Why I am getting out of the Marines - Post from Craigslist

[Oreo]

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/about/best/wdc/118782492.html
Why I am getting out of the Marines
Date: Fri Dec 16 22:09:56 2005


As I sit here I am still shaking. I can't take much more of this shit. I am a Marine Pilot. Not that it means anything anymore. Today was another safety stand down put on by the mother fuckers in DOSS. Why? Cause another one of my friends is dead and gone. Why? Cause he flew his shit into the water that's why. Why'd he do that? Cause the mother fuckers that "be" i.e. the boys at the top have lost their fucking minds and can't say no.
"Sir the aircraft are at 13% readiness, we don't have anything up."
"That's not my problem, we got a FRAG, get it done."
"Sir, none of our pilots are current to do this."
"Currency? Currency is for pussies. Just do some pattern work before you go, you'll be fine."
"Sir, the maintainers have been working non-stop 12 on 12 off for weeks now, we can't keep this pace up?
"Rest, Marines don't need rest, they are tough. Tell them to drink some coffee and get these planes up."
"Sir, I've been in the tube for the last 10 hours, the weather was shit, and I haven't seen my wife in 2 weeks, can I work on this tomorrow?"
"No, I am going on leave Captain, I need that power point done by tomorrow, oh wait your on the schedule. Well, I guess you better get working."
"Sir I don't have the crew rest to fly this."
"Crew rest? What's crew rest. Your day doesn't start until the engines do, never mind that I had you in here this morning doing mindless bullshit."

I hate you Marine Corps. I hate you. You push us and push us and ask us to do more. But there is no more. You can take your $18,000 dollar bonus and shove it up your ass! I am not staying. I am not flying this shit anymore. I am not going to go and break the rules for you anymore. Iam not going to turn motors when I know the maint. log books aren't worth the paper they are written on. I am not doing your fucking log run in this weather when you can't even get me the bare minimum flight time to keep my skills up. I am not going to anymore safety stand downs about leadership and seatbelt use. I am not going to listen to another fucking Major who has lost his soul and cares more about the taste of his coffee in the morning than if his people had time to even eat chow today. I will not do this. I will not get another phone call about a friend of mine who is now dead, because you bend the rules to make mission, because you can't say NO to anyone.

We are broke damn it. We don't have the people, we don't have the parts. Hell, what kind of fucking military organization has the commanding officer tell his officers they need to go out and buy toilet paper for the head because we ran out? Fuck this. I am out.

Berger, you were the best man, you shouldn't have died like that. Kerns, you were a funny dude. I am sorry I couldn’t see you buried, or have the courage to write your Mom and Dad about what nice guy you were. Murphy, why would you sign up for that shit! Your kids will never get to know what an awesome guy you were.

I am in tears I am so frustrated. I wish you were still around, but I won't die like you. I won’t be some number on CNN's death 'o meter. I won’t contribute to this madness of telling the Wing we can do it when we are so far on our ass we can’t see the light of day. You Generals are fucking cowards. You know it’s broke, but you won’t say no will you. I did my part, and that's all I can do. Fuck you Marine Corps. I am not the only one that feels this way. Let's see where your retention is when the planes are so broke dick nobody can fly them, no matter how many rules you break to keep them up. Fuck You!

[fooj]

Wow.

:cry:

[fooj]

1. Wow.

:cry:

[DIKB]

2. Wish more

people saw this before they signed up for the Corps or for the Army. We need to show as many as possible, how low american life is valued.

[stepnw1f]

3. Damn Man... That Sucks

He's right though. The people at the top do suck. The elites... fuck em all.

[liberalnurse]

4. I would suggest a copy be

sent to Ed Schultz. I'm at work at the moment and can't.

[BobMorr]

8. Just sent it!

Hope he reads it.

[Cha]

24. Yeah, and maybe edhead

can understand why Jack Murtha/Decorated Marine said what he said about not joining today's military.

[Greeby]

5. Woah

Heavy :wow:

[babylonsister]

6. Dated 16 Dec.; I wish we could find out what happened to this

young Marine. :(

[SteppingRazor]

7. Y'know, I hate to be a cynical bastard, but...

1) No one named Berger has been killed in Iraq
2) The Murphy killed in Iraq was not a Marine, he was in the Louisiana National Guard outside Baghdad
3) Kerns, the only Marine KIA of these three, was a corporal who wasn't affiliated with Marine aviation

I apologize well in advance if this is all true, but I don't exactly consider everything I read on craigslist to be Gospel...

[MsUnderstood]

9. oh no urban myths strike again

Wow pull at my heartsrings then hit me with an urban myth....can't we just believe it is true? Cant we just believe this write has several medals including a purple heart (and not being flushed out of the miltary for stealing money from petty cash while assigned to janitorial work).

C'mon I wanna hate the military, please let me believe in this!

[Oreo]

10. You could be right... but

I don't see any mention of Iraq. The guy said he hasn't seen his family in two weeks which isn't that long (relatively) for somebody overseas.

I'll do a search for the names without tying Iraq to it.

And yes... somebody could have easily made this up but how far is it from the truth?

[Xithras]

Actually, it doesn't mention Iraq.

Any way to get a list of recent stateside training accidents? The comment about not having time off makes it sound like this was written by someone over here.

[Oreo]

11. There was a Berger that died in a crash

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-8632.html
Marines release name of pilot who died in crash

1:22 p.m., July 23, 2003

SAN DIEGO – The Marine Corps pilot who died when his jet crashed during a training flight was identified today as Capt. John Berger, 27, of Sonora.

Berger was the sole occupant of an F/A-18C Hornet that went down at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palm at about 11 p.m Tuesday.

The aircraft was assigned to Fighter Attack Squadron 232, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said MCAS Miramar public affairs 1st Lt. Carolyn Nelson.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030723-1322-jetcrash.html


Sempers,

Roger

[BobMorr]

15. Casualty list

I did find a Kerns and Murphy, both in the Marines. Both are casualties in Iraq.
http://web1.whs.osd.mil/mmid/casualty/castop.htm

[Oreo]

12. And a Murphy

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jmwalsh.htm

His name was John Murphy Walsh...

Reservists remembered for devotion to duty and country, love of flying
January 25, 2003

Families of the four Marine reservists killed in an apparent midair collision say they take comfort from knowing the men died flying in the line of duty.

Heather Brand PHOTO
Heather Rand, 29, says Captain David Clarke Cross, 34, gladly left
behind his beloved Harley-Davidson for the mission.

One was a tough guy who melted when his son arrived.

One was a motorcycle-riding patriot who looked forward to doing his part in war, if it came.

One was a squadron commander who enjoyed juggling his civilian and military jobs.

And one postponed a family in order to achieve his goal to fly.

Brought together by their commitment to the military, the four Marine Corps reservists, killed Wednesday in an apparent midair collision, leave behind grieving families who said yesterday that, despite their tears, they take comfort from knowing the reservists died flying in the line of duty.

Marines begin probe of crash

The crash happened while the Camp Pendleton-based reservists were on a night reconnaissance flight in Texas for a U.S. Border Patrol anti-drug mission. A detachment of 53 Marines from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 775 were participating. The unit will return home this weekend, officials have said.

Major Steven G. Palombo, 36, wears a serious expression in many photos adorning his Carlsbad apartment, where his wife, Hiroko, swings between smiles and tears as she talks about him. Married in 1992, they have a 2-year-old son, Cameron.

[tkmorris]

13. Sounds like you researched the same as I

I come up with the same info, I can't figure out who this Marine is referring to in this rant. I did find this though...

"1:22 p.m., July 23, 2003

SAN DIEGO – The Marine Corps pilot who died when his jet crashed during a training flight was identified today as Capt. John Berger, 27, of Sonora.

Berger was the sole occupant of an F/A-18C Hornet that went down at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palm at about 11 p.m Tuesday.

The aircraft was assigned to Fighter Attack Squadron 232, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said MCAS Miramar public affairs 1st Lt. Carolyn Nelson.

[SteppingRazor]

14. Ah! A training flight in San Diego...

No wonder my search of Iraqi casualties didn't turn him up.

Well, as I said, I apologize in advance if my bullshit detector was haywire.

[Oreo]

16. It's good to not believe everything you read

[corkhead]

18. It's a good read regardless

:toast:

[Lochloosa]

17. Sad K/R

[eridani]

19. A real pro, who wants to do thing right

And in aviation, that's way more important than it is for a lot of jobs, a matter of life and death. We are in real trouble if the military is destroying the professional integrity of our soldiers.

[caligirl]

21. Integrity ? Pompous generals, co's who can't or won't stand up.

We were a part of MAG 24 and I know thats a joke. The good ones were rare. There was always a shortage of time and gas.

[caligirl]

20. Semper FI Do or Die, nothing has changed, just sooo much worse.

[Tsiyu]

22. I wish every one of our soldiers would do this, and then

come public, but they have a lot more to lose than any civilian, so i understand why they don't.

This rings true to me, and seems the only way this guy could say what he really thinks and let the most folks read it.

Thank you for sharing it here. My heart breaks for people like this :cry:

[goforit]

23. Wow an unfrigginbelievable!!!....God save his soul!!!

[Justice Is Comin]

25. The formatting of the letter

and the style appear to be someone who's thoughts are coming as fast as they can type. Almost as if he's talking to himself and reliving the conversation that was the last straw for him.

I would bet money this is legit. He was just tired of being fed the bullshit sandwiches like Casey was trying to feed the public today. Iraq violence yesterday was just an "anomaly." Yah right.