Alright whats up with that statement? I hear somewhere that they say that regardless of their MOS, every soldier/marine starts out as an INFANTRYMAN/RIFLEMAN. As far as I know, they only know the BASICS, basic information thats covered in this manual and tought at BASIC TRAINING:
Now, if they say every soldier/marine is an infantryman, does that mean that everyone in the Army/Marines knows infantry tactics/drills such as attacking, ambushing, MOUT training, etc. Stuff that is covered in these manuals?
I think when you heard that statement it was refering to the Marines. "Every Marine a rifleman" is one of our creeds. Every Marine regardless of MOS could be pressed into service as a rifleman. During the Korean War at the Chosin Resovoir cooks, bakers, and candlestick makers (REMFs) were doing alot of the fighting and the Chinese were very suprised at how good the were. Which was do in part to the high standards Marines place on shooting qualifications.As for officers EVERY Marine officer is first an infantry officer. They all go to TBS regardless of thier future job be it pilot, finance officer, or even JAG officer. After TBS they then go to thier MOS school where if selected for an infantry slot they specialize even further on leading infantry units.
Every Marine- man, woman, white, black, purple, etc. - qualifies on the rifle range.
This is because- from my understanding- that Marines operate as a first assault force and can/have been/might be overrun or depleted to the point were rear echelon troops like cooks, etc. are needed for no other reason than to fill out the ranks.
As for the Army...I dunno. They've lowered their standards alot to allow for - dare i say it- "political correctness" to allow more women, etc to pass.
I DO know that the 75th Ranger Reg. requires all members to qualify as infantrymen. In Mogh. in '93, the cooks and techs went out looking for their downed comrades. They obviously knew how to fight, otherwise they would not have volunteered.
Thats pretty freaking condesending to say that the Army has lowered its standards. Wow.
But on the topic, when the **** hits the fan, everyone is a grunt. If you're tank gets hit, now you're a ground pounder, same for birds. Look at what happened in Mog. 3/75 had its cooks and pack clerks manning M2s on top of Hummers. Thats the ideal. Does it always happen? No. Not in the Army or the Marines or any other branch of service. MOS's have a specialty and that specialty is essential for that branch to continue to function. So they do much more with that specialty and less with infantry tactics.
Understand, in combat Marines are used more often in various MOS' then any other branch. From experience, it is indeed the case that whatever MOS your in, your always a rifleman 1st. And each yr you continue to qualify @ the shooting range. Now the 75th is a combat force so all personnel are apt to the use of combat. Non-combat batallions, divisions, etc... are not combat trained in other branches. Only in the USMC. Not degrading other branches mind you. With all do respect Fallen Angel, and correct me if I'm mistaken. But you are a cadet, not an actual graduate of West Point or bootcamp. Only your history books can tell you whats reported. For us individuals that have been through such conflicts as Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, Somalia or Viet Nam for that matter, can offer solid contributions to what happens in warfare.
Jocku,
First off, I don't know of any support divisions. Sure there are support battalions, but wouldn't you rather have an intprator who actually knows his/her language then an interprator whos a commando. I'd go with the knowledgable interprator.
Second, yes, I am a cadet, but as such, I've graduated from a boot camp. Everyday I interact with officers and NCOs who are coming and going from the force. I don't remeber many combat units stationed in Philly. Maybe you're a history buff or a vet, I don't know. Either way, that only qualifies you to talk about the past and not what is currently happening in the military.
Sorry, gotta defend the Army. Also, does Marines have a proper SOF? yeah, didn't think so.
dude...what I meant by lowered standards is in reference to the lowred enlistment quota and the lowered standards for non-combatant troops.
Also...the Marines don't have Spec Ops uits per say....but they DO have force recon which is considered an elite unit- although not under teh SOCOM banner.
Also, the Marines are under the Navy....and the Navy has DevGru and SEALs.
Who cares if the Marine Corps didn't have a "proper" Special Ops Force under SOCOM? Force Recon is still made up of some of the most badass guys in the US Military. They're no less well-trained than the Army Special Forces or SEALs. In fact, most of the training is almost exactly the same.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, if they say every soldier/marine is an infantryman, does that mean that everyone in the Army/Marines knows infantry tactics/drills such as attacking, ambushing, MOUT training, etc. Stuff that is covered in these manuals?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes.... What doesn't make sense?.. The Infantry trains in all of the above tactics and more...
Adam, back to your original question, the saying is every Marine is a rifleman, and it comes from this. A) Every Marine has to qualify once a year on the rifle range from private to general, from cook to pilot, (dont know what the Army does.)
B) Yes, after boot camp every Marine goes to Marine combat training for 1 month of patroling, ambushing and generally living in the field for a month, only after this does a Marine go on to his MOS training.
Semper Fi
Bull, the Army uses separate boots for infantry and support units unlike the Corps. It has been only recent that the Army has been training the support units with infantry skills. This is based on the Marines MCT and Small Unit Tactics at Quantico.
The Army hates on Marines just because their beloved Rangers SOF are pretty much equally rivaled by the regular 0300 Marine.
With regards to the Rangers doing the combat drop to raid the Kandahar airport, thats one of the very few specialties that Rangers do that typical Marines dont.
Also, the USMC may not have an official SOF, but Force Recon is an elite unit and I'd also like to make the point of you always hearing about the Army on the news, SF this, Rangers that, when is the last time you heard about Force Recon? Exactly...
View Profile
View Forum Posts
Private Message
Reply With Quote
Visit Homepage
