Very much the nature of youth I think.

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Like the saying goes...."AHHHhhhh to be young and stupid again" LOL.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

Unlike some on this forum he is not totally ignorant but war can never be described as PERFECT.But cmon RB GIVE HIM A BREAK he is new and a little time on here will serve him well well to be SEMPER FI.

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WHEN YOU GO HOME, TELL THEM OF US AND SAY, FOR YOUR TOMORROW,WE GAVE OUR TODAY. Epitaph on the Kohima memorial .

GoMBoS was viewing this thread earlier. Perhaps he is preparing a well thought out response?

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

The US Marine Corps loves healthy, atheletic, and enthuisastic 18 to 20 somethings who are akin to sledgehammers in a shed. What was that line from the movie Waterloo? Ah; a British RSM was looking at some new troops with the comment "From the stupid looks upon your foolish faces I can tell you will make crack troops!"
The Marines are really good at molding bricks from raw clay so to speak.

I wish GoMBos all the best and would hope he tries the Marines, or if not another service. A stint in the military does make men of boys and that alone is worth doing it.

The same here. And I hope that his service will show him what it really is like. I hope hope he responds though. He has been on a few times and has been viewing this thread.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

Agree as well.
Remember MIA does not usually mean AWOL, POW, or lost.
Many times it means blown to pieces, burried too deep to find, burned to ash, eaten by coyotes, rats, and insects, frozen solid into the landscape, or sunk to the bottom of the sea.
You may be able to take care of yourself in a situation of your choosing, but unless you are the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the situation is no longer yours for the choosing.

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There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

Well said, Skunk!

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“The first lesson is that you can't lose a war if you have command of the air,
and you can't win a war if you haven't.” - General Jimmy Doolittle

I wish I could have been in WWII, not because it is seen by some people as being "fun"(war is as much fun as I am santa claus), but to be able to understand what they went through so I can be TRULY greatfull for what they have gone through for our freedom.

Normally people did not go to WWII because they wanted to understand anything, they went because their govenrment drafted them to go and shoot someone and if neccessary, die in the process...

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You don't have to go to war to understand the value of freedom. Ask any veteran, active duty military or family members of active duty members and they will tell you the value of freedom. Join up and find out how much those who have not served take for granted that which has been bought with the blood and sacrifices of others.

Just training and being on station ready at a moment's notice to protect the freedom we have is just as important as having gone into actual combat. The battle to protect our freedom is constant and unending.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

I seriously suggest that you read the this thread. You want to know what people went through and why we should be thankful for what they did and for us to not have to go through it?

A Soldier Strips the Romance Out of Life at War

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

why bother , Gombos hasn't even been back since he posted this post
I wouldn't bother being educationnal, he's probably starting another virtual
war on his playstation .......

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I seem to be getting a strange edgey feeling that our WW 2 veterans that have seen this thread and or read it through are probably shaking their heads

Thats true. I dont think he got the response he was looking for. Well at least we try to be with Kommisar .

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

two cents...

I think that this is completely the nature of youth, and that it is easy for the young men of America to fall for the concept of the romance of war and be overcome by the emotions brought about by the mere thoughts of being a part of something so great. Yes he is definitely naive - I've seen countless young Marines who are.

While the young fellow may need to consider the realities of his statements... we should remember that young men like Patton felt this way about the Punic wars. Many of America's finest fighting men and leaders were once naive young kids who got caught up in a war.

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"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!" Eleanor Roosevelt

And many more young and naive kids got themselves killed by being gung ho

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Or being lead by someone who was .

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

True enough. JC are you implying I'm one of those?

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"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!" Eleanor Roosevelt