Posted on Jan 12, 2016
Does one US military branch think it's superior?
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Do you feel there is still an "inner service rivalry" between the Service Branches or that any one branch thinks they are Superior?
RP Members what do you think - be honest and professional in your responses please! Thank you
With all the deployments and joint operations that we have been involved in over the last 15 plus years of war and prior to that as well, aren't we all part of something a little bigger than our own service branches? We represent the United States of America in so many ways! We represent the freedom that all of the American citizens enjoy, to include ourselves!
For myself, I think is great to that we have the Navy/Army/Air Force rivalry on the football field and other sports, but I think it is important to realize the importance of joint operations and synchronization among the service branches.
I don't think that anyone branch is better than the other. That is my personal feeling.
They all have their specific missions, training philosophies, challenges, and characteristics that make them unique and special, but does that make them inferior or superior to the other service branches?
I'm sorry if I didn't tag some of the specific service branches!
RP Members what do you think - be honest and professional in your responses please! Thank you
With all the deployments and joint operations that we have been involved in over the last 15 plus years of war and prior to that as well, aren't we all part of something a little bigger than our own service branches? We represent the United States of America in so many ways! We represent the freedom that all of the American citizens enjoy, to include ourselves!
For myself, I think is great to that we have the Navy/Army/Air Force rivalry on the football field and other sports, but I think it is important to realize the importance of joint operations and synchronization among the service branches.
I don't think that anyone branch is better than the other. That is my personal feeling.
They all have their specific missions, training philosophies, challenges, and characteristics that make them unique and special, but does that make them inferior or superior to the other service branches?
I'm sorry if I didn't tag some of the specific service branches!
Branch
Pride
Service
Discipline
Mission
Edited 7 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 458
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We are or were members of the greatest military in the would, but everyone this their branch is best as you should. That's just pride in yourself and your branch
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Technically, I was informed by senior officers as well as my captain, US Navy outranks the other services in joint operations. Operationally an individual member of any particular service, when out of their "native" environment and operating within another force's theater, is and should be mindful of the knowledge and purview of even a junior ranking member of the other service; this lesson was learned in too many wars. Mutual respect goes a long ways in joint ops. Never second guess someone's specialty just because you feel/or do outrank them as it could mean the difference between life and death for yourself or other members of the armed forces. I watched two officers on the USS Iwo Jima get killed by my ships CIWS because the OPS Officer overruled mine and the CIWS Fire Controlmen's recommendation to not fire while in live fire ops off of NC. RESPECT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE TRAINED TO DO THEIR JOBS IN THEIR THEATER AND YOUR AUTHORITY/RANK WILL NEVER BE IN QUESTION!
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Of course, like any family, there is sibling rivalry. That being said, superiority is not where this should head.
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I think that it is natural, a sense of pride in and loyalty to ones branch of service to think it is the best. For some, it is part of the sibling rivalry that exists between the services. For some people, unfortunately, it is a point of contention. I have a father who is a retired Gunny and three brothers who were also Marines. One of these brothers also served in the Army. We trade the usual "squid", "jarhead", "my service is better at...." with laughter. I also have friends in all branches and we do the same thing. No harm, no foul. I have had conversations with some people who cannot be joked with in this manner. If you engage too long it can escalate into an argument. I believe each branch is important and has it's place. We all work well together and should be able to have fun with one another.
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When I was Active duty we used to brag that we were the better service. However, we knew that we all had a job to do and needed each other to do that job. It was great having that rivalry competing each other during sports but when it came down to work it was a team effort.
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If you've served or are serving in the US Military...YOU ARE in the best branch of service, no matter which one it is! The "knuckle-heads" in the branches of services are the ones that continue to perpetuate the "in-service rivalry." (SFC, 25-year Army veteran)
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MCPO Roger Collins
Guilty of the knucklehead charge. Nothing I enjoy more than picking on AF & Coasties.
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I don't know about better but I have always considered the Air Force smarter, especially the enlisted folks. Other services the Major or Colonel says take that hill or such and off the enlisted run to get shot at and such. In the AF, we let the officers strap into their toys and fly off to get shot at while the enlisted go and have a cold one or two. The Navy, it's over before they get there.
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PO2 Donald Walsh
Just because the formal public education levels of Air Force personnel are at high levels doesn't mean that they are "smarter", more intelligent or even wiser than the personnel of other services. This is never more obvious than recent news media reporting showing the childish behavior of our country's college students who can't even tell what gender they are. In my humble opinion, it is more probable that there is more practically applicable knowledge and wisdom among troops who are frequently called to engage the enemy on the ground; requiring fast and accurate decision making that literally means the difference between life and death for themselves and fellow soldiers.
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SN Greg Wright
Strange. Are there 2.5 years (non-SF) schooling in the AF that damn near awards a BS? Because there is in the Navy -- Nuclear power school. And don't give me crap about the people who simply push the button in silos in Nebraska. Not the same thing. So your theory about the smartest enlisted is flawed at best.
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CWO3 (Join to see)
The color front page photo of Star & Stripes (Far East) on Mother's Day 1990 invalidates your theory on smarts also. It was of an Airman TDY to Cope Thunder in P.I. that was shot in the head by NPA, along with a fellow Airman. They were staying in a hotel near Clark AFB during the op and had been warned to stay off the streets. It was far too graphic for publication and I hope their families never saw it. In fairness, a Marine GySgt was also killed execution style near Subic Bay on May 4, but he was allegedly working undercover. Nonetheless, they all were shot in the classic NPA style - .45 at close range to back of the head, and the Airman's photo should not have been published IMO.
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I believe that each branch has a specialized skill. The Air Force- the bombing of key areas and help with supporting the personnel on the ground and/or the sea. In addition to providing a nuclear deterrence.The Army- take and hold ground. The Navy- keep the sea lanes open for supplies and protect the held areas from invasions. Also provide a nuclear deterrence. The Marines- to invade from the sea and any other avenue.
Rightly each branch has a special skill that is needed at one time or another to make a mission a success and together protect our country.
Rightly each branch has a special skill that is needed at one time or another to make a mission a success and together protect our country.
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PO2 Donald Walsh
Your right on target Sargent. The only exception I have is that the US Navy now has expanded capability and mission as we recently witnessed with our Tomahawk missile strike on Syria. The smart munitions of all our forces have provided expanded capability and mission flexibility for all our forces and therefore the need for technical knowledge and understanding to increase in each service. These long range and remote capabilities require the full cooperation of all the services and so all are on equal footing where the quality of the members is being compared. This all said it is not a matter of actuality being discussed here but rather what individual members of each service "thinks" of their superiority to other services. What I've seen in these comments is that this "pride" is not as evident between services anymore? As one commenter said, "We all serve in the best branch...The United States Armed Forces"!
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I think in the spirit of team unity, we all think our outfit is the best. Good old American competitive spirit. In reality (somebody correct me if I'm wrong), our war strategy is built around a combined forces strategy. Battle by land, sea and air. In those forces we have our specialty outfits, SF, Seals, Delta, Marines, CG ect ect. We're all in it together, but my guys are better than yours. LOL
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