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July 23, 2007
Every Marine to be a Kung-Fu Fighter
Every Marine to be a Kung-Fu Fighter
Military.com
ARLINGTON, Va. - First the Marine Corps made Chuck Norris an honorary Marine. Now the Corps wants all Marines to follow in his footsteps.
All Marines must now qualify for their tan belt in the Corps' version of martial arts by the end of 2007, Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said in a recent Corps-wide message.
The move mostly affects those who joined before 2001, when the service made the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program part of basic training and the Basic School, said 1st Lt. Brian P. Donnelly, a spokesman for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
The Corps originally hoped to have all Marines earn their tan belt by the end of fiscal 2003 and then have Marines attain higher belts by the end of fiscal 2004.
Now the higher belts are no longer goals but requirements for Marines, Donnelly said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.
"All infantrymen will be trained to green belt by the end of CY [calendar year] 2008," Conway said in the July 16 message. "All other combat arms Marines will be trained to gray belt by the end of CY 2008."
The changes apply to all Marines, including reservists, said retired Lt. Col. Joseph C Shusko, director of the Martial Arts Center of Excellence.
"A Marine is a Marine," he said.
The tan belt shows that Marines have mastered basic skills such as how to fall, move, throw punches, choke an opponent and counter someone coming at you, Shusko said.
The gray belt is the next step up and shows Marines have learned techniques such as lower-body strikes, chokes and how to get out of a headlock, he said.
The green belt is third in the series and shows Marines have learned skills such as how to rip muscle from bone, Shusko said.
The martial-arts training also teaches Marines how to hone their mental skills as warriors, Shusko said. This involves learning about other cultures such as the Spartans, Zulus and Apaches.
Another component of the training is character development, which ties the physical skills Marine learn with what they do as good citizens, he said.
Conway praised the character development aspect of the martial-arts training in the message.
"It has, at its center, the Marine Corps ethos that includes our core values of honor, courage, and commitment, as well as the legacy of selfless and honorable services passed from one generation of Marines to the next," Conway said in the message.
The switch to mandatory martial arts training came after Training and Education Command recommended revamping the program as part of changes to Marine character training, Shusko said. Those changes include moving the climactic "Crucible" exercise — where Marines march about 40 miles over 54 hours with little food or sleep — to the end of basic training.
Wild Thing's comment........
OK I have to say this and if I am wrong that is ok, but something stinks about this.
I don’t see a big change of training here. But what I do see is an aggravating display of politically correct warring. Ordering a more detailed and extensive hand-to-hand combat training regimen means our young Marines have orders to dance more and more with enemy combatants instead of just killing them and moving on. Obviously winning points via a PC war is all that matters lately and is going to get a lot more of our boys killed.
Training is good. Having to play PC games with your enemy is bad, very bad.
Commandant Gen. James Conway is big on "rules of engagement" and "battlefield ethics". The guy is a political hack, and I can only wonder how many Marines will lose their lives because they hesitate for a split second to squeeze the trigger as they wonder if they will end up in court martial.
Again this is just my immediate reaction to this story. I am all for training to the max, to be ready for any situation that comes up. As long as it is not meant to put our soldiers in a PC fighting war.
Posted by Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 12:55 AM
Comments
... look out US Navy on R & R ! Shore Patrol will have their hands full, eh? If Al-Qaeda can do hand to hand with box cutters, our Devil Dogs deserve the same advantages. - Hai Karate Cologne 1967 PS: Chuck Norris is a hell of an American too, and a great Christian.
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at July 23, 2007 02:42 AM
Every service person should be kung fu or karate or judo trained.
If you can't get 'em with weapons, use your body.
Our services should be lean, mean fightin' machines!
Posted by: Lynn at July 23, 2007 06:21 AM
Chuck Norris served in the Air Force.
I can see the headlines in the future: Marine Courts Martialed for Illegal Karate Move.
Posted by: BobF at July 23, 2007 07:21 AM
Ah So, Grasshopper...
I dearly love the requirements for green belt...it saves on bullets thus passing on the savings to taxpayers. Being a Christian, I don't want to kill unless needed...this way the enemy can get fixed sitting down or standing up (their choice)...However, the Jew in me also believes in the Old Testament(*), if you know what I mean.
BobF, nothing wrong with Air Force people. They have a job to do to.
Lynn, OOoRah! Even a PC battery can do a lot of damage.
Darth, the Navy Shore Patrol knew the job was hard when they took it. (we really do love 'em) Joh 3:16
(*) as stated in the Book of Retributive Justice and is reflected in the Code of Hammurabi and in the laws of the Old Testament; Exodus 21:23-21:25
Semper Fi, and Fair Winds and Following Seas
Posted by: SSgt Steve, USMC at July 23, 2007 08:54 AM
I don't know what the Marine Marksmanship training is now but in 1963 it was (3) three weeks at Parris Island.
It sounds like the extra hand to hand will win a lot of bar fights, maybe, now that they took the Leather Belt away from us this will help.
The ROEs over there suck and I hope this is not part of pacifying the Marines. Use hand to hand rather than to squeeze one off.
Changes like this do make you wonder what is going on.
After a couple of suicide charges on Saipan, the Marines were told, that if a body lying on the gound don't stink stick'em with the bayonet.
Hand to hand has always been a part of Marine training but if you had a .45 available that was a hell of a lot quicker.
Posted by: Mark at July 23, 2007 11:28 AM
I see where this is going, after 231 successful years of training in martial arts our United States Marines are going into the Kung Foo business? Both the Marines and the Army are trained in hand to hand combat, the object of which is to dispatch the enemy not to dazzle them with fancy moves. I have no problem with additional hand to hand training it's just the ramifications of 'why did you kill that enemy combatant when you could have subdued him'? Like Bob said; are they going to be courts martialed for an illegal Kung Foo move? Murtha would sacrifice them in a heartbeat. The "King's X" PC crowd doesn't yet realize that we can't have a draw in a contest of wills nor can we talk them out of killing us. Like Mark say's if you find a body that doesn't stink stick it with a bayonet, I was taught that if you had one stuck to your bayonet you blasted it off with a round and continued to do the infantryman's job. I predict this is just another restriction in the ROE's, it's a terrifying and dirty job, just let them do it or don't even engage them.
Posted by: Jack at July 23, 2007 02:41 PM
I've got a question for our Marines and Soldiers who are in Iraq or have been there recently. Will the hand to hand fighting skills help considering all the body armor and accessories you're required to wear? How can a man fight hand to hand when he's saddled with about 70 pounds of additional "armor"?
Posted by: BobF at July 23, 2007 02:52 PM
Steve...the reason God has the Corps guard Heaven's Pearly Gates is because of John 15:13!
Amen and take out that islamo garbage asap and on the double sir! - the Death Star II Crew
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at July 23, 2007 03:46 PM
Darth I agree, I like Norris a lot and have a lot of respect for him.
I am all for our troops learning all they can and to be prepared for all things.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 11:10 PM
Lynn ditto!
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 11:12 PM
Bob hopefully nothing will happen that it will backfire. I love that they will have this training, I just get concerned because of the vile media and lefties.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 11:14 PM
SSgt Steve, Love it thank you!!
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 11:16 PM
Mark, thanks, that is all I am concerned about. I just don't want it to backfire on our awesome Marines. And the lefites and media are lurking in the wings to jump on any kind of re-action they can cry foul. Grrrrrrrr
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 11:19 PM
Jack that is what concerns me.....Murtha just waiting for something else to blast our troops about.
I would love for the top ranking person in the Marines to tell Murtha and the media and anyone else to stuff it and that they are doing their job so leave the Marines and all our troops alone.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 11:23 PM
Bob good point, they do wear a lot of heavy equipment something like you said of 70 to 80 pounds.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 23, 2007 11:25 PM
