Difference Between Air Force & Army
Senior Member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,317
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From: Virginia Beach, VA
Having spent 8 years in the Marine Corps... here's my assessment of who does what.
The Army is very similar to a large Marine Corps, but with different tasking. Larger units, great for occupation and long term assets. Not so great for rapid deployment forces and reactionary assets. Plenty of manpower and mechanized units ensure the Army can weather the long haul.
Marines.... see above. Smaller unit sizes make them swift to deploy and get into the game. The same makes it harder for them to occupy larger areas. The MEU (SOC) was on station in Kuwait three days after getting the word to go. America's military 911.... always has been, always will be. A MEU (SOC) was also the first asset in Afganistan.
The Navy may be farther away from the front line fire, but having spent some time on ships it's no cakewalk either. Ships take a lot of manpower to run and maintain. A flight deck is a damn busy place...... not one to make a mistake either. GQ can downright suck depending on your battle station. Years ago we checked out the Iowa when it was in port..... some of those battle stations in the big gun mounts left a lot to be desired.
The Air Force is usually grossly misunderstood by the other branches. They live in the best quarters, nice bases, and have all the new high tech planes. If you think a carrier deck is a busy place, muliply that some and make it stationary. These guys can bust their humps and keep an amazing numbers of aircraft combat ready and in the air when needed.
As for special operations.... they all know their crap and respective tasking. I've had the pleasure to see not only the US special ops types, but those of several of our allies in action. Any person that makes it through BUDS school or passes the indoctrination testing for Marine Force Recon has a lot more internal drive than the average human..... no mistake about it. Absolutely the elite warriors of the world.
Shellback? Well every real man has no concern over ever becoming a Shellback. You can fool yourself all you want, but when you go to the bars that also have women in it you'll find more of those men became a Bluenose at some point.
The Army is very similar to a large Marine Corps, but with different tasking. Larger units, great for occupation and long term assets. Not so great for rapid deployment forces and reactionary assets. Plenty of manpower and mechanized units ensure the Army can weather the long haul.
Marines.... see above. Smaller unit sizes make them swift to deploy and get into the game. The same makes it harder for them to occupy larger areas. The MEU (SOC) was on station in Kuwait three days after getting the word to go. America's military 911.... always has been, always will be. A MEU (SOC) was also the first asset in Afganistan.
The Navy may be farther away from the front line fire, but having spent some time on ships it's no cakewalk either. Ships take a lot of manpower to run and maintain. A flight deck is a damn busy place...... not one to make a mistake either. GQ can downright suck depending on your battle station. Years ago we checked out the Iowa when it was in port..... some of those battle stations in the big gun mounts left a lot to be desired.
The Air Force is usually grossly misunderstood by the other branches. They live in the best quarters, nice bases, and have all the new high tech planes. If you think a carrier deck is a busy place, muliply that some and make it stationary. These guys can bust their humps and keep an amazing numbers of aircraft combat ready and in the air when needed.
As for special operations.... they all know their crap and respective tasking. I've had the pleasure to see not only the US special ops types, but those of several of our allies in action. Any person that makes it through BUDS school or passes the indoctrination testing for Marine Force Recon has a lot more internal drive than the average human..... no mistake about it. Absolutely the elite warriors of the world.
Shellback? Well every real man has no concern over ever becoming a Shellback. You can fool yourself all you want, but when you go to the bars that also have women in it you'll find more of those men became a Bluenose at some point.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Kellyville, Oklahoma
SHELLBACK!!!!! Since '86, back when you "earned" it. not the watered down version today.
137 days?! Holy Cow! That's almost an entire deployment. I've done 90 day Pacex's without a port call and we were in the Persian Gulf for about 60 days before we got liberty in Bahrain for the first time.
Most Westpacs were spent on station in the IO for about 60 days, but we'd pull into Diego Garcia right in the middle of it to mess up our beer day. We got 1 official beer day in the Gulf. After that, the Captain would have a beer barge brought alongside when we'd anchor to refuel off Bahrain. That way, we weren't actually on the ship.
I sure miss PI!
137 days?! Holy Cow! That's almost an entire deployment. I've done 90 day Pacex's without a port call and we were in the Persian Gulf for about 60 days before we got liberty in Bahrain for the first time.
Most Westpacs were spent on station in the IO for about 60 days, but we'd pull into Diego Garcia right in the middle of it to mess up our beer day. We got 1 official beer day in the Gulf. After that, the Captain would have a beer barge brought alongside when we'd anchor to refuel off Bahrain. That way, we weren't actually on the ship.
I sure miss PI!
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 4,867
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From: NH
I liked PI the first 10-15 times but after that I started getting sick of it. We went there all the time. I was on the USS Midway stationed out of Yokosuka Japan. I think I went to the PI like 30 or more freaking times out of the 4 years on the Midway...
Shellback from 84 I think...
Got to go to Perth 3 times, that was HOT, I still think I got one running around over there somewhere...
Shellback from 84 I think...
Got to go to Perth 3 times, that was HOT, I still think I got one running around over there somewhere...
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Kellyville, Oklahoma
I guess PI would get old after 30 times!
Spent the week of Christmas '86 in Freemantle/Perth with the Carl Vinson Battle Group. I missed the best part of the cruise though. Before I got to the ship in Diego, They'd gone down the entire Eastern coast of Austraila and hit every major port for thier Navy's 75th annerversary celebration.
Signmaster
Bluenose? No thanks, spent a month in the Berring Sea for Operation Kernal Potlatch, that was cold enough and rough enough for me. (see above about 18-20' seas)
Spent the week of Christmas '86 in Freemantle/Perth with the Carl Vinson Battle Group. I missed the best part of the cruise though. Before I got to the ship in Diego, They'd gone down the entire Eastern coast of Austraila and hit every major port for thier Navy's 75th annerversary celebration.
Signmaster
Bluenose? No thanks, spent a month in the Berring Sea for Operation Kernal Potlatch, that was cold enough and rough enough for me. (see above about 18-20' seas)