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Corps Crumples, Who Cares?

By VVAW

There is considerable discussion whether the Marine Corps, currently celebrating its 200th anniversary, should celebrate anymore of them.

As the power of the US dwindles around the world, the US military is shifting from its sealift capability and visions of "grunts" storming ashore to preserve and protect American business interests. Instead, we see more sophisticated weapons and airlift tactics. The Marine Corps is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

The Senate Armed Forces Committee is currently studying the role of the Marines in today's world. Having been kicked out of Southeast Asia and unwelcome around the world, the US military and the Marines in particular are quickly running out of Third World countries to assault. The US military is gearing more toward the inevitable war in Europe or the Middle East and has little need for an obsolete light infantry force. This is especially true in the face of highly developed technical weapon systems that make such geographical strategy that used Marines nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, striving to maintain its image of rugged, bonehead, 19th century "let us turn your brains into cheese" recruiting and training methods, the Marine Corps is having internal problems. Unable to compete with phoney jobs pitch of the other military branches, the Corps is still looking for a few good men.

Defense Department studies recently gave the Marines the highest rating of all the branches of the military--highest in AWOLS, desertions, and drug abuse all due in part to miserable living and working conditions and the concept of "democratic rights and military justice" administered to enlisted people with a concentration-camp mentality.

Whether the government vetoes the Marine Corps or it deteriorates on its own isn't the important question. Let the ruling class juggle their forces as they please and scrap what they want. Our demand is an end to the use of the US military around the world in wars of aggression and as a police force against workers here at home.