I provided the facts.....if you choose to ignore them and ascribe a prejudice
to them that's on you. The record is clear.
Robert
Love Shack wrote:
Robert:I
am getting a cmuch clearer history from Ben Frank.He
has provided the underlying reasons and nota
description of a prejudice without facts. Resentment
and competition happen all the time,but
when you treat a Division or any crew withoutshowing
appreciation there it is going to causeserious
resentment and disgruntled behavior. Please
review with Ben, because this is interesting! Dan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003
11:57 PM
Subject: Re: Truman and the Marines
Dan,
You are referring to my comment.
Truman was an Arty. Battery Commander with the rank of Captain during
the 1st World War. Marines won laurels and decorations for their performance
at Chateau Thierry and Bellau Woods, And Genl. LeJune, a Marine,
Commanded the 2nd US Army. The designation, "Devil Dogs", (Teffel Hunden)
[sp] was a term the Germans used to define the Marines, and it is still
assumed with pride by the young Marines of today.
The French were lavish in their praise of the Marines, awarding the
Fuer De Guerre [sp] to the 5th and 6th Marine Regiment, the units involved
in those two critical battles.
This caused tremendous jealousy amongst some Army men, and Truman was
one of those who carried his resentment through the intervening years,
viewing the Marines as nothing more than "the Navy's police force".
To add to his resentment, during that intervening period, Marines were
always the first Military Unit in National Parades, primarily because
they were the Nations only First Reaction Force.
Earlier in his younger days, Truman failed the entry exams for West
Point, and later in serving under such Graduates, he found them not at
all anymore qualified than he was, and felt they were working politically
within the Officer Hierarchy..
Robert
Love Shack wrote:
The comment
was that Truman Hated the Marines and West Point.Knowing what was provoking
his feelings is what Iam after.You do not like or dislike something for
a whim. Dan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003
3:03 PM
Subject: Truman and the Marines
In a private letter distributed publicly by the recipient, a congressman,
Truman accused the Marines of running a "propaganda machine almost as good
as Stalin's," a remark for which he had to publicly grovel in apology.
And there were suggestions at the time, an era of drastic military cost-cutting,
that the Marines were redundant and should be cut.
But what are the "hateful" remarks you are referring
to?
--Mandy Katz
Love Shack wrote:
There
is more to more to Trumans distaste of the Marine then is being told.When
financial resources were low for military budgets there was a lot of harshwords
going on. Especially the arbitrage and asset stripping that was going
on withthe large companies. It ws brutal and political. Very few survived
today intact.Such as GM, Hughes, Ford, Boeing, IBM...and a few others.
During his tenure the DoD, CIA and USAF
were established.All were new Government Departments.(BTW are there any
others I missed that were started). I
am interested in the intent of Truman ire toward the Marines.Hate is not
a reason. Something drove the decisionas there were many who were trying
to disolve the Marines. Not
to mention the ire of those who tried to prevent the USAF from forming.
Dan Fahey
-----
Original Message -----
Sent:
Tuesday, September 09, 2003 2:34 PM
Subject:
Re: Kunsan and Inchon landings, Sept 12 & 15, 1950
Don;
I remember those remarks.....Truman always denigrated the Corps, and
hated Army West Pointers almost as much, since he had failed to get into
the Point. As a Marine in the First Battalion, we sent a letter requesting
Police Badges and whistles since Truman insisted on calling Korea a Police
Action.
Thank you for your service.
DGill11331@aol.com wrote:
In a message dated
9/8/2003 10:32:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, wanaki@infionline.net
writes:
The
Inchon Landing secured the future of the Marine Corps, which had been
considered no longer viable and facing
disbanding and integration into the
other branches. As a consequence of
the landing and the battle at Chosin
Reservoir, a public law was passed
by both houses, declaring that this Nation
would always maintain a Marine Corps
of three divisions and attached Air Wings.
Ed Evanhoe wrote:
>We're coming up on the 53rd anniversary
of landing at Kunsan and the Inchon
>landing. Anyone have any thoughts
of these events?
>
>Ed
Korea had two forgotten wars. The main
one was the war itself the second was a war that Truman leveled against
the Marine Corps in the early part of the war. Many people forget or just
don' t know that the 5th Marine Brigade was already engaged at the Pusan
Perimeter, the 1st Marine Regiment was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
on its way to the Inchon Landing and the 7th Marine Regiment was on it
way from Europe and other places to join the 5th and 1st Marines in Korea
when President Truman unleashed a brutal verbal assault against the integrity
of the Marine Corps.
My company was part of the 1st Marine Regiment on a ship (US Noble APA-218)
on the high seas on the way to Inchon when Truman made his nasty verbal
assault against the Marine Corps. I heard Truman's remarks first hand because
the ship piped all the news from the States over its PA system. To the
Marines who heard Truman's remarks -- his words had more of a detrimental
effect on their moral than almost anything we faced in Korea. Once a Truman
fan after hearing his remarks I never was a fan of his again.
Don Gill
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