I reckon....

I've been back in Corps since '06 and have never regretted anything more. Not for any political "we should not be there" reason, but because this is not the Corps that I left in '05. NCOs are nothing more than PFCs with a bit more pay. Junior officers are guys that I've pushed around on a regular basis, something I wouldn't have tried in '05. I have enormous respect for those that chose to enlist in the Marine Corps in a time of war, but I question some of that motivation (that's a whole other can of worms). I see a lot of Marines in the infantry field that seem to think that they are above the law if they've seen time in Iraq. I say "time in Iraq" because that does not mean they've seen combat. I've got two tours under my belt and the second was so timid my time would have been better spent training in 29 Palms or Okinawa. To be clear, my unit was split with two companies sent to one part of the Anbar Province, the other two sent to another part. The first set saw some combat, though after talking to some veterans that were with me on my first tour in '04, I was told that it wasn't even close to the intensity we saw in those days. I'm not trying to discount the experiences of these Marines. I'm simply attempting to point out that seeing combat has made some think that there is something special about them. I've heard Marine's accounts of their combat actions that would make most of the Marines I consider "My Generation" laugh. "My Generation" didn't consider themselves special, we just did our jobs the way we always had. There seems to be a mentality in the junior ranks that says "If you haven't been to Iraq, don't talk to me." It is even more evidenced to me when I tell someone from my old unit that I was in Ramadi in '04 and they act like I'm some kind of celebrity, and I didn't even see as much combat as some of my colleagues. My brothers-in-arms and I didn't go there for any kind of recognition. We went because it was our job. We did what we did because that was what we were trained to do.

This mentality does not seem to be limited to the infantry. I will spend the last days of my contract languishing in 1st Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, the POG-est of all POG-ville. Less than a week ago, I had a Marine bitching that his superior didn't understand where he was coming from because he'd been to Iraq.... He is in the 1st Marine Division Band. I asked him if he saw any action and he came back with, "We got mortared a few times." After further probing, I figure that the closest "mortar" landed no closer than 200-300 meters. If that constitutes "action" in the modern Marine Corps then we are all in trouble. The Corps is supposed to be the roughest, toughest bunch of people you can find right? Back in the day, when a mortar hit inside our compound (a frequent occurance) and no one got hit, we laughed that the enemy couldn't shoot straight. After a fire fight where no one was seriously wounded, we gathered up "smoke 'em if you got 'em" style and swapped stories. In those where someone did get hurt, we sat down and figured out what went wrong. Now it seems that if you can hear a round go off, you're an instant combat vet.

I think my point is that the Corps is becoming complacent. At all levels. I've seen Staff NCOs show up for patrols without a weapon, sentries that are more concerned with how much sleep they are getting than gettting shot and convoy leaders that worry more about how quickly they are going to get somewhere instead of getting the job done with the same number of Marines as when they left.

I will not say that this mentality is limited to the Corps. In my dealings with the Army over the last few years, I've seen some of the worst tactical and situational awareness I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing. Even the most disgruntled infantry Marine would cut his own wrists before allowing himself to sink as low as some of the Army "grunts" I saw in '04. In '07 it was even worse.

Does combat take a toll? Yes. Is it miserable? Absolutely. Does it make me better than you? Not at all. All it means is that I saw some shit that I hope you never have to. I'm not saying war is not neccassary. As long as humans are human, war will be a part of our lives and we will need people willing and ready to go into the fray. I just hope it involves as few people as possible and that those involved keep the proper mindset.

I am saddened by what the Corps has become, but I just don't have the strength to bring it around to what I think it should be. I hope that my peers that have decided to make this their life can make things better.