Wednesday, March 21, 2012

NOT politically correct!


Of all the organizations in the world that could be accused of being (emphatically) NOT politically correct, I suspect the US Marine Corps would be fairly high on the list (at least, as far as their lower-ranking members are concerned . . . as we've seen recently, something seems to have infected their generals!)

This was made very clear in a recent interview with a veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima in a San Diego newspaper. Mike Mervosh was on the point of returning to the island with fellow veterans. Here's an excerpt.

After the war, Mervosh stayed in the Marines for another 32 years, retiring in 1977 as a sergeant major and the most senior enlisted member in all the armed forces. He fought in three wars, earned a Navy Commendation Medal for heroism in each of them. He has three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

Everybody calls him Iron Mike. He has club rooms named after him at Marine bases on both coasts. At age 88, he still works out three times a week, can still fit into his dress uniform, still hands out business cards with his picture on them and this underneath: “Keep on Chargin’. ”

Ask him if he expects to get emotional on Iwo Jima and he says no. “I don’t usually react that way,” he said.

. . .

One thing about the trip makes Mervosh shake his head. To go there, the Americans have to get approval from the Japanese.

“We fought like hell to claim that island, lost 6,800 men, and then we gave it back,” he said. “And now we have to ask permission?”

He knows he’s old-fashioned. “Times have changed,” he said.

When he’s on the island, there will be a ceremony with some of the Japanese who survived the battle, too. “I’ll probably have to hold my temper,” he said. “I’ll want to ask them how come we didn’t kill their butts.”


There's more at the link. Bold print is my emphasis.

Yeah . . . I think those last sentences would qualify as 'not politically correct', don't you? So would a recent post by 'MSgt B.' at his blog. Click on the link, then scroll down until you reach the bit about 'Dear genitals' . . . but, guys, whatever you do, do not read it aloud to your significant other - not if you value your life (not to mention your ongoing relationship with her)!





Peter

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I could not have said it better my self!

Rev. Paul said...

Now THAT'S the military mindset I remember!

The (cough ahem) culture (cough) that exists today? I don't recognize it. The uniforms are similar, but I have no idea what they're teaching those young men nowadays.

Old NFO said...

My cousin (who was UDT at Iwo and Okinawa) till the day he died would NOT associate with any Japanese. If one walked in a room, he got up and left.

MSgt B said...

Sweet Mary!

A small-time blahgger like me gets a mention on Peter's blog and my laptop starts to melt down!

Thanks for the link!

DanG said...

Yeah,thanks for the link. ;-)