I'm a card carrying member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign wars, and Vietnam Veterans of America. I'll support the name.
Dennis, you ever read about "Punishment Battalions?" Especially that unit called the Dirlewanger Brigade? They took death row convicts and put them in 1st line strike units. They didn't hold together real well against massed Russian infantry and tank attacks, but they were superb in anti partisan operations. They literally cleaned out their prison system doing this. Immediately replenishing the depleted Punishment Battalions.
I haven't read that, but will put it on my reading list. The Russians did the same during WWII. Fight, or die if you come back. Without anything but basic firearms training, most died.
I read that too. The Russians gave their Punishment Battalions bolt action rifles and dark trench coats to draw fire, as their professional infantry took advantage of the diversional tactic. But the Germans tried to make something more of it. Even using the criminally insane out of mental asylums. Armed them up real good, hazardous duty pay, accelerated promotions, etc.
Edit: Google "Dirlewanger Brigade" It's absolutely mind boggling. The members weren't forced to join it. But were given a choice as the prison systems were cleared out. They could volunteer or be executed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/36th_Waffen_Grenadier_Division_of_the_SS
Quotes:
"His unit was most notably credited with the destruction of Warsaw, and the massacre of the city's population during the Warsaw Uprising; and participating in the brutal suppression of the Slovak National Uprising in 1944. Dirlewanger's unit earned notoriety as the most criminal and heinous SS unit in Hitler's war machine."
"In contrast to those who served in the German penal battalions for committing minor offences, the recruits sent into Dirlewanger's band were convicted of major crimes such as premeditated murder, rape, arson and burglary. Dirlewanger provided them with an opportunity to commit atrocities on such a scale that even the SS executioners complained.[5] Martin Windrow, the British historian, described them as a "terrifying rabble" of "cut-throats, renegades, sadistic morons, and cashiered rejects from other units".
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I don't recall Rome spending a whole lot of time and effort in the liberation of oppressed peoples unless the spoils went to them. There may be some comparisons to Rome, but the actions of the military ain't one of them.
In its conquering of other nations and controlling them during its strongest time Rome use more soldiers from other countries than its own soldiers to manage its empire. We are such cowards in using the draft. Without a million man army our chances of managing terror groups that are against us globally, well 400,000 soldiers is hardly enough. Mercenaries if we want to call them that, is a step in that direction. We have become soooooooooooooo soft as a nation we want others to do our fighting for us. If we had a million man army and the draft to support it we would not be having this conversation. BUT like Rome we have become, soft, fat, lazy, unpatriotic, etc. We have no stomach to serve the country we are a part of. That sir is exactly like what Rome fell prey to. They wanted their cake and definitely ate it, but they did not serve the country's military needs. We are the very same. We expect our soldiers to serve 4-8 tours of duty in combat while sitting on our asses. That will not sustain our needs globally.
This is the only real reason I do not support our involvement further in Iraq. The American people and the government do not have the political will to take care of business until they are on fire or wake up in a haze with a couple of limbs missing wondering what happened.
Without that will we are doomed to half ass attempts and failed objectives. Either do it or dont do it. There are consequences to both but the result of half way measures is always an enemy which grows stronger as they adapt.
