Remember dark green and light green Marines?

When has the Caracal Bn gone toe to toe with another infantry battalion in a major conflict?

I think of it this way. Would you bet on a coed football team to win the super bowl? If you owned a team and had a choice would you integrate?

Just used the tears in rain monologue to explain veterans to someone! Happy birthday Roy! We’re so happy you found us!

There was also the TV movie with Ned Beatty and Powers Boothe.

During Desert Storm a crew chief was guiding a CH53E through a couple of parked shitters. When the blades struck a tip weight was slung off and hit him straight in the chest. The thing that saved his life was he was wearing the old chicken plate chest protectors the aircrew used to wear.

I get regular newsfeed from the RP. I work with the military and the RP military.

Yes and the Chinese “Coast Guard” often try to prevent the RP from resupplying the poor Marines living on it. That's why they fish to survive!

Except I suspect they know there won't be a shooting war. They will win because no one will stop them and unlikely UNCLOS will stop them. Hope it does but not a lot of confidence.

They are students of Sun Tzu after all.

Great articles by this BBC reporter who has approached these islands by sea and air. The Chinese fisherman are killing entire coral reefs to harvest giant clams. All in the name of greed and Chinese people’s idiotic insatiable appetite for eating endangered animals.

It's a rusting hulk that's falling apart and a nightmare to live on for the lightly armed Marines that man it. It is in danger of being washed away by the next big typhoon.

Never as owners of a base and not permanently. Only transient and as guests.

Taiwan...especially Taiwan. Which is the most dangerous and possibly most likely scenario if the PRC were to invade anyone.

OT but best video they’ve ever had at mandatory training.

I think Olongapo probably caters to more Chinese sex tourists than Anerican military now.

Which are now closed and will likely never be “US” bases again.

Fiery Cross is in Spratlys South China Sea not Senkakus in East China Sea. More issue for Vietnam and Phil. The US has already agreed that an attack on Senkakus invokes the mutual defense agreement and US will help defend Japan.

I don’t think you’re interpretation of a sea base is what the Marine’s concept of operations is about. These ships are envisioned to support MAGTF operations for a specific objective in littoral regions. Long term occupation of an area is just as impractical with these ships as with any other ship. It’s mobility and…