Thank you for making my previous point for me Cav ho! I'm the one that started out saying the whole "Marines, Not Soldiers" saying that it is a matter of Semantics.
Being as how my current rank is PFC (Private F****n' Civilian) I no longer have anything to fear from "crotchety old sergeants." I must admit I'm surprised to learn that you work for a living. I had you pegged for a p***k Captain running his company by e-mail.!
You've got me on one thing. You're right I'm not there. I only know what I read in the news. News sources are saying that the 101st is holding the air strip, while the Marines, and a very damn few Spec. Forces units are doing the fighting. Are we being lied to on such a massive scale?
FYI: I'm not a pencil necked college geek. I don't have a goatee, or a nose ring. As for seeing the recruiter and getting my head shaved- been there, done that!
Since you are a newbie, and may not know how to navigate around the site, may I recomend checking out my profile? If you'd done this, you'd see that I am a former sergeant, not one currently on active duty. All you have to do is click on someone's screen name at the end of their post, and you can find out more about them. I read yours...that's how I pegged you for a college punk with dyed blonde hair, a goatee, nose ring, and a hemp bracelet. But what the heck, I'm a charitable guy...I'm willing to accept that you were infantry in a prior life.
"Thank you for making my previous point for me Cav ho! I'm the one that started out saying the whole "Marines, Not Soldiers" saying that it is a matter of Semantics."
No, you're still wrong about semantics. Marines and soldiers perform similar duties, but are different animals altogether. By your tiny-brained thought process, there's no difference between Navy and Air Force pilots, right? After all, they both fly jets. Of course, one group takes off from carriers and the other from fixed installations. Frankly, I've never known an infantryman, as you claim to be, who would want to be confused with a Marine, and vice versa. As a 19D Cavalry Scout, I didn't want to be confused with either, or any other MOS, for that manner. Is the difference between scouts and tankers a matter of semantics? Both kill enemy tanks, after all. What about scouts and infantrymen? Both go on dismounted patrols and conduct ambushes. What about between scouts and FIST teams (oh, I'm sorry...that may be a little advanced for you...that's FIre Support Team)? Both call for and adjust artillery fire. No, it's not semantics. Scouts are scouts, infantrymen are infantrymen, tankers are tankers, and Marines are Marines...and damn proud of it, too, from what I understand.
"I only know what I read in the news. News sources are saying that the 101st is holding the air strip, while the Marines, and a very damn few Spec. Forces units are doing the fighting. Are we being lied to on such a massive scale?"
No, you're just apparently getting your news from MTV and Jay Leno. A friendly bit of advice, new guy. IF you truly want to be informed, don't watch any TV news except Fox News Channel (not your local Fox broadcast channel, but the cable network FNC). CNN/ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC, ad nauseum, are Commie scumbag liberal BS factories. That's why Fox is creaming them all in the ratings. As far as newspapers are concerned, they're worthless for breaking news unless it's an online paper like Newsmax or World Net Daily. Also, your major rags like the NY and LA Slimes, USA Today, etc. lean so far to the left, they affect cellphone reception. Yes, the 101st is holding an airstrip...they took over control of the strip from the Marines about two or three months ago. But they're also fighting in the mountains alongside 10th Mountain, the Rangers, and yes, the Marines. You don't remember the video clips of Marine LAV-25s (those are Marine Light Armored Vehicles) on patrol outside the Khandahar air field, and outside the former Camp Rhino? No, but I bet you can tell me who was on the Carson Daly show or the 5th Wheel last night. Wow...you need to seriously get up to speed with what's happening over there if you want to hang on Free Republic, my man.
One last thought...other than Army Special Forces and Navy SEALs, who were the first US troops to set foot in Afghanistan? Hmmmmm? The Rangers...oh yeah, another Army unit! They airdropped a battalion into a bunker complex into the southern part of the country shortly after the bombing began back in October.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho! (and what is that infantry types say...do you know it? Without looking it up in Soldier of Fortune?)