Favorite armed forces branch

What is your favorite branch of the collective armed forces of your nation?

EDIT : mine is the US Marine Corps. My friend's dad is a Marine (not currently in it, but it is considered disrespectful to call them "ex-Marines") and roars defiantly if he is refered to as a soldier. The Marines are just too hardcore for their own good, but um, my step-cousin has a low opinion of them (he is in the Army, currently serving, was in Iraq) and got shot at by Marines.

"...the Marine Corps is referred to as "The President's Own." In this special capacity, charged with carrying out duties given to them directly by the President of the United States, the Marine Corps serves as an all-purpose, fast-response task force, capable of quick action in areas requiring emergency intervention."

"Marine tactics and doctrine emphasize aggressiveness and the offensive. The Marines have been central in developing groundbreaking tactics for modern amphibious assault and maneuver warfare and they can be credited with the development of helicopter insertion doctrine."

"The Marines also maintain an operational and training culture dedicated to emphasizing the infantry combat abilities of every Marine. All Marines receive training first and foremost as basic riflemen, and thus the Marine Corps at heart functions culturally as an infantry corps. The Marine Corps is famous for the saying 'Every Marine a rifleman.'"

"The United States Marine Corps Crucible is the final test a Marine Corps recruit must pass before becoming a Marine. Designed to emphasize the importance of teamwork in overcoming adversity, the Crucible is a rigorous 54-hour field training exercise demanding the application of everything a recruit has learned in their previous 13 weeks of recruit training. Throughout the Crucible, recruits are faced with continuous physical and mental challenges that must be accomplished before advancing further.

"During the Crucible recruits are only given two and a half portions of meals each and only allowed eight hours of sleep — four hours each night. Depriving the recruits of sleep and food simulates the stress of the battlefield. Initially it may seem like an impossible task to complete, however, compared to real combat, the Crucible is a walk in the park. The final crucible event is a ten mile march, in full combat gear, uphill and down hill. At the end of the final march, the recruits see a replica of the famous Iwo Jima flag raising. Music starts playing and the drill instructor hands out the eagle globe and anchor to the recruits, shaking their hands and saying "Good work, Marine." Until now, the recruits have always been called recruits; this is the first time they are called Marines."

Salvation Army. :p

Enjay said:

Salvation Army. :p

Heh, smart-ass :-P

Speaking of them...I have heard people talk about how SA clothing is shit, well, my friend Mike showed up at my cousin's one day and he was all dressed up. Normally he looks like an emo pussy and girls were actually like "wow Mike, you look good." somehow. Anyway, turns out he got his clothes at the SA for like, $3 total. Pants, shirt, t-shirt. $3 style, can't beat that with a stick.

None is more badass than the French Foreign Legion. But if I have to go with my own nation I guess I'll say the Navy

Enjay said:

Salvation Army. :p

HEH!

Navy here.

The FARC.

definitely the British Army.

Some mercenary commands are pretty elite. For example, this one South African unit took a contract in Sierra Leone at the height of the civil war there for the national government. A team of 300 guys and equipment froze the rebellion of 10,000, until th U.N. called them out and sent peacekeepers in, at which point the rebellion went back full force.

I grew up in the Air Force, so I would have to say they're pretty cool. The U.S. wouldn't have whipped Sadamm so easily in the Gulf War and this present one without them, and the Navy.

my mom's family is very navy orientated so I might as well go with that.

Cops.

Army of Darkness



Whoever says Old Navy gets shot...



in the pecker.

Army and Air Force

All of them. I respect them all.

Dr. Zin said:

Some mercenary commands are pretty elite. For example, this one South African unit took a contract in Sierra Leone at the height of the civil war there for the national government. A team of 300 guys and equipment froze the rebellion of 10,000, until th U.N. called them out and sent peacekeepers in, at which point the rebellion went back full force.

I remember seeing something on PMC's on the History Channel a while back. Weren't those guys who took that contract in Sierra Leone called Executive Order or something?

Is it necessarily a bad thing for mercenaries to take care of the clean up job in Iraq?

KISS Army.

REoL TOugh Milita.

Teachers.

i would have to say the air force, because i have family who was in it. one one my grandfathers was in reconassiance and was stationed in japan and i believe russia back in the day.

my other grandfather was exposed to some kind of radiation during his time in the air force. i'm not sure how. he never spoke of it much.

i've always liked the F-117A "Night Hawk", the SR-71 "Blackbird", and the A-10 "Warthog/Thunderbolt II"

KISS Army

YEAH!

Shadow Dweller said:
my other grandfather was exposed to some kind of radiation during his time in the air force. i'm not sure how. he never spoke of it much.

He probably met Godzilla.

LOL,now that i remember, he did say something about an enormous lizard-like creature storming the city.

seriously though, i'm not sure of the actual cause. i'll have to ask him one day.

Lizardcommando said:

I remember seeing something on PMC's on the History Channel a while back. Weren't those guys who took that contract in Sierra Leone called Executive Order or something?

Is it necessarily a bad thing for mercenaries to take care of the clean up job in Iraq?

Executive Outcomes.

Mercenaries can be very skilled (and also extremely incompetent), but there morals tend to be a bit lacking (no surprise there). After Executive Outcomes was disbanded because of a South African law, at least one guy got caught smuggling weapons into another country to forment a civil war.

I also saw that program, and if you stayed tuned in they talked about how when Europe gave up their colonial holds in Africa in the 60's and 70's European mercenaries would fight for control of an area and then try to create their own "Kingdom". I think if Iraq were left to mercenaries a similar thing would occur, except that it would be combat between religious fundamentalists and corporate powers intent preserving their interests. In other words a bloodier version of what this world seems to be becoming.


EDIT: And for you conspircay theorists out there, the former Executive Outcomes member was "negligently financed" by Margaret Thatcher's son.

Like Ralphis I respact them all. But, over all I'd say Army Rangers.

Rangers has to be the most under rated branch of the Miliary. There motto is "Rangers Lead the Way." They have been the fist unit in every war since WWII. Each Ranger battalion is capable of deploying anywhere in the world with only 18 hours notice.

If I was ever going to be in any branch of the Military I'd be a Ranger.

Dr. Zin said:
I think if Iraq were left to mercenaries a similar thing would occur, except that it would be combat between religious fundamentalists and corporate powers intent preserving their interests.

They aren't necessarily opposed; those corporate interests sometimes need dirty field agents and fundamentalists need financing. You could say militant religious fundamentalists are mercenaries, just a specialized type differring from our usual western military-style brigand.

Id have to say navy, The marines were from our navy. The navy has its own airforce and the greatest specialforces unit ever!

I was Royal Navy so I say navy

Tiger Army

The Resistance

Nightmare Doom said:

The Anarchy Resistance

hmm. So you're AGAINST anarchy?

Csonicgo said:

hmm. So you're AGAINST anarchy?

No I meant the RESISTANCE that promotes Anarchism to overthrow a corrupt dictatorship and replace it with a free leaderless/classless society that coexists with the world we live in like we're supposed to be...You just misunderstood me