We never really used the ring. We just went at it bare knuckeled. Sometimes it was a real boxing thing -sometimes it turned into Romen grecco wrestling. Or if they knew judo it ended pretty quick. Our fights were encouraged to get rid of grudges and the benifit was everyone worked very hard at our hand to hand fighting skills. The downside of that is sometimes it went to far and if someone was really hurt then officers could and would bring charges on the Marines. Double edge sword on that. Your trying to win but not maim. With moves used to kill with.
On the ww1 and ww2, we are taught about the late entry of the wars, of how the Frogs took away most of our browning machine guns and gave us a pos light mg that was french. The cochuet or something like that. hunk of trash.
We learned about the fight in Beallou Wood (spelling murdered) We learned about the odds we faced and how we not only held from 5 to 1 forces but we advanced and took a critical part of ground. Only to have to give it up due to the french not gaining the ground they were supposed to.
In the second world war nothing existed except the war in the Pacific. We knew there was a war in Europe and small amounts of Marines were there but the war in Europe was small compared to the Pacific as far as we knew.
Stories about the Battian death march, the loss of guam, and many other islands. Then the stories of horror of the retaking and capture of many other islands. Of showing up with a division and being told the island was easy to capture as the bombardment had killed off the island defenders. To step off the assault boats and discover that every inch was fought over. Some of the islands were only 3 miles by 6 miles. And they could take 2-3 months to take completly due to the caves and tunnels. To lose 2/3 of the total Marines that assualted the island. Those odds are something else.
You guys are correct. What I did and felt must be nothing to those vets and the horrors they faced.
I also hate the history we are taught in the Marines. We are tested on knowledge of the history and the horrors we have faced and never broken. From the begining we are told it is better to die than lose. And we belived it all. It was a source of pride and much of our spirit. We propped up our dead and worshipped the heros that died for the cause.
Dan Dailey, Chesty Puller,John Bastalone,Lucy Brewer,Archibald Henderson,Gnysgt Hathcock (who I had the honor of meeting and talking to him 2 different times)
The rest of the world has never heard thses names but every Marine has. Its hard to express the way we use the past to get through today and plan for tomorrow. I kinda doubt any other branch of any other Milatary teaches you how to dive on a live grenade to save others lives. During our infantry training, we spent nights in fighting holes we had dug to form a postion we could defend. Our instructors would roll in a dummie grenade or a smoke grenade and expect to find someone on top of it. They didnt do it once, it was done over and over so that we knew how to do it without thinking. It was worth giving up your own life to help others to live so they could fight on.
I know this has turned into a bit of a rant. I know you guys must be rolling your eves and thinking about how bad you had it. I dont think you had it better or worse or anything like that. I am just saying the mind games played on us were pretty severe. I think more than most went through. This is where we get the attitude from. We know we are the best not just from being jerks, we are taught from our history to know it. It makes it a lot harder to not let down the heros of the past.
I find some things had to express. I know the Marine Corps messed me up a lot and that the root of the casuse is tied up in this history. I just cant put it to words like most of you can. I always seem to miss the part that ties everything up and makes it understandable. Sorry about that.
