How Many Marines... ?

[Avid]

Marcus Luttrell (former Navy Seal & Author of "Lone Survivor") was asked a number of questions, including:

How Many Marines it Would Take to CRUSH ISIS?

"With 300 Marines, you could probably take over Iraq if you wanted to, and get rid of ISIS completely. Make no mistake about it, Marines are war fighters. I mean they are really good at what they do. The only time they are not good at what they do is when someone puts the shackles on them."
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He mentions multiple times that the chains holding these marines back should be broken, snapped, etc., and that they be allowed to perform their duty, in order to accomplish what they were trained to do. These are the types of missions the Marines were instituted to perform under the Third President, Thomas Jefferson. It is stated in the opening lines of the Marine Hymn.

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[stamperben]

Yes, we could have a chance at burying 300 gung-ho Marines. Or we could let an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia with the 4th largest military budget in the world take care of an Islamic problem with ISIS. I know which option I'd take.

 

[cow451]

Marcus Luttrell (former Navy Seal & Author of "Lone Survivor") was asked a number of questions, including:

How Many Marines it Would Take to CRUSH ISIS? ​

"With 300 Marines, you could probably take over Iraq if you wanted to, and get rid of ISIS completely. Make no mistake about it, Marines are war fighters. I mean they are really good at what they do. The only time they are not good at what they do is when someone puts the shackles on them."
​

​

He mentions multiple times that the chains holding these marines back should be broken, snapped, etc., and that they be allowed to perform their duty, in order to accomplish what they were trained to do. These are the types of missions the Marines were instituted to perform under the Third President, Thomas Jefferson. It is stated in the opening lines of the Marine Hymn.

​

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Let me get this straight. 300 Marines are going to surround, conquer and hold a territory bigger than many states. Gotcha. I wonder if they will need rifles or if they will just do it bare-handed.

ISIS operates across a vast geographic area. Jalula, Iraq, the easternmost population center under ISIS's control, is over 360 miles from Raqqah, Syria, the group's westernmost zone of control. ISIS sprawls across the Iraqi-Syrian border. It's attacked inside of Iraqi Kurdistan, sits at the doorstep of Syria's Alawaite heartland, and has broad operational abilities inside Iraq's Sunni Triangle, and even its Shi'ite south. ISIS cuts across ethnic and sectarian regions, controlling major cities and desert wilderness.

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[iluvatar5150]

Somebody should tell this guy to stop talking so he doesn't make himself look foolish.

 

[DaisyDay]

Somebody should tell this guy to stop talking so he doesn't make himself look foolish.

Too late for that.

 

[variant]

Yes, we could have a chance at burying 300 gung-ho Marines. Or we could let an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia with the 4th largest military budget in the world take care of an Islamic problem with ISIS. I know which option I'd take.

I'm not sure why American military power is seen as the only solution to every problem in the middle east. It's a bit like having a hammer and having every problem look like a nail.

 

[variant]

Let me get this straight. 300 Marines are going to surround, conquer and hold a territory bigger than many states. Gotcha. I wonder if they will need rifles or if they will just do it bare-handed.

It's an odd claim to be sure, we have some data about how many men it took to hold the portion of Iraq that ISIS controls, it was a bit more than 300.

And, um that fell apart into a bigger mess, it didn't wipe insurgencies off the map exactly.

 

[Desk trauma]

Let me get this straight. 300 Marines are going to surround, conquer and hold a territory bigger than many states. Gotcha. I wonder if they will need rifles or if they will just do it bare-handed.

Their bare hands, naturally. Not to mention they will not be in need of any logistical, air or medical support. One need only watch the documentary films about John Rambo to see what a single member of the US military can do, imagine what 300 could do! It would be like the battle of Thermopylae but with the 300 conquering the Persians to the last man.

 

[keith99]

Will those be 300 gay marines?

300 is a number rather famous as it is attributed to both the Spartans who stayed at Thermopylae and the Theban Sacred Band. Both heroic fighting units. Both wiped out to the last man.

Hopefully most marines are smarter than the fools who think 300 men can take on an army. The 'best' they could do is die horribly enough to inspire the desire for revenge, so 30,000 more young men can follow them to their graves.

 

[TerranceL]

Let me get this straight. 300 Marines are going to surround, conquer and hold a territory bigger than many states. Gotcha. I wonder if they will need rifles or if they will just do it bare-handed.

No doubt they will just approach the enemy camp, flex and give a belly laugh and that will be more than enough to turn the enemy. No doubt ISIS will be drinking Budweiser and watching football, (real football not that silly UNAMERICAN stuff) within the hour.

Well, that or some officer will have the sad job of having to explain to a mother/father/wife/husband why their loved one died on the other side of the planet in a war that's not ours to fight.

 

[TerranceL]

Somebody should tell this guy to stop talking so he doesn't make himself look foolish.

I'll do it.

You provide the time machine.

 

[JustOneWay]

Let me get this straight. 300 Marines are going to surround, conquer and hold a territory bigger than many states. Gotcha. I wonder if they will need rifles or if they will just do it bare-handed.

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This could work ONLY if Chuck Norris was in charge of these marines....

 

[AirPo]

No doubt they will just approach the enemy camp, flex and give a belly laugh and that will be more than enough to turn the enemy. No doubt ISIS will be drinking Budweiser and watching football, (real football not that silly UNAMERICAN stuff) within the hour.

Well, that or some officer will have the sad job of having to explain to a mother/father/wife/husband why their loved one died on the other side of the planet in a war that's not ours to fight.

If they are going to watch football, shouldn't it be a belly check?

 

[cow451]

This could work ONLY if Chuck Norris was in charge of these marines....

Not Clint Eastwood?

To give the guy the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he was speaking metaphorically.

 

[High Fidelity]

There's no denying his achievements, but he's grossly unqualified to make those assumptions.

How ludicrous.

 

[football5680]

Yes, we could have a chance at burying 300 gung-ho Marines. Or we could let an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia with the 4th largest military budget in the world take care of an Islamic problem with ISIS. I know which option I'd take.

If Saudi Arabia invaded Iraq then Iran would do the same which would just escalate the problem. Saudi Arabia is not a moderate Muslim country, they practice a version of Islam just as strict as ISIS which is why a lot of terrorist funding comes out of Saudi Arabia. The Shiite Iraqi Government is in control of the entire border between the two countries so they have no clear entrance into Iraq. Saudi Arabia would have a difficult time controlling their soldiers who are raised to hate Shiite's.

 

[stamperben]

If Saudi Arabia invaded Iraq then Iran would do the same which would just escalate the problem. Saudi Arabia is not a moderate Muslim country, they practice a version of Islam just as strict as ISIS which is why a lot of terrorist funding comes out of Saudi Arabia. The Shiite Iraqi Government is in control of the entire border between the two countries so they have no clear entrance into Iraq. Saudi Arabia would have a difficult time controlling their soldiers who are raised to hate Shiite's.

I don't care what their brand of Islam they practice, it is in the Saudi's best interest, and ability what with the worlds 4th largest military expenditure, to tackle the problem IN THEIR REGION. It is THEIR battle, not ours.

 

[Sketcher]

I'm sure those Marines appreciate the compliment, but I'm also sure they'd like to have a few thousand more Marines in the fight with them.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

The Republicans are already seriously suggesting that we should send Chuck Norris to fight ISIS:

Texas Republican: We should send Chuck Norris after ISIS instead of Obama

Yeah, great plan. While we're at it, why don't we also send Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rocky, Dirty Harry, Batman, Ponch and Jon, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Aquaman, and Rin Tin Tin!!!! Yeah, WHOOO!!!! AMURIKA!!!

 

[stamperben]

Maybe the Saudis ARE ready to take the lead.
Saudis Grow Increasingly Critical Of The Campaign Against ISIS

"Having simply these pinprick attacks on certain areas is not going to resolve the issue," says Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief who also served as the ambassador to the U.S. from 2005-7.
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