Does one US military branch think it's superior?

I think it is more a sibling rivalry than one service thinking it is better than the other. I did often hear marines and sailors as well as the army talking about being the best, but during nam, I didn't really see any proof that they truly believed it.

My Dad was a Navy Pilot flying Corsairs during WWII and Korea. He had an interesting opinion about Army Infantry vs. Marine Infantry. Dad was shot down over enemy territory 5 times and had to work his way to the lines and effect a passage of lines.

He hated when he had to cross Marine Infantry positions, because they'd kill you at 500 yards with one shot from their service rifle. As a returning Allied pilot, you really weren't safe until you were close enough to be killed by a bayonet or an e-tool.

He hated when he had to cross Army Infantry positions because they would kill you with a Artillery Regimental TOT, A mortar battery six, 10,000 Machine gun rounds, and countless rifles and pistol shots, all impacting at the same time, just as you got within distance to exchange sign and countersign.

The Joint Chiefs wanted an answer to this question. They penned a letter to God and left it in the Chapel at the Pentagon. God sent out a memo. In the memo, God stated that he wanted to give the question serious thought, so they would have to wait for a definitive answer until he got back from his summer Marine Corps reserve commitment.

I think the answer is relatively simple.
1. If you are not in a war, then your branch, your specialty, and your unit are the best. If you don't think they are, then you need to make them the best (or go where you think the grass is greener).
2. When we are at war, then US (we the US military) is best. Period! We are one team and our team is the best in the world.
Since we seem to be in a continuous war (of various types and scope), then # 2 should apply to all of us.
This goes for Active, Reserve, and Guard as well. Each has its own merits and none of us should think that one is inherently better than the others.
Of course, I am partial to computers and communications. But, they are only a means for the rest of the team to excel!

My family has military roots going all the way back to Queen Anne's War in the Colonies - I had a couple great-grandfathers who served in the Revolution - one was at King's Mountain. In the Civil War I had great-grandparents on both sides. A great-uncle who served in the Army in WWI; two uncles in WW2, one was a Frogman in the Pacific who made it back - the other a soldier who was killed in France in November 44; my father and two other uncles served during the Korean War with the Navy. My stepfather did a hitch in the Navy then finished his career in the Army where he did time in Nam. My older brother served in the Army in Nam - I was too young to go to Nam but went to Grenada with the 82nd in 83. My two youngest brothers served in the Navy at the tail-end of the Cold War - one on a Fast Frigate helping the Coasties with drug interdiction and the other on a "Boomer" at the bottom of the sea. I had two sons serve - one did a hitch in the Navy on the Reagan and our youngest is currently serving as an Airborne Infantry officer. I guess he didn't listen to his old man (my wife thinks he listened TOO well...) I had a cousin join the Marines - proud of him and a couple other cousins do the Air Force.

So my family has had the branches covered. As a paratrooper I've always felt we were pretty well at the top of the heap but I have respect for the Marines -when I worked with them they were always high-speed, low drag and professional. By the same token, the Air Force put the "Air" in "Airborne" and CAS always looks good when the kimshi hits the fan on the ground - no matter what branch.

When I was in Basic Charlie Company made fun of Bravo Company, Bravo made fun of Alpha, and Alpha looked down on the rest of us. When I got to my first permanent unit, this battalion looked down their noses at the other battalions in the brigade and so on... Forget what we thought of the other branches. At Ft Bragg? Geez, we dogged EVERYONE and EVERYONE hated us. Good clean fun, right?

After many years of beating my chest and berating "Legs," "Squids," "Jarheads," and all other non-Airborne comers I came to the conclusion the reason we beat our chests and look down on others is if we didn't have the pride of feeling as if we were better than everyone else where would be the pride and joy in doing some of the impossible [junk] we are/were required to do?

I think they all do, and should. As long as it isn't taken too seriously I think it's good for morale.

I'm a Marine. We're taught that we're the best. We go harder, faster, longer, and with more intensity than any other service. We're loud and cocky and we're not afraid to back up our mouths with our fists. Even though we know we're the best and we pick on the other services they are our little brothers and sisters in arms and only we can pick on them. No one else! Now that I'm out I still have that "rivalry" other service veterans and it's still out of love and respect that I talk smack about their service. Let a civilian try to join in, it's their funeral! To answer your question, yes the inter service rivalry is alive and well.

Yes. Hopefully the member of all of them THINK they are...well most...but directly to the question, Yes.