun to understand that I know how to work inside a structure."
His party's leaders hope that he means it.

Top Democratic senators, including incoming Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), had invested their money and prestige in Webb before he won the party primary in June. His victory was also theirs, but now they have to make sure he's not a liability.

"He's not a typical politician. He really has deep convictions," said Schumer, who headed the Senate Democrats' campaign arm. "We saw this in the campaign. We would have disagreements. But when you made a persuasive argument, he would say, 'You're right.' I am truly not worried about it. He understands the need to be part of a team."

One senior Democratic staff member on Capitol Hill, who spoke on condition that he not be identified so he could speak freely about the new senator, said that Webb's lack of political polish was part of his charm as a candidate but could be a problem as a senator.

"I think he's going to be a total pain. He is going to do things his own way. That's a good thing and a bad thing," the staff member said. But he said that Webb's personality may be just what the Senate needs. "You need a little of everything. Some element of that personality is helpful."

Webb has started to put himself out front. On "Meet the Press" last week, he dispensed with the normal banter with host Tim Russert to talk seriously about Iraq and the need for economic justice in the United States.

He announced yesterday that he has hired Paul J. Reagan, a communications director for former governor Mark R. Warner (D) and a former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.). It will be Reagan's job to help his boss navigate the intricacies of Washington and Capitol Hill without losing the essence of his personality.

"The relationships he has built over his long career will serve me well," Webb said in a statement yesterday.

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), who campaigned hard to get Webb elected, said yesterday that the first-time officeholder doesn't have the finesse of most experienced politicians.

"He is not a backslapper," Kaine said. "There are different models that succeed in politics. There's the hail-fellow-well-met model of backslapping. That's not his style."

But Kaine said that Webb's background, including a stint as Ronald Reagan's Navy secretary, will make him an important -- if unpredictable -- voice on the war in Iraq.

"There are no senators who have that everyday anxiety that he has as a dad with a youngster on the front lines. That gives him gravitas and credibility on this issue," Kaine said. "People in the Senate, I'm sure, will agree with him or disagree with him on issue to issue. But they won't doubt that he's coming at it from a real sense of duty."

Staff writer Peter Baker contributed to this report.

[California Joe]

Liberal? No
Conservative? Yes

Pervert?
You got to be kidding.

Sorry pal, didn't use my [sarcasm] tags. I like Webb.

[WARPIG]

Seems to be a go getter. But, as said in the second article, I hope his personality doesn't get in the way of logic. Not sure what the animosity is with the President, but posturing like that won't get him very far. The whole "none of your business" attitude he took with Bush seems sort of like a stunt. I can't see how some simple, polite but reserved banter wouldn't have worked better.

[gaijinsamurai]

I would love to see him run for president in a few years. Of course, he might want to polish up his diplomatic skills a tad.

[KB]

Chuck Hagel is the man to watch.

[gaijinsamurai]

Why's that?

[Jobu]

The Democrats' liberal leadership will keep him on a short leash and he'll play ball by their rules or he's toast. That's how Washington works.

[KB]

Why's that?

Hagel's Moment?

By David Ignatius
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page A23

A month ago the idea that Sen. Chuck Hagel would make a serious run for the Republican presidential nomination would have been a non-starter. As an outspoken critic of President Bush on Iraq and other issues, Hagel's way was blocked. His best hope was nomination by a quixotic third party in an online convention.

It's a measure of the step change brought about by the Nov. 7 elections that Hagel is now seriously exploring a GOP presidential bid. The Republican blowout, he says, reflected a "breakdown of confidence and trust in governance" and opened the way for what he believes will be "the most wide-open presidential race since 1952." The Nebraska senator says he will make a formal decision in the next two months on whether to run.

What would make a Hagel candidacy interesting is that he can claim to have been right about Iraq and other key issues earlier than almost any national politician, Republican or Democratic. Though a Vietnam veteran and a hawk on many national security issues, he had prescient misgivings about the Iraq war -- and, more important, the political courage to express these doubts clearly, at a time when many politicians were running for cover.

Hagel warned about the dangers of invading Iraq in a Feb. 20, 2003, speech in Kansas. He noted that America stood "nearly alone" in advocating military force to disarm Iraq and cautioned against "a rush to war." Some of Hagel's premonitions were almost eerie: "What comes after Saddam Hussein? The uncertainties of a post-Saddam, post-conflict Middle East should give us pause, encourage prudence and force us to recognize the necessity of coalitions in seeing it through." He urged the Bush administration to transfer postwar oversight to the United Nations as soon as possible, and he admonished Iraq boosters to "put aside the mistaken delusion that democracy is just around the corner."

Hagel was also early to understand the importance of talking to Iran, another idea that has since become commonplace but at the time took political guts. In a July 10, 2003, speech on the Senate floor, he said that a direct U.S. dialogue with Tehran about the nuclear issue might be necessary. In a Nov. 15, 2005, speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, he was emphatic: "The fact that our two governments cannot -- or will not -- sit down to exchange views must end."
Such outspoken criticisms of Bush policies had put Hagel outside the respectable Republican perimeter -- until Election Day. Hagel delivered his own blunt postmortem in a Nov. 16 speech to a conservative political action committee, GOPAC. The message of the election, he said, "is the American people saying you failed." Republicans had become so focused on keeping power that "we came loose of our moorings."

Hagel went on to criticize his party's failings in language you rarely hear in the usual pre-masticated sound bites of today's politicians. On GOP ethics lapses: "When you blow past the ethical standards and you play on the edge of legality, you're in trouble." On Bush administration foreign policy: "You cannot have a foreign policy based on divine mission. We tried that in the Middle Ages, that's what the Crusades were about."

It strains credulity to imagine that a GOP controlled by Bush and Karl Rove could learn to love Hagel, but, as the Nebraskan says, this is a time of "transformational politics." A more practical problem is that if Hagel does decide to seek the nomination, he will be competing for the same niche as the GOP front-runner, Sen. John McCain, who has been on his "straight-talk express" longer than has Hagel. And although McCain's centrist halo has been tarnished by his efforts to woo the far right, he remains a far more polished speaker and campaigner than Hagel. But on Iraq, Hagel has a clearer stance than does McCain, whose call for a big increase in troops is out of step with both the recommendations of U.S. military commanders and the public mood.

Hagel likes to evoke the Republicanism of Dwight Eisenhower, another former military officer who could be devastating in his criticism of the policies advocated by the military-industrial complex. "This was a real Republican president," he told the GOPAC audience.

Will that pre-Reagan Revolution message play to the party faithful in Iowa and New Hampshire in 2008? Will the Bush administration's problems become so severe that Republicans would embrace a senator from the radical center? The very fact that Hagel is mulling a campaign reminds us that American politics turned a corner this month and that we are in new territory.

[gaijinsamurai]

Thanks for posting that, KB. I think you're right. He may be the one to watch.
So far, none of the other presidential hopefuls, McCain included, generate much enthusiasm from me.

[phoilme]

Liberal? No
Conservative? Yes

Pervert?
You got to be kidding.
Yeah, he's conservative like I'm black. I don't care what he did in Viet Nam. He's not on my side.

[Mechanical Ambush]

The Lore of the Corps
Sen.-elect Webb earned Navy Cross in Vietnam

By Keith A. Milks
Special to the Times

It was July 10, 1969, and Webb was leading his platoon on a search-and-destroy operation when they stumbled upon a well-camouflaged string of enemy bunkers.

Although the bunkers appeared abandoned, Webb placed his men in a defensive posture and carefully approached the first with his pistol drawn. Without warning, three Viet Cong fighters leapt from the position.

Webb acted without hesitation and grabbed one of the fighters. The other two surrendered after looking down the barrel of his .45-caliber pistol. Turning over the prisoners to his men, Webb and one of his Marines cautiously approached a second bunker containing two Viet Cong soldiers.

As Webb approached, the Viet Cong tossed a grenade at him. Webb responded with a claymore mine that obliterated the bunker and its occupants. Webb quickly searched the bunker and connecting tunnel for items of intelligence value and then turned his attention to the third bunker.


Are there any 'Nam Vets in here like me, this story is officer BULL-CRAP!

[California Joe]

XASA, Hollis, Mastermind I believe are all 'Nam vets....I'm sure there are others.

Now, I'm sure there were lots of bullsh*t medals given to officers during Vietnam. That is the general idea I got from some of my friends that served in combat there as NCOs. However, they also had a fair amount of stories of officers that earned every medal they recieved. Why does Webbs story sound like bull to you?

Someone forgot to take his finger off the trigger......;)

[Aerosoul]

Why does Webbs story sound like bull to you?
Because he didn't vote for Webb.

[phoilme]

I'm not a Viet Nam vet, but how do you just toss a Claymore? I think Webb's a dousche bag.

[Jobu]

I think I lost any inkling of confidence I had in him because of his past (which was minimal already) when I read the "class-warfare" opinion piece he wrote for the Journal after the election.

He comes across, in writing and on television, as some very odd, arrogant narcissist. That may be something you want in a novelist but it's not what I look for in a Senator.

[Limeyfellow]

"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"


What annoys me here is that on the same day just hours before Bush knew that Webb's son was almost killed a few weeks earlier in combat where the vehicle infront of him was heavily hit. What he did sounded more like a threat than a concern and no wonder if peed off Webb.

[11 Bravo]

What annoys me here is that on the same day just hours before Bush knew that Webb's son was almost killed a few weeks earlier in combat where the vehicle infront of him was heavily hit. What he did sounded more like a threat than a concern and no wonder if peed off Webb.

Oh god man...more conspiracy drivel...you need to stop watching the Sopranos and mob flicks , it's affected your thinking.

[phoilme]

Let's just say that it was a poor conversation on both parts. I don't think it was premetitated though. Bush was just indefferent to Webb. Webb will never be on the same page on Iraq as Bush - and that sucks! Especially when your son volunteers to serve. I don't know how Webb has come to the conclusion that the war on terrorists has turned south. For a vet who had to endure the worst of a "failed policy" when he served in Viet Nam seems to have no ability to compromise with Bush. Just answer the question Marine. I don't have to like every Marine that served, but I will always respect them. Do you think Webb would ever think a Marine can't do something? And I'm not talking about taking over the world.

[NewsMan]

The Lore of the Corps
Sen.-elect Webb earned Navy Cross in Vietnam

By Keith A. Milks
Special to the Times

It was July 10, 1969, and Webb was leading his platoon on a search-and-destroy operation when they stumbled upon a well-camouflaged string of enemy bunkers.

Although the bunkers appeared abandoned, Webb placed his men in a defensive posture and carefully approached the first with his pistol drawn. Without warning, three Viet Cong fighters leapt from the position.

Webb acted without hesitation and grabbed one of the fighters. The other two surrendered after looking down the barrel of his .45-caliber pistol. Turning over the prisoners to his men, Webb and one of his Marines cautiously approached a second bunker containing two Viet Cong soldiers.

As Webb approached, the Viet Cong tossed a grenade at him. Webb responded with a claymore mine that obliterated the bunker and its occupants. Webb quickly searched the bunker and connecting tunnel for items of intelligence value and then turned his attention to the third bunker.


Are there any 'Nam Vets in here like me, this story is officer BULL-CRAP!


I personally know the author and can tell you he's legit and a current GySgt in the USMC.

[raider65]

Maybe he meant "sachel charge" as a claymore has to be set up, at least all the ones I ever used and set off with a clacker. Maybe the old ones had a screw in time delay fuse. I know you can set them up as **** traps. Isn't Hillary Clinton going to run for President? What would you call her Presidentess?

[Gerle]

I'm not a Viet Nam vet, but how do you just toss a Claymore?
Maybe he set it up the normal way, not tossing it? It only said he responded with it, not in what manner he used it.

[ArmyJonHall]

Maybe he meant "sachel charge" as a claymore has to be set up, at least all the ones I ever used and set off with a clacker. Maybe the old ones had a screw in time delay fuse. I know you can set them up as **** traps. Isn't Hillary Clinton going to run for President? What would you call her Presidentess?
No, claymores can be used to destroy bunkers without any special prep, just screw in the det, wrap the cable around the claymore or tape it so it doesn't pull the det out, and toss it into the hole. Move back a bit, initiate the clacker. But of course an Ex-Marine such as yourself already knew that.

[raider65]

Take to long and they'd throw it out. And claymores are directional so if it landed wrong the blast would be the wrong way. That why theres legs on them and the words "FACE TOWARDS ENEMY" on the front. I like the sachel idea better.

[raider65]

And when I was in we would have used a SMAW or M203. In his time these weren't invented yet so they would have used a Blooper or a LAW. I guess he didn't have them.

[James]

Take to long and they'd throw it out. And claymores are directional so if it landed wrong the blast would be the wrong way. That why theres legs on them and the words "FACE TOWARDS ENEMY" on the front. I like the sachel idea better.

Lie behind a claymore, set if off, and see how "directional" the blast really is... :cantbeli:

[usm2b]

And when I was in we would have used a SMAW or M203. In his time these weren't invented yet so they would have used a Blooper or a LAW. I guess he didn't have them.

When were you in?

[raider65]

Sure, I wouldn't stand up behind it close and set it off. There is back blast and the explosive that fires the ball bearings forward, goes back to. Every action has a reaction. But standing in front is terminal. And I have set them off before. Lying down behind a berm. Alot of smoke/dust and noise. Hey usm2b are you in Sacramento Cali. I was in sometime after Vietnam and today. How about you. It's like a SSgt told me one time never write an After Action Report because all it does is allow Armchair Generals to question your combat decisions, decisions you had to make in seconds while they have all the time in the world.

[ArmyJonHall]

It's like a SSgt told me one time never write an After Action Report because all it does is allow Armchair Generals to question your combat decisions, decisions you had to make in seconds while they have all the time in the world.
AAR's are an integral and important part of training and doctrine development. It's called learning from your mistakes. In Australia after every exercise or deployment an AAR is held, I'm certain the US Military follows the same practice. In fact, I know they follow the same practice, as I've sat in on a few.

It wouldn't matter what direction the claymore is facing if you threw one into a dug-in bunker. 700 grams of C4 in such a confined space will ruin the day of anyone inside, no matter what direction it's facing.

[Ngati Tumatauenga]

Take to long and they'd throw it out.

Claymore in one hand, firing device in the other, throw it in and initiate. No time at all.



And claymores are directional so if it landed wrong the blast would be the wrong way.

.700 grams of C4 in a bunker/sanger/fire pit will **** up anyones day, front towards enemy or not.




Too much about your posts don't add up. Too many mistakes.

I'm going to call it, you're a poser.

[raider65]

Yeah, It'd be like a flashbang, only bigger. But it would not be my preferred way to do it. And that's all I said. They'd have time to throw it out like I said even with someone else on the clacker as you would have to duck and cover. I would have stayed back and hit it with either a M79 or M72 or called in Arty. But maybe he didn't have time. I wasn't there. But had it been my Fire Team, I would have pulled back and put supress fire on it and called for Arty. Just me, I like fireworks.

[ArmyJonHall]

Yeah, It'd be like a flashbang, only bigger.

You're comparing a Claymore to a FLASHBANG? Poser status : Confirmed

[raider65]

You bet, We used them all the time in FAST. We didn't use many claymores but I have used them to. We even learned how the make our own with plywood backing, C4 and nails with cardboard front. I've used M67 ball grenades to. Only proves your status. I know what I did and that's all that matters. And the US Government knows what I did too and they send me checks every month. Once a Marine always a Marine.

[ArmyJonHall]

You bet, We used them all the time in FAST. We didn't use many claymores but I have used them to. We even learned how the make our own with plywood backing, C4 and nails with cardboard front. I've used M67 ball grenades to. Only proves your status. I know what I did and that's all that matters. And the US Government knows what I did too and they send me checks every month. Once a Marine always a Marine.
... hang on, you're an active duty Marine right now?

[raider65]

No, I told you I'm an Armchair General now, a 5 Star General at that. Remember msgs I sent you already. I am a Veteran. I served in Desert Storm like I said. Remember 100 day war that wasn't. I was there from August to May of the next year. You might not remember as you were 4 or 5 at the time I was running in the big sand box.

[AussieJohnDoe]

Remember 100 day war that wasn't.

You mean the 100 hour war?

[raider65]

Yeah meant hours But It wasn't. It's 2:00 a.m. here and I'm not as young as I was. I went over Advance Party in Aug 1990, thru Desert Shield into Desert Storm and was there for The Humanitarian Effort which is now called Op Restore Hope. Went home in May 1991. They also say only around 400 people got killed. But add the 100,000 that are sick with Persian Gulf War Syndrome and that's just American Service people. There's more from other countries.

[D-gin]

I went over Advance Party in Aug 1990, thru Desert Shield into Desert Storm and was there for The Humanitarian Effort which is now called Op Restore Hope.

I could have sworn that Restore Hope took place in the Republic of Somalia, So could you please explain how a war in Iraq turns into a UN backed nation building effort in Somalia.

[raider65]

That was what I was told that they called the humanitarian effort after I left to go back to base in the states from Saudi. Maybe two different ops. I don't know. It was called just the humanitarian effort the last months I was there, later heard that they were calling it Restore Hope. Didn't get sent to Somalia but almost. They were sending any Marine with combat exsperience there as most Marines from Desert Storm were only ones with fresh combat skills. I still got my engagement card, that's how close I was to going. At last minute pulled me to teach my job to another Marine as it dealt with S-2 stuff.

[D-gin]

That was what I was told that they called the humanitarian effort after I left to go back to base in the states from Saudi. Maybe two different ops. I don't know. It was called just the humanitarian effort the last months I was there, later heard that they were calling it Restore Hope. Didn't get sent to Somalia but almost. They were sending any Marine with combat exsperience there as most Marines from Desert Storm were only ones with fresh combat skills. I still got my engagement card, that's how close I was to going. At last minute pulled me to teach my job to another Marine as it dealt with S-2 stuff.


off topic: You say you got back from Saudi, So what USMC base where you stationed at when you got back.

I was under the impression that U.S. Marines were stationed at Camps.

[raider65]

You are right except for Air Bases or Air Stations. Do you know why Marine Camps are called camps such as Camp Johnson or Camp Lejune. And why Army places are called Forts such as Fort Knox. Hint: It goes back to one of my earlier posts. I do.

[D-gin]

You are right except for Air Bases or Air Stations. Do you know why Marine Camps are called camps such as Camp Johnson or Camp Lejune. And why Army places are called Forts such as Fort Knox. Hint: It goes back to one of my earlier posts. I do.

Forts are stationary, Camps are not.........Traditionally speaking.

[raider65]

Thats right. The Marines take the land and move on. The Army holds it, hopfully. Other wise, We got to go back. Kind of a joke. Good Job Marine! Semper Fi. What's the Eagle Globe and Anchor stand for?

[D-gin]

Thats right. The Marines take the land and move on. The Army holds it, hopfully. Other wise, We got to go back. Kind of a joke. Good Job Marine! Semper Fi. What's the Eagle Globe and Anchor stand for?

I'm not one to try to derail a thread or piss off a MOD so this is my last post here.


To answer your Q: Eagle, proud country....Globe, global service....Anchor, maritime traditions. My grandfather spent 30+ years in the USN, So no more Q&A about Marine Corps traditions.....Cheers and goodnight.

[James]

I've used M67 ball grenades to.

Ball Grenade? :cantbeli: When I was in the USMC we called M67 grenades "frags".

[usm2b]

Ball Grenade? :cantbeli: When I was in the USMC we called M67 grenades "frags".

Things have changed since you've been in James. Get with the program.

[raider65]

Yes, They were fragmentation grenades. But they were also called "ball" grenades because of them being about the size of a baseball and different from "pineapple" grenade which was also a frag.

[raider65]

Went over to my friend's house to show him site. SoSoJoe, who is an ex Force Recon Marine. Asked him about doing that with a claymore as I never was taught/shown how to do that as we always used them the proper way. Standing them up also the "homemade" one was usually put on an upright post that was pounded into the ground. He said you could also wrap det cord around it and add a pull trigger. And he wasn't surprised I wasn't shown this as I wasn't Weapons Dept or official SF. He said that just the over pressure/concussion forces would have ripped their heads off. And He said it would have been like a VERY BIG flashbang if it landed deadly side down (of course with sharpnel and rocks flying around in the flash and bang). The concussional forces was what I was talking about. It is logical you could wrap the cord around the claymore and throw it out then set it off but it's not standard procedure. But to me, it would be an on the fly option but I can see it working. He also asked why he used a claymore that way which I said I don't know Sir but I'll find out (a joke if you've been in, the non-rate's or boot's answer unless you're a rock and that's your only answer). Maybe that's all he had. Heat of the moment/combat decision (See my SSgt said...). PS Also asked if he rode in any M113's (they may have been Amtracs but not as I remember). He said He's never rode in any type of APC ... That doesn't help me.

[Hydro]

EDIT - me being dumbass. Was thinking of M61.

[EsoognomEhT]

What's the Eagle Globe and Anchor stand for?


Doesn't it stand for "the Royal Marines have a nice badge so lets copy it" p-)

[usm2b]

Doesn't it stand for "the Royal Marines have a nice badge so lets copy it" p-)

no....where'd you pull that cockamamie idea from?

[EsoognomEhT]

http://www.thehock.com/USMC%20SEAL.gif http://website.lineone.net/%7Epeterbidmead/Marines/marine1.jpg


Oh no-where...p-)

[CG51]

roflroflrofl SoSoJoe

Thats classic!

[James]

http://www.thehock.com/USMC%20SEAL.gif http://website.lineone.net/%7Epeterbidmead/Marines/marine1.jpg


Oh no-where...p-)

USMC has it's roots in Gooch's Marines, a colonial marine unit that served alongside the English in 1739.

Notice which hemispheres each emblem has on the globe; between us, the RM and USMC have the whole world. ;)