So I'm watching this show on the military channel about training of the British Royal Marines, and they are interviewing this Colonel who is commander of the training batalion. They are cutting to the marines in training, and alot of them don't have their boots polished or the weapons cleaned or other inspection infractions. The instructors in the field are PT'ing these guys for fucking up and using alot of the same slogans that you see on the Navy SEAL training shows ('if you can't handle your administration now then someone else is going to have to carry your weight', 'it pays to be a winner' and then making losers PT some more, etc.). That's all fine and good. Soldiers have to PT, should be expected to pass inspection, and Royal Marine Commandos should expect to have to work harder and do better.

Well, they keep cutting back to this Colonel who is saying shit like 'the question is, if a recruit doesn't have his administration (I think that's their phrase for caring for their gear) correct in the morning then does it help to punish them? I say no." WTF is that??? How the hell can you have an elite fighting force if you don't train them through strict discipline, attention to detail and making them pay for mistakes??? I don't mean to be a keyboard commando here, and I'm not trashing the British Royal Marines. It's just amazing to me that the socialist, lolly coddle mentality is permeating the one of the world's elite fighting forces, IMHO to it's detriment.

It's not like they are going to beat the hell out of the trainees when the cameras are rolling.

Quoted: It's not like they are going to beat the hell out of the trainees when the cameras are rolling.

+1



My impression is that the Royal Marines are still hard as nails.  One of the best fighting units in the world.

Quoted: Quoted: It's not like they are going to beat the hell out of the trainees when the cameras are rolling. +1 My impression is that the Royal Marines are still hard as nails.  One of the best fighting units in the world.

Yeah, the documentary about USMC boot I watched was nothing compared to what it was really like.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It's not like they are going to beat the hell out of the trainees when the cameras are rolling. +1 My impression is that the Royal Marines are still hard as nails.  One of the best fighting units in the world. Yeah, the documentary about USMC boot I watched was nothing compared to what it was really like.

I'm so glad to hear you say that - because I remember seeing a documentay on USMC boot camp/basic training and being STUNNED at how easy it looked.  I think it was on Discovery channel, or maybe TLC.

I didn't want to start a thread about it, because I figured I'd be totally flamed as some anti-american asshole - but I figured the documentary was totally inaccurate.

Also remember that he is an officer, and therefore sees no evil, hears no evil, speaks no evil.
I'm sure he has complete faith in his NCO's to keep the training program working.

Do you believe everything you see on TV?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It's not like they are going to beat the hell out of the trainees when the cameras are rolling. +1 My impression is that the Royal Marines are still hard as nails.  One of the best fighting units in the world. Yeah, the documentary about USMC boot I watched was nothing compared to what it was really like. I'm so glad to hear you say that - because I remember seeing a documentay on USMC boot camp/basic training and being STUNNED at how easy it looked.  I think it was on Discovery channel, or maybe TLC. I didn't want to start a thread about it, because I figured I'd be totally flamed as some anti-american asshole - but I figured the documentary was totally inaccurate.

I watched a documentary on the French Foreign Legion training. It didnt look that difficult. However they were training in Africa and it was getting up to about 122 degrees.

I had the good fortune to meet and hang out with some Royal Marines a couple weeks ago.  I was in Diego Garcia, and they kind of took my and my buddy under their wing, gave us the royal treatment.  They struck me as total badasses and professionals.  Their initial training is 30 weeks!  They PTed pretty hard, partied pretty hard, and generally were a pleasant bunch of guys.  Here are some pics in their arms room, and with the RIB they gave us a ride in (we went snorkeling, saw some dolphins, had a good time!).