I keep looking at how much different the jungle fight is from the desert fight and in one word its...IMMENSE! When some of the younger Marines how hard the jungle is compared to the desert they will appreciate the WW2 Marines alot more. Vietnam era Marines too. More than jungles, more than arctic and more than desert the jungle will test a hard man...and many hard men will fail that test.
I do wonder just how often a marine is going to need to start a fire with two sticks, build and fire a jungle crossbow, or eat snake.
ReplyDeleteThats pilot behind enemy lines / special forces stuff surely?
Maybe sniper /scout / recon type people at a push?
even training is dangerous. you get far enough out and get separated from your unit and don't have the proper gear and you'll need this life saving skills. but its even more important cause it increases confidence. a Marine needs to know he can not only persist in the jungle but survive if need be. they're two different things.
ReplyDeleteLong ago when I was young I accompanied my Unit to many places, One year we went to Twenty Nine Palms on a DesEx the next year we took a CARG to Panama for JOTC The training in both cases was brutal.
ReplyDeleteThe desert allows for long distance vision while the jungle made vision a close range event.
Hot and dry vs Hot and Humid, The desert had no rain and very little natural water, the jungle was wet and it rained the entire time we were there.
Which is toughest?
Toss up, the climate and terrain as well as the fauna was trying as hard to kill you as any enemy would.
I prefer either desert or jungle though over snow and ice any day of the week.
i just believe that combat in jungles is ALOT tougher than combat in deserts. heat? everyone deals with that. its a given, but its the other stuff that makes the jungle so tough. the critters that bite and sting that are trying to make you their bitch. extremely short sight lines. constant moisture. i just think that jungles are harder on men and equipment than deserts.
ReplyDeleteIf you to make the jungle even harder, add mountains to it. I've been reading about the New Guinea campaign and what a nightmare that was. Thick jungle, heavy rains every day, heat, and then throw in razorback ridges you have to climb. One American unit slide 2000 feet in 40 minutes and it took 8 hours to get back to the original point.
ReplyDelete8 hours to get back to the original point? i can believe it. the issue is that the jungle envirnonment is totally foreign to western military recruit pool. i mean think about it. arctic conditions? yeah you have guys that come from cold places. deserts? yeah you find guys that come from those type environments. forests? yeah. but jungles? thats why the British Ghurkas were so valuable. they were raised in that shit. i believe thats why western forces have always had difficulty in S.E. asia. not because of a lack of espirit de corps but because of a lack of experience. in reality the USMC needs to setup a course to develop jungle experts like the Brits have mountain leaders.
ReplyDeleteDoes the US really have any place that you can do intensive jungle training? I know the Florida panhandle has good swamps but anyplace with mountains too?
ReplyDeleteyou can't get into real jungle conditions unless you count some portions...a rather few areas of Louisiana...and from my reading that mostly looks like the Mekong Delta...vast areas of wetlands....but true jungle doesn't hit until you get into central america.
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