Australia. The land of harsh territory, gleaming cities, beautiful women and the place to get your career wrecked because of the nightlife...

via news.com.au.

THE head of the US Marines stationed in Darwin has reportedly been stood down after he was caught drink-driving at more than double the legal limit on the city’s infamous night strip.

Colonel James Schnelle pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court on Monday to driving with a medium-range blood alcohol level of .102 in the early hours of a Sunday morning last month.

The court this morning heard that the commander failed a random breath test on Darwin’s Mitchell Street on September 30.

No conviction was recorded, but the Colonel was issued a $500 fine plus a $150 levy and had his driver’s license suspended for six months.

The court heard Colonel Schnelle had also been stood down from his job of commanding the largest-ever contingent of Marines to rotate through the Top End, the ABC reports.

“This is a man of very high character, he has no convictions anywhere in the world and has contributed immensely to society,” Colonel Schnelle’s lawyer told the court.

“The US Marines are going to deal with him very harshly.”

Story here. 

Australia is in a strategically important location for the US.  They're a great ally, their people like Americans and their public LOVES Marines.

It's gonna be a confusing transition period for the Corps and the Marines that go on deployment there.

Most places there is a tension that keeps the aware on their toes.

You're not gonna go out and party too hard cause you don't know what you might meet heading back to the ship.  Liberty briefings usual include a warning about how the locals hate and despise you.  You know criminals will target you but the real threat is the average citizen getting a wild hair. Thump a thug and run to ship you're ok.  An average citizen and you some explaining to do.

But Australia.

Go to a bar and they're buying you drinks.  Tell a couple good stories and your money stays in your pocket.  Before you know it you're three sheets to the wind and looking slack eyed and silly.

The other crazy thing.

The laws are totally different.  I bet this colonel was monitoring himself and in the US he'd be borderline in most places, just over in others.  He simply got his math wrong.  His burn rate wasn't as good as he thought it was.  But in Aussie land he's 3 times over the limit.

It's shame but the article is right.  This colonel had one "oh shit" moment in an otherwise probably awesome career but he's still gonna get his balls hammered.  The good Lord might have mercy but the Marine Corps won't.