Wayne on Liberals in the Military

[Coloradomtnman]

I wouldn't be too sure there is more Mr. P.. The recent influx of board members has seemed to be more liberal than conservative, and liberals aren't fans of the military, let alone ones to actually serve.

I'm a liberal and a former Marine (not ex-Marine: FORMER Marine- once a Marine, always a Marine!).

My father is a liberal and served in the Navy during Vietnam.

My uncle is a liberal and also served during Vietnam.

My best friend is a hippie and he served with the 10th Mtn. Division and was shot at in Bosnia.

The bass player for our band was in the USAF and he's a hippie (we cover Grateful Dead tunes).

A good friend of mine served in the Navy and now works as an environmental biologist and he's very leftist.

I know an former Marine Sniper who did some missions in Central America and Colombia, had a chunk of ear shot off and he's a hippie.

My ex-wife is a former Marine (we met while serving) and she was the President of Young Democrats club of her college, and she's a liberal.

And I know to former Marines who are gay (and both knew they were gay when they were in!).

Not to mention all of the butch lesbians I knew while I was in the USMC!

 

[wayne]

I'm a liberal and a former Marine (not ex-Marine: FORMER Marine- once a Marine, always a Marine!).

My father is a liberal and served in the Navy during Vietnam.

My uncle is a liberal and also served during Vietnam.

My best friend is a hippie and he served with the 10th Mtn. Division and was shot at in Bosnia.

The bass player for our band was in the USAF and he's a hippie (we cover Grateful Dead tunes).

A good friend of mine served in the Navy and now works as an environmental biologist and he's very leftist.

I know an former Marine Sniper who did some missions in Central America and Colombia, had a chunk of ear shot off and he's a hippie.

My ex-wife is a former Marine (we met while serving) and she was the President of Young Democrats club of her college, and she's a liberal.

And I know to former Marines who are gay (and both knew they were gay when they were in!).

Not to mention all of the butch lesbians I knew while I was in the USMC!

My god, how many people in the military that we can we depend on to do their duty. Liberals don’t obey orders; they do their own thing. Liberals are not qualified to be in the service.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

My god, how many people in the military that we can we depend on to do their duty. Liberals don’t obey orders; they do their own thing. Liberals are not qualified to be in the service.

Liberals are free thinkers and the military wants people who can think on their own, not robots. Liberals become transcendent leaders in the military, while conservatives are the sergeants and lieutenants we all hated.

 

[editec]

I'm a liberal and a former Marine (not ex-Marine: FORMER Marine- once a Marine, always a Marine!).

My father is a liberal and served in the Navy during Vietnam.

My uncle is a liberal and also served during Vietnam.

My best friend is a hippie and he served with the 10th Mtn. Division and was shot at in Bosnia.

The bass player for our band was in the USAF and he's a hippie (we cover Grateful Dead tunes).

A good friend of mine served in the Navy and now works as an environmental biologist and he's very leftist.

I know an former Marine Sniper who did some missions in Central America and Colombia, had a chunk of ear shot off and he's a hippie.

My ex-wife is a former Marine (we met while serving) and she was the President of Young Democrats club of her college, and she's a liberal.

And I know to former Marines who are gay (and both knew they were gay when they were in!).

Not to mention all of the butch lesbians I knew while I was in the USMC!

Yup.

Jibes with my experience.

MOST of the hard core stoners and hippi I know were FORMER MILITARY VIET NAM ERA vets.

Most of them are also well armed liberals, too.

Of course, look where I live...Maine.

This is the Kind of place where people who no longer trust society go to wait out the impending collapse of society.

Tell you what else I'm meeting more and more of herabouts, now.

Former IRAQI WARS vets who are as thoroughly pissed off as we VIET NAM vets were when we came back.

Like the Vets of my gneration, I suspect they're going to have been rode hard and put away wet.

 

[pegwinn]

My god, how many people in the military that we can we depend on to do their duty. Liberals don’t obey orders; they do their own thing. Liberals are not qualified to be in the service.

Dude, Since you attacked a fellow Marine I really have no choice here.

Are you always this fucking stupid or is this a special occasion? Asinine idiot comments like that denigrate the service of all to the folks who don't know any better. To those of us that do know better it only makes you look like a typical brain-dead robotic moron whose claim to fame is the ability to regurgitate talking points without having a fucking clue.

Note to the Gunny. I agree that this thread should not be politicized. And it should not be used to flame. So feel free to delete this post if you wish with no hard feelings. But, numbnutz had to hear it in terms that were not couched in polite tact or decorum. Tis an ugly job but one that had to be done. Kinda like burning shitters ya know?

Happy Thanksgiving All.

 

[pegwinn]

Like the Vets of my gneration, I suspect they're going to have been rode hard and put away wet.

Dang near any vet with a deployment or three has been rode hard and put up wet. What gets me about the current war is that while society is profuse in thanking the vets and not dumping on em... folks seem to assume that they are having an easier time of it than vets from previous wars. Say hi to the Maine vets for me.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Gunny]

My god, how many people in the military that we can we depend on to do their duty. Liberals don’t obey orders; they do their own thing. Liberals are not qualified to be in the service.

This is probably one of the most ignorant things I have ever see anyone post on this board.

I take it you have never served a day in the US military?

 

[Gunny]

Dude, Since you attacked a fellow Marine I really have no choice here.

Are you always this fucking stupid or is this a special occasion? Asinine idiot comments like that denigrate the service of all to the folks who don't know any better. To those of us that do know better it only makes you look like a typical brain-dead robotic moron whose claim to fame is the ability to regurgitate talking points without having a fucking clue.

Note to the Gunny. I agree that this thread should not be politicized. And it should not be used to flame. So feel free to delete this post if you wish with no hard feelings. But, numbnutz had to hear it in terms that were not couched in polite tact or decorum. Tis an ugly job but one that had to be done. Kinda like burning shitters ya know?

Happy Thanksgiving All.

No problem. I just improvised, adapted and overcame.

 

[pegwinn]

Liberals are free thinkers and the military wants people who can think on their own, not robots. Not all liberals are free thinkers by any stretch of the imagination. Nor are conservatives for that matter. Now, as to thinking for yourself, that is spot on.

Liberals become transcendent leaders in the military, while conservatives are the sergeants and lieutenants we all hated. I know that stereotyping is a great time saver, but please....... Liberal and or Conservative is a limiting political philosophy or ideology. It is separate and distinct from ones leadership style or ability to get things done.

The military (at least the Marines) as a whole is about 20 to 25 years behind society in general when it comes to social mores etc. As a young PFC my black leather jacket said "punk" to a lot of the SNCO's etc. But, out in town, it was rockin with style points.

Most Marines I served with either loved or hated the President without bothering to analyse the reasons why. That was about the extent of us worrying about politics. Instead there were JOB's to stand, rocks to paint, or getting ready to go where ever the news was being made.

 

[Gunny]

The military (at least the Marines) as a whole is about 20 to 25 years behind society in general when it comes to social mores etc. As a young PFC my black leather jacket said "punk" to a lot of the SNCO's etc. But, out in town, it was rockin with style points.

Most Marines I served with either loved or hated the President without bothering to analyse the reasons why. That was about the extent of us worrying about politics. Instead there were JOB's to stand, rocks to paint, or getting ready to go where ever the news was being made.

Exactly. I really don't recall knowing anyone's political beliefs with the exception of a few loudmouthes. Personal political beliefs are N/A to mission accomplishment.

By and large, minus the usual 10%, Marines are Marines FIRST. There's a time and place to ask questions about orders and a time to carry them out. The former doesn't bleed over into the latter, and who is President is irrelevant.

 

[Lycurgus]

My god, how many people in the military that we can we depend on to do their duty. Liberals don’t obey orders; they do their own thing. Liberals are not qualified to be in the service.

Incredible!

 

[editec]

"Rocks to paint"

SOMEBODY knows of what they speak when it comes to garrison duties.

You forgot mention the gravel that deperately had to be raked into perfect order, though.

Honest to God, when I realize that the Marines had grown men down on their hands and knees tearing iceplants out of the sand just so they could them demand that these same grunts would have to rake the soil into military order, I knew that I'd been stationed in some kind of Twilight Zone episode where Rod Sterling was playing with the concept of the obsessive compulsive personality disorder.

 

[Gunny]

"Rocks to paint"

SOMEBODY knows of what they speak when it comes to garrison duties.

You forgot mention the gravel that deperately had to be raked into perfect order, though.

Honest to God, when I realize that the Marines had grown men down on their hands and knees tearing iceplants out of the sand just so they could them demand that these same grunts would have to rake the soil into military order, I knew that I'd been stationed in some kind of Twilight Zone episode where Rod Sterling was playing with the concept of the obsessive compulsive personality disorder.

You must've been at Pendleton. In 29 Palms, there is nothing BUT sand to rake. At least we were spared the iceplants. HOWEVER ... out in the middle of the high desert among the tan and brown of rocks and sand, sat the CG's parade field ... an enormous expanse of green grass that can problably be seen from space. I fortunately never ended up on any maintenance details to keep that gem perfecly manicured.

 

[jillian]

No problem. I just improvised, adapted and overcame.

One of my favorite lines from any move ever....

 

[Orange_Juice]

All those blacks and hispanics in the military, you know a lot of them are at least Democats if not liberals.

 

[Gunny]

One of my favorite lines from any move ever....

LOL ... you got that backward. That's been a Marine Corps institution a LOT longer than Gunny Highway.

 

[Gunny]

All those blacks and hispanics in the military, you know a lot of them are at least Democats if not liberals.

I don't believe that is necessarily true. Remember, the biggest percentage of the military are 1st and maybe 2nd enlistment troops. From my observation, most of them were far more concerned with getting laid and going out than they were politics. There were/are exceptions of course.

Politics is not something that's really pushed, no given any import, at least in the Marines. It doesn't matter who the President is. He is CinC and you will be carrying out his foreign policy, period.

I just think the whole notion that anyone would shirk their duty or "do their own thing" because of their personal political ideology is an absurd notion. That went out with the draft, and is one of the reasons I oppose a draft.

 

[Orange_Juice]

I don't believe that is necessarily true. Remember, the biggest percentage of the military are 1st and maybe 2nd enlistment troops. From my observation, most of them were far more concerned with getting laid and going out than they were politics. There were/are exceptions of course.

Politics is not something that's really pushed, no given any import, at least in the Marines. It doesn't matter who the President is. He is CinC and you will be carrying out his foreign policy, period.

I just think the whole notion that anyone would shirk their duty or "do their own thing" because of their personal political ideology is an absurd notion. That went out with the draft, and is one of the reasons I oppose a draft.

I never said that

 

[pegwinn]

You must've been at Pendleton. In 29 Palms, there is nothing BUT sand to rake. At least we were spared the iceplants. HOWEVER ... out in the middle of the high desert among the tan and brown of rocks and sand, sat the CG's parade field ... an enormous expanse of green grass that can problably be seen from space. I fortunately never ended up on any maintenance details to keep that gem perfecly manicured.

I've been to both. The stumps were worse to beautify since you have less to work with. At Lejeune we also raked the dirt. Using survey gear from the arty guys to get that perfectly straight line. A Corporal once told me (I was a Lance Corporal) with a straight face that beautification taught us how to sweat the details and get everything just right.

Oh, and the green grass on the generals lawn..... I used to send quotas of working parties over there to keep it in shape. 27th Marines S4 used to be our POC before rolling up the flag.

All those blacks and hispanics in the military, you know a lot of them are at least Democats if not liberals.

Psst don't tell anyone. But, some of them people..... gosh....... actually are ...... gasp....... hard chargers.

 

[editec]

I confess I mocked the Corps for making the men rake dirt because it seems a complete waste of effort.

Then years pass and find myself becoming interested in gardening, and loe and behold what kinds of gardens do I find I especially admire?

Zen rock gardens.

And what is one of the most interesting and beautiful aspects of Zen rock gardens?

Raked gravel.

Yeah, that's right, the Corps purpose for raking the dirt was a ZEN exercise.

WEhen I look back on some of what I considered especially dumb things about what the Corps did, I can't help but note that in fact much of what appeared so stupid to me at the time, makes sense on a much deeper philosophical level than one might expect from the Corps.

In fact in retrospect much of the mind/body training that the Marines put their people though looks suspiciously like Zen mind/body training to me.

Frankly, I think it's that kind of mind/body Zenlike training which actually explains why the Marine Corps is still the best military investment the USA ever makes.

It takes kids who have very little personal dicipline and foists it into their subconscious though these mind games it plays with them.

Navy boot camp was likewise brilliant in manipulating people and changing their natures, but the Corps seems to keep developing their people with those sorts of Zen exercises long after boot camp is but a painful memory.

It's a brilliant organization, really.

I'm glad I got the chance to see it up close and personal, to be honest.