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France meets USMC
an email | 12/03/02

Posted on 12/03/2002 6:26:56 PM PST by Sungirl

I don't know how true this is, but it makes a good story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

France Meets the USMC -- or -- A U. S. Marine in Bosnia

A funny thing happened to me yesterday at Camp Bondsteel (Bosnia):

A French army officer walked up to me in the PX, and told me he thought we (Americans) were a bunch of cowboys and were going to provoke a war. He said if such a thing happens, we wouldn't be able to count of the support of France.

I told him that it didn't surprise me. Since we had come to France's rescue in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the Cold War, their ingratitude and jealousy was due to surface at some point in the near future anyway.

That is why France is a third-rate military power with a socialist economy and a bunch of wimps for soldiers.

I additionally told him that America, being a nation of deeds and action, not words, would do whatever it had to do, and France's support was only for show anyway. Just like in ALL NATO exercises, the US would shoulder 85% of the burden, as evidenced by the fact that the French officer was shopping in the American PX, and not the other way around.

He began to get belligerent at that point, and I told him if he would like to, I would meet him outside in front of the Burger King and beat his behind in front of the entire Multi-National Brigade East, thus demonstrating that even the smallest American had more fight in him than the average Frenchman.

He called me a barbarian cowboy and walked away in a huff.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Mary Beth Johnson
LtCol, USMC


TOPICS: Editorial; Miscellaneous; Unclassified; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: france; letter; usmc
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To: Judge Holden; LostTribe
>>Go back and read some history rather than getting all your info from Fox, CNN, and Rush Limbaugh.

The history is that the French were on the ropes, bad. Do the French Army mutinies of 1917 ring a bell? After the collapse of Russia in 1917, huge German forces were freed up to move West to fight in France in 1918. Those additional forces, plus the new German infiltration battle tactics (stosstruppen) were finally breaking the trench line stalemate.

Just in time, American Doughboys showed up in large numbers to hold the line and help force the Germans back. Without that incremental manpower, it is easy to argue for a probable German victory.

Just thought you might want to know.
101 posted on 12/04/2002 3:42:05 AM PST by FreedomPoster
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To: edwin hubble
i once had a cartoon on that very subject. it showed

DeGaulle standing in an american military cemetary amongst the white crosses saying "why do you aremicans insist on staying where you are not wanted."
102 posted on 12/04/2002 4:02:12 AM PST by liliana
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To: Sungirl
Now that was "Beau Gest" BIGTIME.
103 posted on 12/04/2002 4:11:03 AM PST by mware
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To: Judge Holden
If you read further back in history, you will find that it was the French that helped us in our War of Independence, so if there is any ingratitude being shown, it looks looks it is on your part. You do seem to fit the classic stereotype of the Ugly American in wanting to settle every dispute with violence. I'm not French myself, but I would be glad to wrestle you if you have a problem with anything I said.

The only problem I have right now is waking up to your post calling me an ugly American. I am not the writer of the email...if you have a problem with it...write the Marine Corp. and wrestle with them.

104 posted on 12/04/2002 4:52:59 AM PST by Sungirl
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To: Judge Holden
NOW I see your next post!
I should have prefaced that as an open letter to Mary Beth, not you Sungirl.

Please disregard previous post.....

105 posted on 12/04/2002 4:57:29 AM PST by Sungirl
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To: Sungirl
He called me a barbarian cowboy and walked away in a huff.
In other words, he followed the French national motto and surrendered.

Next time, tell him to go to Paris and plant more trees, so the German troops don't get sunstroke on their next march.

-Eric

106 posted on 12/04/2002 5:01:11 AM PST by E Rocc
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To: jla
What can you tell me about that top picture? I'm not quite sure of what it's depicting, but it is striking

That's "Joan of Arc Hearing Voices" by J. Bastien-Lepage. Painted in 1880. (If you look carefully, you can see several of the Fourteen Holy Helpers in the background). He died very young, most critics park him with the Impressionists, but he's hard to categorize. Some of his work is very impressionistic, other works are more like Millet in their gritty take on French rural life.

This one is more like a pre-Raphaelite painting than anything else (look at the almost hallucinatory detail in the grass):

Here is a portrait he did of Sir Henry Irving the English actor, never finished because Irving disliked the informal pose (but it does capture Irving quite well - that may have bothered him more than anything.):


107 posted on 12/04/2002 5:32:59 AM PST by AnAmericanMother
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Comment #108 Removed by Moderator

To: Sungirl
Most Marines and especially senior field grade officers recognize the French Foreign Legion to be a competent military force. The letter wouldn't surprise me though, by recognizing the pro-minority bias of personnel procedures and promotion boards and fitness reporting. More emphasis is placed on Equal Opportunity than on general tactical training across the ranks.

Perhaps the real enemy is socialism rather than the French per se.

109 posted on 12/04/2002 5:46:05 AM PST by Cvengr
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To: Karl B
Hey Karl, maybe if the French fought with as much anger as you write, your history of "fighting" would be different.

(*) But here a precision I am fed up hearing we are and we were all antisemits like in 1939. French ppl saved 75% of the jews under the german pressure, whereas only 10% or less survived in Holland or Poland. So it is so easy to give history the meaning one wants. And yes collaboration existed but we lost to the Nazis ... It's easy to accuse a population as a whole, that is what antisemits actually do. I don't even point the jewish institutions who have collaborated with the nazis by giving names.

The French killed more Jews for their German masters than any other country.

France has and will always be a bunch of Jew haters. No amount of your Frenchie whine can change that.

Oh..one more joke,

Why are all the roads in Paris lined with trees?

So the Germans could march in the shade.

Oh and Karl try not to burn any synagogues today.

110 posted on 12/04/2002 5:50:17 AM PST by Jimmyclyde
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Comment #111 Removed by Moderator

To: Sungirl
Cool.... I came to get a giggle and wound up reading a pithy, historically stretched, fifi battle.

Good Post! :-)
112 posted on 12/04/2002 6:07:34 AM PST by JoeSixPack1
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Comment #113 Removed by Moderator

Comment #114 Removed by Moderator

To: Karl B
check your mail
115 posted on 12/04/2002 7:40:22 AM PST by Jimmyclyde
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Comment #116 Removed by Moderator

To: Judge Holden
>You are retarded if you think the US saved Europe in WWI.

(#$%@&@#! -- Another public school student...)

This is not complicated. Prior to Americas entry in both WW1 and WW2 they had already called Berlitz to begin teaching German to the entire continent of Europe. <~g~>. It was all over, done, kaput, Germany had won both wars.

The American Capitalist Economic Powerhouse, backed by the overpowering God-given decency and courage of the American People saved Europe twice in one century. Ingratitude changes nothing.

117 posted on 12/04/2002 8:27:42 AM PST by LostTribe
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To: Cvengr
Most Marines and especially senior field grade officers recognize the French Foreign Legion

The French Foreign Legion isn't really French, you know. It is, as the name says, comprised of foreigners.

From their home page:

What Is The French Foreign Legion?

The French Foreign Legion is a military formation of approximately 8500 men serving as a branch of the regular Armed Forces of France. It differs from other military units by accepting foreigners from any country in the world into its ranks.

118 posted on 12/04/2002 8:33:37 AM PST by Cachelot
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To: xrp
Alright, I failed spelling in law school. Waist or how bout strapped around her hips.
119 posted on 12/04/2002 8:34:30 AM PST by appeal2
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To: Karl B
The point is you lost in Vietnam the same way as we did. But for you it was totally unnecessary and stupid. That's the difference. If you want to play stupid pointless history games ... I deserve USA the hat. American presidents and De Gaulle in Africa had prepared those independantist grounds during WW2. It was ineluctable. But sadly some stupid wars reinforced the communist options and realm.

It wasn't unnecessary and stupid for France as well? Anyway, we have one miskate. You have a whole history of them, like when you got your butts kicked at Agincourt. Just face it, France is a nation of military failure and general wimpiness.

120 posted on 12/04/2002 10:31:54 AM PST by Rodney King
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