More Marines

Hey Everyone

Here's another macro shot we have (from JQ's old camera) of his FOV US marines. In this shot, one DSHCC marine is crouching in the foreground as his comrades are moving into position and taking aim. It is amazing to me how combat movement for infantry was developed over time, to be passed down and modified from generation to generation...

The US Marines have a tradition that stretches back to 1775, when marines were initially deployed as naval soldiers, tasked with several objectives such as boarding other vessels, protecting officers from mutiny...etc. Interestingly, the marines even had their quarters placed between the officers' quarters and the rest of the vessel! Mutinies out at the sea at that time was a very very real risk, since conditions were poor and overpowering a small number of officers wasn't too difficult a thing to do.

Even though the USMC maybe the smallest branch of the Department of Defense, it is still larger than the number of active personnel in the IDF, and even the whole British Army (from Wikipedia)! The USMC is specialized in amphibious warfare, and their ability to quickly deploy in any situation has seen them being actively deployed in all theaters of war the US has engaged in...especially right now as Iraq and Afghanistan have proved to be arenas where quick responses are needed to combat multiple insurgencies. The marines never had a walk in the park wherever they went...