Is it just me, or are the ranks of GI JOE made up almost exclusively of Army personnel? Sure, they're are handful of Navy guys, but, unless I'm mistaken, there are almost no marines and almost no air force personnel.
What surprises me most is the lack of Marines. I guess some of the characters aren't listed as specifically Army, and with a Primary Military Specialty of Infantry, it could go either way, but the only Marines I can think of are Gung-ho and Leatherneck. Am i forgetting anyone? Why aren't there any marines?

Here we go:

-Sgt Slaughter
-Mainframe
-Mace (possibly-has a reference to Shores of Tripoli in his filecard)

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Well GiJoe is supposed to represent SFOD-D(Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta or Delta Force) and SFOD-D as far as I can tell is made up of mostly Army, if not exclusively Army.

I think that Clutch is a Marine as well. Gotta double check the file card

no no, he's Army. why Hasbro tossed him in with the Mega Marines is anyone guess, but Lance Steinberg is definitely Army.



Rampart is Navy. Mirage is a Marine. Bombstrike and Barrel Roll are Air Force. Cutter is obvious.

Just checked, yep, NFC's right. Can't figure out why I thought that. I coulda sworn that I saw somewhere that Clutch was a Marine.

1st Special Forces Operation Detachment - Delta is mostly US Army. That must be why Joe is mostly Army too. The Army is also the biggest force and has the most Special Operations Troops as well, so the pool is bigger.

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You can make teh argument that most of the pilots and astronauts on teh Joe team are USAF

Steve

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You're thinking about when he was part of the Mega Marines.

Clutch is Army and possibly a Ranger.

"...Graduated: Advanced Infantry Training; Covert Ops School; Executive Bodyguard School; Ranger School..."

Where does it say Mirage is a Marine? Sure he was part of the Mega Marines, but that doesn't really prove anything since Clutch is Army...

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Sgt Slaughter-oh yeah, I totally forgot him. He was born on Paris Island!!

Mainframe- according to his filecard, he was actually Army Airborne, not a Marine.


Mace- I agree that he could possibly be a marine, although his filecard makes him sound like a CIA operative. Maybe he started in the Marines and got recruited by the CIA.


as for Mirage- the only reference to him being a Marine is that he was a Mega-Marine, but since clutch was also a mega-marine without being a Marine, we've seen that doesn't mean anything.

So far only three GI JOEs with specific references to being marines in their filecards

Actually you have to keep reading Mainframe's filecard. He started off in the army airborne. He then got his computer training and then re-enlisted to the Marine Corp. If I'm not mistaken, I believe their is even a marine insignia on his belt or at least somewhere on his uniform.

It's Parris Island. I don't think any of the Marines that graduated boot camp there would call it the City of Lights...



You didn't read far enough.

"Mainframe enlisted in the Army Airborne at the age of seventeen and made it over to South-East Asia for the last year off hostilities...Luckily the Marines were looking for a few good men with just his qualifications. The proper papers were signed, and Mainframe was back in uniform."

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boy is my face red. hehe. Sure enough, mainframe is a marine. So we've got:
Gung Ho
Leatherneck
Mainframe
Sgt. Slaughter
and Mace (maybe)

5 guys out of how many characters are Marines. At least those five guys are five badass marines.

Lets not forget about Hollow Point. He is a Marine too.

http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/03/btrhollowpoint.shtml

For the Navy Joes , the flowing make up the list.

Torpedo (SEAL)

Deep Six (Diver)

Shipwreck(Salior/SEAL)

Wetsuit (SEAL)

Tracker (SEAL)

Rampart (Air Defense Artillery)

TopSide (Salior)

Wet Down (SEAL)

Depth Charge (SEAL)

Mariner (Devils Due comics Naval warfare, no figure for him yet)

Dr. Link Talbot (former SEAL)

I think that is every Navy Joe accounted for.

Feel free to let me know if I missed any one.