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.
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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
Big time!
Ahh, but eet is FRENCH whine, no?
American Mom...What can you tell me about that top picture? I'm not quite sure of what it's depicting, but it is striking.
No they don't. The ones they used to sell in the U.S. were crap, but the cars currently produced by Peugeot and Renault for European consumption are generally outstanding cars.
I'm not a Frankophile, but I have worked with French soldiers, and I shared a room with a French NCO for a few months in the Balkans. French soldiers struck me as very professional, and from what I experienced, they don't hate America. French politicians and intellectuals on the other hand.....
Didn't they send in their help when we were already winning?
First he is the one starting a fight, then says Americans provoke wars like Cow Boys, as if Cow Boys were a bunch of war starters. NO they are COW Boys, not Saddam shepherding Boys.
Typical of those loonies, who start wars with Germans, don't want to end them, cry they surrender and then accuse the USA of starting something dangerous. I wish somehow we had let the Soviets take care of the Vichy French before repelling all these goons out with atom bombs. Man, the world would be a much happier place, and, sad thing, the French don't even realize that the world is a happier place without their aggressive but cowardly Chicken as a mascot.
With political superior officers, it is much different. They are deathly afraid their troops will admire US officers more as well as their equipment. They have this huge inferiority complex and are anti-American nationalists most of the time. French NAvy officers are even worse. I just cannot stand those bougeois self-privileging morons. They pretended taking privileges away from the Monarchy, but all they did is take the last bit of virtue in France and instituted themselves as a privileged class. They never understood nobility, and they are not the same French as Lafayette who helped the US honorably and fought honorably alongside.
So yes, I am not surprised you would be friend with an NCO, but not with a French Officer.
Germanny's modern day army can be unshaven and long haired. And don't also will be in for a big surprise in real battle. That honor system in war games is a joke to them. 10 guys can have them dead to rights and they keep on running. Hopefully they don't fight like they practice or they'll be the next France and Poland.
Lol. Having a dual Saudi/American citizenship must be pretty unnerving just about now - for a spy ;).
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