"Reducing the number of marines on Okinawa from 17,000 to 16,000 will have no effect on the balance of power in the Western Pacific. In fact, it will help secure our valuable alliance with the Japanese. Okinawans recently voted 10 to 1 for a reduction in American forces. Unless force reductions are forthcoming, the U.S. military could be kicked off the entire island. Old "salts" were convinced that the U.S. Navy would never be forced to leave Subic Bay, but a failure to deal with politics led to an order to leave within two years. The marine corps must reduce its presence on Okinawa if it wants to retain any bases on that island".

Fort Bragg, NC, USA

A Soldier goes on a shooting rampage and immediately people have several men in mind who could have done it--Soldiers the Army has wronged, in a major way. The best way to stop work place violence is to stop abusing employees!

So why does the marine corps have a false media-made "HALO" effect while the U.S. Army is self-critical?

Because more mature people are in the U.S. Army who are not so easily satisfied with just fancy dress uniforms and pushups. It's time that the truth be known--the U.S. Army is a far better organization than the marine corps. I've been in both organizations--and while my associates and I constantly bring up U.S. Army problem areas we do so because they'll get fixed--usually later when we are not looking--but the U.S Army is worth the effort. The usmc on the other hand will deny problems, showcase ideas in marine corps Gazette to make the public think its a progressive organization then in reality go about destroying any and all individuals with integrity that try to improve the hide-bound corps. That the U.S. Army doesn't have a false--"HALO" of perfection is good--it's the sign of a healthy organization that allows constructive criticism to occur. Many Soldiers don't understand this and are discouraged when Army imperfections are reported in the POST--things would be much, much worse in a self-worshiping organization like the corps that maintains an illusion of perfection at the expense of real world excellence. It didn't impress the terrorists in Lebanon who killed 265+ when they didn't even load their weapons.

Ever since the Beirut bombing, the National Command Authorities (NCA) have realized the usmc's limitations and its been the U.S. Army that has led the nation's wars with its hands-on competence. Every time I talk or work with U.S. Army Soldiers, most of the time they are competent professionals who didn't blindly worship the organization. The "day of reckoning" is coming for the mc on the modern battlefield if we are desperate and have to use them to do anything more difficult than an evacuation or rescue, with little opposition.

In contrast, the U.S. Army has Paratroopers ready-to-go in 18 hours who can jump in anywhere, land navigate, "live off the land" with survival skills, can effectively camouflage themselves, operate all the weapons in their unit's T/O not just their assigned weapon. The Army's BDU is intelligently worn by tucking in trouser cuffs for circulation instead of blousing bands, sleeves rolled with quick-release cuffs and unit and personal badges can be worn to motivate Soldiers beyond basic training levels. The U.S. Army has better housing, PXs, Commissaries and military clothing sales stores where new TA-50 can be obtained, "Boot Camp" ridicule, abuse and "back-stabbing" is a way of life in the zero-defects mind-set corps run by "lifers" on ego trips of their superiority over the other services. The "trash-talking" USMC defends thier false "HALO" by distorting the past and trash talking the present---if the recent debacles haven't already removed this illusion its time it took some of its own medicine. Until then, Soldiers should not be fooled--the Army is a better organization than it realizes. Don't confuse braggadocio with quiet self-confidence. We need to dominate the debate with talk of tactical excellence and taking care of the men and make the U.S. Army earn its "HALO" by real excellence.