GameBanshee Forums

Well, sorta. [url="http://www.news.com.au/technology/taliban-cant-train-monkeys-to-shoot-us-soldiers-with-machine-guns-say-scientists/story-e6frfro0-1225897407988"]Scientists say monkeys cannot be trained to shoot people with machine guns.[/url]
[url="http://www.gamebanshee.com/showshot.php?/baldursgateii/npcs/images/janending.jpg"]Another doomed-to-fail Jansen venture it seems.[/url]

So what does that make the Marines?

DW,

I know and laugh at your jibe in the humorous vein intended. But speaking of "mythbusting" I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I have know many a "jarhead" over the years (no, I am not one), and heard and certainly passed on myself the typical barbs such as the above.

But while we joked the Marines have quietly made a new name for themselves. It has been a few years back and I wish I could find the article (from US News & World Report IIRC) that said the Marine Corps was the most educated and intellectual of all the services. Given that the Navy and Air Force have far more highly technical jobs that was quite a statement.

Percentage wise (the are the smallest of the US DOD services) they had more members with post graduate degrees, and not mail order kinds, than any other service. Approximately 98% of the enlilsted members had a minimum of a high school diploma or GED, far above any other branch and many had college degrees. In fact the article said that the Marines had created such a positive environment for learning that the other services were going to them to help revamp their own educational programs. I know that goes against all the jokes and stereotypes, but they aren't the dumb "grunts" they used to be. So we can kid them and they will sit back and smile, knowing full well that we don't know them as well as we think we do.