Prime Minister's Residence, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1200 Hours, September 22nd, 2008
The Malaysian Prime Minister was looking into the eyes of his Army Chief of Staff, as well as those of his other ministers. "Gentlemen," he said tiredly, "our forces have failed to retake the oil facilities in Brunei, and I must declare to the people of our Federation that this government has fallen. I just hope that we can get the word out before they come through the door to announce it to us personally. I must resign, and will retire from public life." With that, he rose and left the room. The Army Chief of Staff wondered if he would even make it home. The crowds were already in the streets, and they had a ugly history of tearing politicians who disappointed them into pieces. Small ones.
PHIBRON 11, Steaming North through the South China Sea, September 30th, 2008
It had been a frantic week, getting extracted from Brunei. Along with the unavoidable ceremonies and honors, everything that had touched the soil of North Borneo had to be meticulously cleaned for a full Japanese inspection when they returned to Okinawa the following week. But right now, everyone was getting some sleep. There is little time for rest during amphibious operations, and the ships of the ARG were unusually quiet during the transit.
For Colonel Taskins, though, there were other duties. While she was being hailed as the greatest female warrior since Joan of Arc, there still were painful tasks to deal with. One of these was to write letters home. Those letters. Casualties had been light during Tropic Fury, but there still had been five dead and thirty-four wounded. The wounded had already been evacuated through Pearl Harbor to the Balboa Navy hospital in San Diego. The bodies of the other five had been flown to Dover AFB, Delaware, then to Arlington for burial. Now her duty was to write the letters to their families. In her two command tours, these were the first fatalities her unit had suffered.
The first one was the hardest. The young Marine private from Detroit had been in the team that secured the cargo pier; he had been shot down by a sniper in the streets in BSB. She had not known him personally. But this was one command responsibility that no commander could delegate or postpone. Ahead of her was a visit to the White House and Congress, probably a general's star, and maybe even a regimental or divisional command. But now, this was where she wanted to be, with her Marines. After a few more minutes, she started to type on her computer, and the words came.
Conclusion: A Corps for Five Hundred Years…
In the chapters of this book, I've tried to take you on a tour of what are undoubtedly the crown jewels of the United States Marine Corps, the MEU (SOC)s. In exploring these seven precious national assets though, I hope that you have gotten some sort of sense of what the Marines are all about. While the units themselves are wondrous and dangerous precision instruments for the national leadership to move about the chessboard of world events, it is important to remember what the basic building blocks of the MEU (SOC)s are: Marines. Marines are perhaps, as I proposed in the Introduction, the ultimate expression of America's military persona. When a person in a foreign land thinks about what the United States might send if they were angry or helpful, Marines coming ashore are often the most likely response that comes to mind.
I like to think about the Marines a lot. My own ideas about the Corps caused me to give my primary novel character, Jack Ryan, a Marine background. Many of the ethics, morals, and characteristics that I consider central to Jack, are at the core of the Marine ethos. In addition, Marines have filled the pages of my books, because they are reliable, inventive, and colorful people in real life. I like to think that those same images are the ones that an enemy would have, prior to considering a fight with them. This is perhaps their most powerful weapon against a potential opponent: the fear of what might happen if one had to face a force of American Leathernecks in battle. You see, Marines are mystical. They have magic.
Marines like to see themselves as firemen in a world full of pyromaniacs these days, and perhaps they are right. Busy as the various units of the Corps have been in the five decades since the end of World War II, the five years since the end of the Cold War have been positively dizzying. Liberia. Desert Shield. Somalia (the first, second, and third times). Desert Storm. Bosnia-Herzegovina. I could go on, but I think you are probably getting the idea. Marines are our sentries on the walls of the world, and they take an immense pride in the privilege of serving in that role. When they call themselves"…the 911 Force…," they really do mean it. Thank God they do, because in a world filled with nationalistic dictators, natural disasters, and other unexpected things, we really need Marines!
To this end, I perhaps owe them a few thoughts on how I view their future. Five decades ago, at the moment of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima, there occurred the defining moment in the history of the Corps. Watching from an offshore command ship, and viewing the bravery and determination of the Marines who had made it to the top of that fire-lashed peak, was James Forrestal, then-Secretary of the Navy. As the flag went up, and all of the emotion rose in the throats of those watching, he is said to have spoken the following words to General Holland "Howlin Mad" Smith:
"Holland, the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years…"
At the time of the Iwo Jima invasion, the Corps had not yet celebrated its 170th birthday. Now, fifty years later with the dawn of a new millennium within sight, it is easier to see what Secretary Forrestal meant. What he was talking about was a spirit and ethos that allows the Marine Corps to attack new problems and missions with fresh ideas and perspectives. Sometimes, when the other services and our allies have decided that these things are "too hard" to accomplish within their institutional guidelines and restrictions. The U.S. Marines have been leaders in technology and tactical development in this century, and you see it in the unique mix of equipment and doctrine that they have developed. Things like precision weapons delivery (sniping and dive bombing) and over-the-horizon transport systems (air cushioned landing craft and helicopter assaults). When you want something new done, give it to a Marine!
So what does this mean about the future of the Marines in the 21st century? Well, for starters they have one. In the minds of the national command authorities, they provide a valuable contribution to maintaining America's forced entry capability. That alone should ensure their survival to their 250th birthday. Beyond that, the skies are literally the limit. Emerging technologies in systems like long-range vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft could see a merging of the current missions of airmobile and forward deployed forces. Powered personal armor and armament systems could see the emergence of Marines looking something like Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers by the middle of the next century. Beyond that, it is probably impossible to imagine just what kinds of roles and missions that they will have.
Whatever technology brings though, there will be some things that Marines will always be, even in the year 2275 when they celebrate their 500th birthday. They will, as always, be the best basically trained warriors in the world. Even in the 23rd century there will probably be drill sergeants and yellow footprints in the Palmetto groves of Parris Island. Marines will also be riflemen, or whatever kind of personal weapon is in fashion three hundred years from now. Aimed fire from a shouldered weapon will always be a vital part of the Marine ethos. Finally, they will be finding new and innovative ways to win battles, and support the execution of wars. The enemies by then may even be extraterrestrials, but I think that the Generals Krulak (father and son) would heartily approve.