Would you fancy your son joining the Marines?

[MistleToo]

A bit worrying isn't it?

There are all these brave men putting their lives on the line - they come back from Iraq and do that to each other? wtf?

"..technology has nothing to do with anything."

News to international arms dealers..erm sorry, governments that I'm sure..

On the original thread title, I grew up near the Norton Fitzwarren Marines Base (where I think some of the photos originated). I would NOT be happy with my boys joining them. Clubs in Taunton has 'No MArines' on the outside because of the trouble (a few years ago now mind), and I remember going ito a pub known to be a Marines pub with a very large male friend when I was about 19, being encircled by several Squaddies whilst he was at the bar and him having to grab me and run as they got nasty.

They had a terrible name then!

(mind you, that applies to Marines only- would be proud any other section)

It's also an statistically unpalatable fact that cases of rape are far more common in garrison towns - around the world. It has to be understood that when people are being beaten and trained to basically kill without compunction that some empathic skills are going to be lost. That's the point.

And it might not be explicitly supported but cases of criminality in the forces are expected and tolerated - explained away in exactly MunnziesDH's words of 'these things happen'. Well it's not good enough. If it were your wife or child would it be good enough for you?

being beasted is what I meant but they're beaten as part of the process anyway..

Peachy it was the same here with all nightclubs, bars etc in the town centre having a no admission policy for the service members in our area...they were RAF!
Marines took over the base and now all clubs allow entry...no trouble from the guys at all...infact they are a great bunch...as the chaps from Norton

please do not assume that a hand ful of cases make all forces the same. for the most part they're not, they're lovely lads who can clean, (and trust me when my DH gets in the mood he cleans 1000 times better than I do mainly due to his attention to the detials.) cook and have a moral code (granted there is a few loose cannons thou)

in our town this is how it works - pay day on the last working day of the month - all the boys (and I mean all the single boys) go out on the drink. So town?s bombarded with squaddies, then u get the local girls who know for a fact it?s pay w/e going out to, so what do they do, shortest skirts skimpiest tops and get as many of the lads to buy their drinks as possible. Boy?s buy their drinks or what ever have a laugh with their mates go off with girl or go back to the block. Now, if the boys are left alone, (normally see the police don?t step in) they all manage to get their selves into taxi?s/have a sober designated driver. They look out for each other - yes if there?s trouble it?s one in all in but mainly there isn?t any - until that is the local lads have a few to drink and then start with the whole u think u?re all that, u think u?re so goo, u take all the local women - well some do but for other girls they see it as a cheap ticket out of their home place - and that I?m afraid is a fact locally anyhow. not all soldiers are bad. Yes I?m sure there?s more fighting in forces towns - but how much of that is down to it being skuffles with other forces lads?? one of DH's his mates was out got drunk in the take away and a local girl started with the u think u?re all that - he was trying to buy chips FFS, she kept poking and prodding etc he ended up putting his fist thru a window (which he paid for) thing is thou he didn?t go looking for the trouble - he was in the take away after a night out. If ppl just left the lads alone there wouldn?t be half the trouble there is.

Cases like these get brought to the local press all the time - but what they don?t mention is the 36 hour bike ride the boys did for the local children?s hospital for charity, or the work they did for the old ppls home in the garden getting it all nice for them, or the 23mile sponcered walk for the local hospital. None of that?s mentioned. When the CO had a car crash it was automatically his fault as perceived even thou the other driver was on his side of the road over taking on a blind corner in the fog.

I'm not Munz, but we should remember that we're in peacetime in this country, when in a state of war and the military take over from the civil law authorities I'd, (nor any womam or man) should hope to meet a gang of pissed up squaddies on a dark night out.