4 Days Until Our 235th Birthday - A Little History

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FACTS

BIRTH OF THE UNITED STATES MARINES:
The legacy of the United States Marine Corps was born on November 10, 1775, when Congress commissioned Robert Mullan, the proprietor of Tun Tavern, located on Philadelphia's historic waterfront to raise the first two battalions of Marines, under the leadership of Samuel Nicholas, the first appointed Commandant of the Continental Marines. The U.S. Marines have been thefirst branch of the armed forces to serve in every war since that day, and have mounted over 300 assaults on foreign shores, from the arctic to the tropics.

ROOTS OF THE U.S. MARINES:
The United States Marine Corps can trace its heritage to the British Royal Marines. Although the current ranks of the Royal Marines number quite small compared to today's US Marines (7,000 vs. 175,000), both Corps of Marines have stood side by side in conflicts around the globe and maintain their close ties.

Both Corps of Marines frequently have liaison officers on exchange with each other. The USMC emblem was loosely modeled from the Royal Marines.  Neither Corps' emblems incorporates a shield signifying defense, since Marines prefer to be on the offensive and attack the enemy.

During the war of 1812 with England, the British burned nearly every public building in Washington, D.C. (including the White House and the Capital). The Marine Barracks were spared the burning out of respect.

ANCIENT MARINES:
The first documented use of marines as a class of soldier in a standing army belongs to the Greeks and Romans. Themistocles, leader of the Athenians, issued a decree that his navy "enlist Marines,twenty to a ship" to turn back a Persian attack. Rome had special legions of "Milites Classiarri" or "soldiers of the fleet". Roman Marines served through out the remainder of the empire's life, not only at sea but also on land.

CONFEDERATE MARINES:
On 16 March 1861, The Congress of the Confederate States of America established the Confederate States Marine Corps. On 23 May 1861, Col. Lloyd J. Beall, a West Point graduate who resigned his U.S. Army commission to "go south," was appointed as the Colonel-Commandant. Col. Beall served as Colonel-Commandant of the Confederate States Marine Corps until the end of the American Civil War in 1865.

SEMPER FIDELIS:
The Marine Corps adopted Semper Fidelis as its official motto in 1883 (Semper Fidelis is also the title of the official musical March of the Marine Corps). Translated from Latin, Semper Fidelis means "Always Faithful." U.S. Marines use an abbreviated verbal version, "Semper Fi," to voice loyalty and commitment to their Marine comrades-in-arms.

Previous mottos of the Marine Corps were:
(1) "To the Shores of Tripoli," adopted in 1805.
(2) "Fortitude," adopted in 1812.
(3) "From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli," adopted in 1848.
(4) "By Sea and by Land," adopted in the 1850's.

ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE:
Once a Marine, Always a Marine: This truism was adopted as the official motto of the Marine Corps League. The origin of the statement is credited to a gung-ho Marine Corps Master Sergeant, Paul Woyshner. During a barroom argument he shouted, "Once a Marine, always a Marine!" MSgt. Woyshner was right. Once the title "U.S. Marine" has been earned, it is retained. There are no ex-Marines or former-Marines. There are (1) active duty Marines, (2) retired Marines, (3) reserve Marines, and (4) Marine veterans. Nonetheless, once one has earned the title, he remains a Marine for life.

OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY OF THE USMC:
All U.S. Marines are gung-ho. But, few can match the vision and total commitment of the famous 13th Commandant, General John A. LeJeune. In 1921 he issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921.
General LeJeune's order summarized the history, mission, and tradition of the Marine Corps. It further directed that the order be read to all Marines on 10 November of each year to honor the founding of the Marine Corps. Thereafter, 10 November became a unique day for U.S. Marines throughout the world. Soon, some Marine commands began to not only honor the birthday, but celebrate it. In 1923 the Marine Barracks at Ft. Mifflin, Pennsylvania, staged a formal dance. The Marines at the Washington Navy Yard arranged a mock battle on the parade ground. At Quantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Marine baseball team played a Cuban team and won, 9 to 8.

THE MARINE CORPS BALL:
The first "formal" Birthday Ball took place on Philadelphia in 1925. First class Marine Corps style, all the way. Guests included the Commandant, the Secretary of War (in 1925 it was Secretary of War, not Secretary of Defense), and a host of statesmen and elected officials. Prior to the Ball, General LeJeune unveiled a memorial plaque at Tun Tavern. Then the entourage headed for the Benjamin Franklin Hotel and an evening of festivities and frolicking.

Over the years the annual Birthday Ball grew and grew, taking on a life of its own. In 1952 the Commandant, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., formalized the cake-cutting ceremony and other traditional observances. For example, Marine Corps policy now mandates that the first piece of cake must be presented to the oldest U.S. Marine present. The second piece goes to the youngest Marine. Among the many such mandates is a solemn reading of the Commandant's birthday message to the Corps.

Like the U.S. Marine Corps itself, the annual Birthday Ball has evolved from simple origins to the polished and professional functions of today. Nonetheless, one thing remains constant, the tenth day of November. This unique holiday for Marine warriors is a day of camaraderie, a day to honor Corps and Country.Throughout the world on 10 November, U.S. Marines celebrate the birth of their Corps -- the most loyal, most feared, most revered, and most professional fighting force the world has ever known.

ABOUT THE U.S. MARINES:
The United States Marine Corps is a force in readiness; always prepared to fight, anywhere, anytime.

There is a special aura surrounding the word "Marine." It means something different from a soldier, a cut above, and more can be expected from this person. Pride and cockiness are the trademarks of Marines, the strongest brotherhood in the world. To serve in the Marine Corps is to serve in an organization that demands and delivers excellence beyond all others. Service in the Marines leaves a lasting impression upon the innermost being of everyone who is privileged enough to serve. "Once a Marine, Always a Marine." To dispute this is to invite a brawl.

Marines enjoy a reputation of prowess in battle, that was earned "in every clime and place" throughout the world in our nation's history.

U.S. MARINES THE WORLD'S GREATEST WARRIORS:
Why are U.S. Marines considered the world's premier warriors?
What puts the Marine Corps above the rest? Other military services have rigorous training and weapons of equal or greater lethality. So, why do U.S. Marines stand head and shoulders above the crowd?

The truth lies in each person who wants to be a Marine. They did not just join the Marines. They must prove that they are Marines. Many have tried and failed. Only those who survive the crucible of Marine basic training, have been sculpted in mind and body into a Marine. They have become and proven they are Marines.

Once they have earned the title and entered the Brotherhood of Marines, then the new warrior can draw upon the legacy of his Corps. Therein lies their strength. In return, the strength of the Corps lies in the individual Marine. The character (often defined as "what you are in the dark") of these warriors is defined by the three constant Corps Values: honor, courage, and commitment.

HONOR: Honor requires each Marine to exemplify the ultimate standard in ethical and moral conduct. Honor is many things; honor requires many things. A U.S. Marine must never lie, never cheat, never steal, but that is not enough. Much more is required. Each Marine must cling to an uncompromising code of personal integrity, accountable for his actions and holding others accountable for theirs. And, above all, honor mandates that a Marine never sully the reputation of the Corps.

COURAGE: Simply stated, courage is honor in action -- and more. Courage is moral strength, the will to heed the inner voice of conscience, the will to do what is right regardless of the conduct of others. It is mental discipline, an adherence to a higher standard. Courage means willingness to take a stand for what is right in spite of adverse consequences. This courage, throughout the history of the Corps, has sustained Marines during the chaos, perils, and hardships of combat. And each day, it enables each Marine to look in the mirror -- and be proud.

COMMITMENT: Total dedication to Corps and Country. Gung-ho Marine teamwork. All for one, one for all. By whatever name or cliche, commitment is a combination of selfless determination and a relentless dedication to excellence. Marines never give up, never give in, never willingly accept second best. Excellence is always the goal. And, when their active duty days are over, Marines remain reserve Marines, retired Marines, or Marine veterans. There is no such thing as an ex-Marine or former-Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Commitment never dies.

THE THREE CORPS VALUES: Honor, Courage, Commitment. They make up the bedrock of the character of each individual Marine. They are the foundation of the Corps. These three values, handed down from generation to generation, have made U.S. Marines the Warrior Elite. The U.S. Marine Corps: the most respected and revered fighting force on earth.

U.S. MARINE MASCOT:
Thanks to the German Army, the U.S. Marine Corps has an unofficial mascot. During World War I many German reports had called the attacking Marines "teufel-hunden," meaning Devil-Dogs. Teufel-hunden were the vicious, wild, and ferocious mountain dogs of German Bavarian folklore. Soon afterward a U.S. Marine recruiting poster depicted a snarling English Bulldog wearing a Marine Corps helmet. Because of the tenacity and demeanor of the breed, the image took root with both the Marines and the public. The Marines soon unofficially adopted the English Bulldog as their mascot.

At the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, the Marines obtained a registered English Bulldog, King Bulwark. In a formal ceremony on 14 October 1922, Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler signed documents enlisting the bulldog, renamed Jiggs, for the "term of life." Private Jiggs then began his official duties in the U.S. Marine Corps.

A hard-charging Marine, Pvt. Jiggs did not remain a private for long. Within three months he was wearing corporal chevrons on his custom-made uniform. On New Years Day 1924, Jiggs was promoted to Sergeant. And in a meteoric rise, he got promoted again -- this time to Sergeant Major -- seven months later.

SgtMaj. Jiggs' death on 9 January 1927 was mourned throughout the Corps. His satin-lined coffin lay in state in a hangar at Quantico, surrounded by flowers from hundreds of Corps admirers. He was interred with full military honors.

A replacement was soon on the way. Former heavyweight boxing champion, James J. "Gene" Tunney, who had fought with the Marines in France, donated his English Bulldog. Renamed as Jiggs II, he stepped into the role of his predecessor.

But there was a big problem. No discipline! Jiggs chased people, he bit people. He showed a total lack of respect for authority.The new Jiggs would have likely made an outstanding combat Marine, but barracks life did not suit him. After one of his many rampages, he died of heat exhaustion on 1928. Nonetheless, other bulldogs followed. During the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s they were all named Smedley, a tribute to General Smedley Butler.

In the late 1950s the Marine Barracks in Washington, the oldest post in the Corps, became the new home for the Corps' mascot. Renamed Chesty to honor the legendary Lieutenant General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, Jr., the mascot made his first formal public appearance at the Evening Parade on 5 July 1957. In his canine Dress Blues, Chesty became an immediate media darling, a smash hit.

After the demise of the original Chesty, the replacement was named Chesty II. He became an instant renegade. You name it, he did it. He even escaped and went AWOL once. Two days later he was returned in a police paddy wagon. About the only thing he ever managed to do correctly was to sire a replacement.

In contrast to his father, Chesty III proved to be a model Marine. He even became a favorite of neighborhood children, for which he was awarded a Good Conduct Medal. Other bulldogs would follow Chesty III (bulldogs don't live long). When Chesty VI died after an Evening Parade, a Marine detachment in Tennessee called Washington. Their local bulldog mascot, Lance Corporal Bodacious Little, was standing by for orders to Washington.

Upon arrival at the Marine Barracks in Washington, Lance Corporal Little got ceremoniously renamed Chesty VII. He and the English Bulldogs who followed him epitomize the fighting spirit of the U.S. Marines. Tough, muscular, aggressive, fearless, and often arrogant, they are the ultimate canine warriors.

English Bulldogs. "Teufel-hunden." "Devil Dogs." They symbolize the ethos of the Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines.

For more info and definitions of U.S. Marine Corps terms check out the following website: USMC Dictionary. 

5 Days Until Our 235th Birthday

Here is a classic recruiting video ...

6 Days to Our 235th Birthday

Check out our Marines in Afghanistan - most in America don't even know we're fighting a war. My hat goes off to todays Marines!

7 Days to Our 235th Birthday - USMC

A different twist on the Marine Corps Hymn in this tribute.

8 More Days Until the USMC 235th Birthday - OOHRAH!

The US Marine Corps changed my life at a difficult time and without it I'd have been nowhere. Semper Fi lives and will always live on!

America Still Stands

Check out this great video on America and a message to Obamanation. Hope enough people follow it today!

US Marines Celebrating 235 Years on November the 10th

Being a former Marine I want to honor Marines past, present and future. Here is a video that discusses their contribution to the Korean War - which is the real forgotten war. Worth the watch.

De Je Vu All Over Again - Yogi was Right After All

I was reading an article just yesterday that reminded me of our problem in Vietnam. We were supporting and shoring up a corrupt government. Now that shouldn't be surprising in view of Iraq's history but the politicians just keep on keeping on that there are no comparisons between Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lets look at some recent corruption. The US Government decided to win some hearts and minds by donating a few computer laptops to some schools in a specific Iraqi town,  Babil. It was 8,080 to be exact. But it seems they were held up in 'customs' for months. Then unknown to anyone the shipment was 'mislabeled' and sent to Umm Qasr, a notorious bad place. What are the odds?

Of course of the five most corrupt governments in the world include Afghanistan and Iraq. Of course that is where we are changing hearts and minds. The other three by the way are the Sudan, Somalia and Myanmar. That's a real race of pigs there.

As for the laptops they turned up missing until the US Military got involved. The American military General in charge demanded an investigation into key people in the Iraqi government and was quickly censured and silenced. Seems his outspokenness was seen as troublesome to our Diplomats who were having to deal with the fallout of his accusations, which of course were correct. The kids still have no computers. The military had actually traced the laptops down in Iraqi Customs but couldn't get them released. Then the Iraqi government auctioned off 4,200 of them netting someone over $45,000 and the rest remain missing.

It brings back memories of my Mom sending my sniper team socks because Marine supply had none. And she provided us face paint from archery stores because we couldn't get it. Why? They say the 'black market' in Da Nang where our supplies flowed through. Then there was the case of the missing 'bouncing betty' mines in Da Nang. We provided our allies, the South Vietnamese, with 10,000 of these life enders only to have them go missing.

It wasn't long before elements of the 1st Battalion 9th Marines guarding some of the hills surrounding our massive air base in Da Nang, were encircled with bouncing betty's. When they ran patrols and ambushes, which you must, they suffered over 50% casualties in one month without ever seeing the enemy. The scene was so ugly, since these American designed mines would blow a person in half, that the survivors were later sent to different units and they had to start over for that company. I am sure those guys are heavy on the PTSD to this day. All because of our wonderful partners in war, the Republic of Vietnam.

Are they similar? They are the same.

Lest We Forget ...

I am a voracious reader most of the time. I read a lot of Nam books and our current situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. I read a lot of special op's books and am always struck by the fact of what these men do for our country and so few even know of their commitment and actions. We're all somewhat familiar with the overall role of our Armed Forces but we also get complacent and forget. I know the video below has been around awhile. It is of Ollie North speaking to a dinner on the state and readiness of today's forces. Well worth the two and a half minutes.

We Need More of this and We'll have Fewer Pirates

OohRah! My brothers-in-arms had the opportunity to take back a ship and made the most of their opening by returning a German ship to its crew. The ship had been hijacked. But of course we never do anything for Europe. Check it out.

Semper Fi

My Marine Brothers - Afghanistan

A young Navy Corpsman I met while he was serving with Marine Scout-Snipers sent this to me and told me I needed some serious Marine Corps motivation for my posts. And when I saw this one he is right. Every American should see this clip.

The voice in the background is a Gunny addressing the troops of 1/6 just prior to boarding the choppers to enter the fight in Marjah - OohRah!

Remember Those Fighting for Our Freedom

When we vote this November it is important to remember those giving up their lives either temporarily or in some cases permanently for the sake of preserving the lifestyle and freedoms we enjoy in this great country.

It is of course good to remember when we go to the polls those who are trying to take those freedoms away and lead us to socialism. Think about who the real heroes today are today when you check out this video.

In the end all we have are our family, a few close friends and our memories. Our memories of this great nation are about to be destroyed.

The United States Marines Hymn by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Now this is not something I thought I'd ever hear ... The Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the Marine Corps Hymn ... not bad.

The Art of War and Today's Military Situation

A good young friend of mine, concerned about his country as I am, shared this with me sometime ago and I just reread it and want to share. We have an incompetent Commander in Chief if we have one at all. Sun Tzu wrote about such times some centuries ago in the Art of War ...

In it Master Sun writes:

"So there are three ways in which a civil leadership causes the military trouble. When a civil leadership unaware of the facts tells its armies to advance when it should not, or tells its armies to retreat when it should not, this is called tying up the armies. When the civil leadership is ignorant of military affairs but shares equally in the government of the armies, the soldiers get confused. When the civil leadership is ignorant of military maneuvers but shares equally in the command of the armies, the soldiers hesitate. Once the armies are confused and hesitant, trouble comes from competitors. This is called taking away victory by deranging the military."

Our military, the best we have ever sent to war, the most dedicated to their cause ... is at serious risk as we speak due to the politically correct leadership that is growing under our joke in Washington and to the subversion just beginning to take place. We need to let our Bozo's know and vote them out before it is too late.

Who's On First in the War on Terror

A good friend of mine is a Marine Gunnery Sergeant serving in Afghanistan after a couple of tours in Iraq including the Battle of Fallujah. He's been over there since first part of the year and recently received news of his Fathers death so he had to come back to the states for the funeral.

His story started right there. The Marine Corps flew him from the field to an air base in Afghanistan and then were to get him home to the states. Well, they couldn't tell him when he would get out of there and home so, being a Marine he found a way himself. He linked up with some Air Force teams heading to the states, got himself manifested and dropped off in SC where his wife drove a couple hours from NC to pick him up.

Now he is one Gung Ho Marine and wanted to get back to his troops as soon as possible. First he gets a call from his Colonel in Afghan asking him to attend the funeral of one of their own killed that week. He did that in Virginia then called me a couple weeks ago while driving to Bethesda to see another Marine from their outfit who lost both legs above the knee and most of his fingers.

We talked and he told me he was going to go to Andrews Air Base and hitch a ride (think about that) back to Afghanistan and work his way to his outfit fighting there. The Marines it seemed hadn't worked out his return yet? He said he'd have his wife drop him off at Andrews when he got the time worked out. I guess they fly daily to Afghanistan. That would make sense since there is a war there.

So I thought he was gone, worked his way back there two weeks ago. Yesterday I heard from him and it is a classic, or priceless as they say on TV. He had his phone shut off because of course he was leaving. The Air Force had his wifes phone but apparently no one to dial the number. My friend rented a car and drove from NC to DC only to find out the flight was postponed for a day. But it actually wasn't, he drove back up to find that it had left on schedule, he had just missed it.

Now he is back to relying on the Marine Corps to get him back to his unit, we are at war aren't we? He is really wanting to get back, that's what Marines do. They schedule him on a flight due out last Monday via Delta Airlines? Now what the heck is Marines doing on Delta? Anyway he came in from NC and went to get his bag with all his military stuff inside only to have the nice attendant at Delta informed him his bag had went to San Diego.

She assured him they could have it to him in 24 hours but he mentioned his final destination was eventually Afghanistan and he doubted Delta could deliver there. He had no choice but to return home, since he was missing another connection, and when he got home he had a message on his wife's phone from the Marine Corps saying he 'might not be going back' - which when you think about it would have been real timely had Delta not lost his bags and he connected.

Who exactly is running that show? We have all this great young men like my dear friend who are willing to go and lay it all on the line for our country and then they get treated like this ... makes one wonder? And this is the government who wants to bring us health care!

Long story short. I now leave this Tuesday! The war will be over by the time I get back. I guess if anyone would appreciTe this kind of shit it would be you.

Semper,

See the NY Times Article Below - Another in a Long Line of Losers

The Connecticut Attorney General is running for the US Senate and claiming to be a Vietnam Vet when if fact he was getting deferments, eventually serving in the Marine Reserves in DC so he could be close to all those in the political world.

Check it out, it is sad that this is all America has to offer to its people, another liar and cheat to go with all the others up there.

An Interesting Look Back on Vietnam - 35 Years after the Fall of Saigon

May 03, 2010, American Thinker

The Two Vietnam Wars

By Jim Guirard

“On Friday of last week, much of the establishment media reminded us of the awful 35^th anniversary of the so-called "End of the Vietnam War" -- on April 30, 1975. This is only partly true, and now we need to know what the late commentator Paul Harvey would correctly call "the rest of the story." On Friday and throughout the weekend, familiar pictures were shown of American helicopters lifting people off the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon as the South Vietnamese government was collapsing to the invading Communists from the North -- and this was dutifully labeled again as the "first war ever lost by America." Since this snapshot of so-called "history" is highly misleading, it becomes vital that the entire story of Vietnam and its Cold War aftermath be clearly understood -- so that today's partisan politicians, media commentators and far-Left "Progressives" cannot scam the American public with a variety of false "lessons" of that long-ago conflict and its far-reaching consequences.

Unfortunately, we live in an age when far too little attention is paid to history -- real history. What actually happened back then is often rewritten to satisfy political or ideological appetites of "Scamalot" revisionists -- who may be journalists, or academics, or deceitful governments, or religious zealots, or even occupants of high political office. Evidence of this deceit can be found in America's failure three months ago to memorialize the actual late-January 1973 end of the Vietnam War -- or, more correctly, the end of "Vietnam One," in which American armed forces fought. That was the twelve-year war which was fought largely by U.S. combat forces and which officially ended with the Paris Peace Accords of January 27, 1973. But sadly, back in January, we saw not a single historically correct commentary about the end of "Vietnam One" in any major U.S. newspaper. Nor was there any detailed mention by any TV network "talking head" of the historical truth of a badly defeated North Vietnam's exodus from the South. That was the imperfect but largely victorious and now-forgotten end of Vietnam One.

Remembered and loudly acclaimed, instead, is the infamous anniversary date more than two years later of the tragic end of "Vietnam Two" – which (a) began in January 1975, (b) involved no U.S. combat forces at all, and (c) came to a tragic end on April 30, 1975. That was when South Vietnam's capital city of Saigon fell to rampaging Soviet-supplied North Vietnamese armies -- and when televised pictures of helicopters rescuing American diplomatic personnel, Marine guards, and friendly South Vietnamese from the U.S. Embassy roof were first burned into our memories. The deceitful tactic: Loudly and relentlessly propagandize a first-ever "Defeat of America" when, in fact, all American combat units had departed the scene more than two years earlier.

Two Sharply Different Wars

The many differences between these "two Vietnam Wars" -- and their "lessons learned," if any, for the ongoing battles for peace, stability, and democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan -- should be searched for in the following historical sub-texts. While an entire book could be written about each of these under- and falsely reported items, a brief paragraph about each might help to avoid their being completely ignored or wrongly described in the context of today's Vietnam/Iraq comparisons.

1) Beginning in 1961, all significant increases in U.S. combat forces in South Vietnam occurred during the administrations of John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson (to a peak of 543,400 in late 1968) -- while all significant reductions (down to only 20,000 in late 1972 and to virtually zero by mid-1973) occurred in the administration of Richard Nixon. These large reductions were made possible both by the steady weakening of North Vietnamese and by significant strengthening of South Vietnamese forces, especially during and following the widely and cynically misinterpreted Tet Offensive of 1968 -- which was an unmitigated disaster for the North.

2) During their dozen years in South Vietnam, U.S. combat forces did not lose a single major battle, despite the marginally insane (i.e., politically correct) rules of engagement to which they were subjected by Lyndon Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and their "best and brightest" entourage -- and then by a similar, but less intrusive, micro-management by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Clearly, U.S. combat forces did not "lose" the military war, as contrasted to the political and psychological losses they suffered in the McGovernite Congress, in the left-leaning media, among the radicalized academia and foreign policy elite, and in American public opinion.

3) The biggest and longest battle of the entire Vietnam War -- the Tet Offensive of early 1968 -- was the biggest victory for U.S. and South Vietnamese forces and the most devastating defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese. But a combination of mainline media lies and of negative "spin" by antiwar activists managed to persuade the American public that it was our biggest failure, instead.

4) That part of the conflict in which US combat forces participated ended with the Paris Peace Accords of January 27, 1973, when American troop count was down to about 20,000 and headed for zero by mid-year -- and with formal treaty assurances from North Vietnam that it would cease its cross-border aggression against South Vietnam.

At that point, American and South Vietnamese forces had thwarted the Soviet-supported North. They had both militarily and diplomatically achieved the same status quo ante as the one which ended the Korean War twenty years earlier -- not a clear-cut victory, but surely not the shameful defeat which today's revisionists contend.

Enter Vietnam Two

5) As stated above, it was not until January 1975 that the Soviet-backed North began "The Second Vietnam War," or Vietnam Two, against a largely abandoned South. This was a war made possible and winnable for the communists by three principal factors: a) the post-Watergate, August 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon;

b) the dominance of the antiwar congressional Democrats (pressured by Blame America First radicals of the Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, George McGovern, and Frank Church varieties), who in 1973-74 slashed aid to South Vietnam by more than half; and c) the Moscow-Hanoi certainty that an unelected and politically insecure President Gerald Ford would not dare to intervene if the North were to invade the South.

6) The final Blitzkrieg-style victory of the Soviet-supported North Vietnamese came on April 30, 1975. This was not a victory over U.S. combat forces; our forces had departed more than two years earlier. It was the defeat of the South Vietnam military, whose assistance and political support had been decimated by a Democrat-dominated, weak-on-liberty U.S. Congress.

7) The predicted "communist bloodbath" in South Vietnam did, indeed, occur. There were tens of thousands of summary executions, millions of innocents herded into brutal "re-education" camps, and hundreds of thousands of "boat people" fleeing the single-party, police-state communist dictatorship. This communist state is still in power, thirty years later.

8) The long-anticipated "domino effect" also occurred over the next five years (1975-80), during which a "no-more-Vietnams" retreat by the United States and its allies allowed some twenty nations to fall to Soviet imperialism, colonialism, and subversion. Divided into two slightly overlapping groups, these post-Vietnam colonies for communism were: Ten plainly Marxist-Leninist states: South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mozambique, Angola, Ethiopia, South Yemen, Suriname, Grenada, and Nicaragua. Ten more socialist, single-party "client states," which were close enough to communist tyranny as no longer to require so-called "liberation": Libya, Syria, Algeria, Iraq, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao-Tome/Principe, and the Congo.

9) It was not until Ronald Reagan became president in January 1981 that this veritable avalanche of "dominoes" into the Evil Empire ceased falling. The trend was reversed by the preemptive "roll-back" liberation of Grenada from Soviet/Cuban colonial status in 1983. Although only a tiny part of the Evil Empire, Grenada's great geopolitical significance was the first clear-cut reversal of the so-called Brezhnev Doctrine -- that much-propagandized rule which said "once Communist, always Communist."

10) Whether or not Vietnam One was either strategically wise or militarily winnable (which this writer strongly believes it was), it was most certainly a "moral" and "just" cause. As with the case of World War II, such a determination can be based only on an objective analysis of the character and motivations of the enemy against whom the war was fought. In total context, was this enemy the "good guy" who deserved to win, or the "bad guy" who should have lost? In this case, that Soviet-sponsored enemy -- Ho Chi Minh's North Vietnam -- proved quite clearly in the postwar period to be far more imperialist than "nationalist," far more repressive than "liberationist," and far more fascist-Left than "people's democratic." This is why so many Americans have always believed that by any objective standard, "the wrong side won." And this is why we must remind everyone, in the name of truth-in-history, that this "wrong side" victory came against a cut-and-run U.S. Congress -- and not against American combat forces in Vietnam One, which ended imperfectly but honorably in early 1973.

Of course, that historic truth is regretted to this day by many of the anti-liberation left, who would have preferred that "arrogant America" and "imperialist America" be defeated outright -- just as they would prefer in Iraq and Afghanistan today. A final note: The idea that there would be no "domino effect" to a defeat of American and Coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan is as deceitful as the constantly repeated lie that there was no such triggering effect to the April 1975 collapse of South Vietnam. Review #8 above for a truth-in-history reminder of the twenty post-Vietnam dominoes which fell in a period of only five short years -- four of them during the pathetic Carter-Mondale years -- followed then by the 1980s decade of the "roll-back of communism," which was applauded by many (and demeaned by many others) as the Reagan Revolution.

Lawyers Don't Belong in War

I have the post below about the Seals on trial, before that was the Marines of Haditha where the legal system ruined careers and lives. I got a memo from a Marine the other day using his USMC mailbox and here is the legal disclaimer at the bottom of the email:

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in or attached to this communication is confidential, legally privileged and intended for use only by the individual or entity to which it is transmitted. Any other use of this communication is strictly prohibited. Do not disseminated without the approval of the sender of this email. This email and all other electronic or voice communication from this address are for informational purposes only. (Tired yet?) No such communication is intended by the sender or the agency to constitute either an electronic record, or an electronic signature, or to constitute any agreement by the sender to conduct a transaction by electronic means. (Umm?) If you receive this email in error, please permanently delete the original and any other copies or printouts of the email, and notify me immediately at the above email address or phone number. (Yea right!) This email may contain information that must be protected in accordance with 5 U.S.C. [United States Code] 552a, as implemented within the DoD [Department of Defense] by 32 C.F.R. [Code of Federal Regulations] Part 310 and DoD 5400.11R and within the DoN [Department of the Navy] by SEC-NAVINST [Secretary of the Navy Instruction] 5211.5D. Privacy Act of 1974 as amended applies. To the extent the information contained in or attached to this communication contains Privacy Act information, that information is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.

____

Now someone has some time on their hands. The large majority of our emails aren't even as long as this goverment disclaimer. Unbelievable!

Seals On Trial - Regarding Below Article

I read of this some time back but here we are in a war and we have our government using testimony that a combatant was roughed up by Navy Seals, some of America's finest on the front lines. This judiciary execution of the war was started during the Clinton Administration and is in high gear today. Unbelievable!

Vietnam and Afghanistan

It is a confusing world out there some times, then other times, like the weather, it clears. I was reading last night an article in the latest Newsweek on our efforts to train the national police force in Afghanistan. Now this deal isn't on the current Administration but on eight years of the last one under Bush.

We have trained 170,000 national police in Afghanistan and as we speak there are 30,000 reporting for work. Most of those absent are receiving checks they just don't know there whereabouts. And it went on to outline the missing rifles and rocket launchers that are being sold on the black market to the Taliban.

I remember our 'Allies' in Vietnam, the ARVN's - the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. I remember a Marine grunt out fit that was surrounded on a hill by a US grenade called a bouncing betty because when you stepped on it, it flew three feet in the air and exploded, a nasty little weapon. Seems that 10,000 of our bouncing bettys that were sent to our 'Allies' and ended up with the Viet Cong and they surrounded this Marine hill with them and wiped out over 50% of the Marines. Umm, sounds a little like what I read last night with the Afghan Police.

I interact with a lot of Marines today who have or are serving in both war theaters, Iraq or Afghanistan. And a few contractors working and fighting there. None believe these people will be defending themselves once we leave. A lot like the Fall of Saigon is one the way I'm afraid.

I had no problem with our kicking the Taliban out in Afghanistan after 911. I did wonder 'what were they thinking' going in to Iraq? I had the opportunity to meet a British General over dinner one night in Florida. I expressed my disbelief that we didn't appear to have a plan on entering Baghdad? The General explained that he was retiring but he had been a war planner during the invasion and was in fact in CentCom when our first troops arrived well ahead of schedule and said there was a combined 'Oh Shit' in the headquarters because there was in fact 'no plan' for after the war. Incredible!

And now we're repeating the mistakes of past wars. In fact the article went on to say that a big part of the problem is that the contractors hired to train the police were handed a program by the government to execute. It was to train these police for 8 weeks, which they disagreed with, but were told they had 'numbers' to meet. The new administration, while sitting in disbelief over the lack of progress, cut the training to six weeks.

By the way, the police they are training are 89% illiterate, under no obligation to return since they don't participate in contracts, the same applies to their Army we are training ... unbelievable.

And this is the same outfit that bankrupted social security, medicare and now we're going to trust health care to them. It is our government under any of our last four Presidents at least.