`I believe that if we had and would keep our dirty, bloody, dollar soaked fingers out of the business of these (Third World) nations so full of depressed, exploited people, they will arrive at a solution of their own. And if unfortunately their revolution must be of the violent type because the `haves' refuse to share with the `have-nots' by any peaceful method, at least what they get will be their own, and not the American style, which they don’t want and above all don’t want crammed down their throats by Americans.' –
Gen. David Shoup, United States Marine Commandant Medal of Honor recipient. 2 Purple Hearts
I’m proud to say that Gen. Shoup was my Commandant during the first part of my time in the Corps.

USMC 1968-17

...He was a vocal critic of the MIC and the role large corporations played in defense budgeting and strategy. He was an early and vocal critic of the war in Vietnam, which he was vehemently opposed to. In an article published in Atlantic Monthly (1968), he accused America of becoming militaristic and aggressive, and was a country ready to "execute military contingency plans and to seek military solutions to problems of political disorder"

I can only imagine how he'd feel about what we've become.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_M._Shoup

"I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

All of the above quotes by Gen. Smedley Butler, USMC two time Medal of Honor recipient. 8 Purple Hearts

He was a sergeant and served in the South Pacific. He was in Guadalcanal, the Aleutian Islands and several other places. He was in the same platoon from Camp Pendleton with the Navajo Code Talkers and spoke of them often and how without them, the war may have well been lost.

He contracted beriberi, dengue fever and suffered from malaria for the rest of his life upon discharge.

The few, the proud, the Marines and yes, my late father was one of them.

& recommend.

Thank you for your post. I did not know the Marines were older than the US. Learn something new every day!

http://american_almanac.tripod.com/smedley.htm

Love the Marines.