Capt. Michael Corleone, USMC

Discussion in 'Warfare / Military' started by APACHERAT, Oct 16, 2017.

  1. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    There's already an active thread on the Army's new service dress uniform and another dealing with medals.

    Looks like someone has already picked away at the most infamous Marine officer to serve uniform and medals... Capt. Michael Corleone, USMC.

    Lets take a closer look. As mentioned in the medal thread the average WW ll combat veteran was discharged wearing usually only three ribbons on his uniform. Real medals for valor and unit citations had to be earned. Only one campaign ribbon for the European /North Africa campaigns and only one campaign ribbon for the Pacific theater of WW ll.


    But Francis Ford Coppola doesn't explain why Capt. Corleon wears both the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.

    Maybe Capt. Corleone served as a member of a Marine ship detachment that served on all U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, battleships and cruisers or participated in three of the amphibious landings conducted by U.S. Marines in the European and North Africa campaigns ?

    Capt. Michael Corleone, USMC
    [​IMG]

    Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972).


    [​IMG]






     
  2. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    There is actually a simple explanation for the Navy Cross not being seen.

    The action it was awarded for was prior to Part 1, but the award took time to process so was not awarded until after that scene. During WWII it was not unusual for awards to take months or years to finally be awarded, especially if there was any question of their being upgraded (MOH) or downgraded (SS) by further review.

    And this may also be a case where he was awarded a Silver Star, but it was upgraded to a Navy Cross after the opening scene.

    For the E-A-ME, he could also have been a Marine technical advisor for one of the many amphibious landings that the Army conducted. Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, there were many of them. And while Marines did not participate, they were there as advisors.
     
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  3. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Excellent reply re: the Navy Cross.

    The last time I went out in the bush was during Operation Golden Dragon and my radioman was awarded the Bronze Star over two years later after the incident that led to earning the Bronze Star.

    Herringbone Cloak--GI Dagger: Marines of the OSS -> http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-OSS/index.html

    U.S. Marines barred from the June 6, 1944 landings. -> http://www.nationalreview.com/article/210918/rivalry-normandy-w-thomas-smith-jr
     
  4. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    I did not notice the snafu.

    But the movie was good though.
     
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  5. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    One of the best movies ever made.

    And Hollywood seems to have gotten the Marine uniform right.

    But what I think the uniform is missing is the John Brown belt.

    All of the photographs of my father during WW ll when he was wearing the dress greens service uniform he always was wearing the John Brown belt and he wasn't an office just a sergeant.

    [​IMG]
    Some Marine Captain during WW ll wearing a John Brown belt.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2017
  6. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Sam Browne belt. There is an old photo of him in the wiki article. John Brown was hanged on a sour apple tree, as it were.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Browne_belt
     
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  7. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Brit's wore their pistols on the opposite side of their strong hand. The leather cross sash of the Sam Browne belt was supposed to keep the waist belt horizontal under the weight of the pistol.
     
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  8. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I know who Sam Brown was. Robert E. Lee who commanded some U.S. Marines captured Sam Brown. We were taught that in grade school. At the time I thought it was strange that an Army officer would be in command of Marines.

    While growing up during the 1950's I remember most cops would wear Sam Brown belts.

    Marine officers today wear the Sam Brown belt while wearing the dress blues uniform.

    [​IMG]

    I guess enlisted Marines don't rate a Sam Brown belt.
     
  9. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    The Sam Browne's are pretentious.

    Always were.

    Always will be.

    The enlisted USMC sword is superior to the officers' sword.
     
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  10. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I made Sergeant (E-5) very quickly, through attrition while in-country.

    Never attended NCO school or owned a set of dress blues or a NCO sword.

    When I made corporal I was told when I was in the Da Nang area to go to the PX on Freedom Hill and purchase the Marine Corps NCO handbook and read it.

    Back in the day the Marines dress blue uniform wasn't issued, if you wanted one you had to purchase it. If I remember correctly they were around $100 in 69.

    The only Marines that were required to own dress blues were those who went to Sea School and served aboard Navy ships and I think those grunts who served at Navy installations Marine Barracks.

    My son enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1999. He really got into the **** and loved it with the intentions getting a commission and flying fighters.

    Must have been 2000 or 2001 I get a phone call. My son wants to borrow $1,000 to purchase a set of Marine dress blues. Holey crap !!! a $1,000.
    Of course I knew it wasn't a loan.

    When he went to NCO school he had to have a NCO sword. Not this time son, you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. I think it was around $500.

    Then the Corps decided to send him off the UC San Diego to become an officer of Marines under the NROTC program. Now he wants a Marine officers sword.

    Ends up his enlisted dress blues wont pass mustard and he needs to purchase Marine officers dress blues including the John Brown belt. On a Sargent's pay he had to fork out the almost $1,500 for the uniform.

    Today he's a Major flying a FA-18 C.

    Today he owns both the Marine NCO sword and the officers sword.

    [​IMG]
    Marine Corps NCO sword


    [​IMG]
    Marine Corps officers sword

    Marine WW ll vets started a tradition. When your son or the son of a close friend graduates from Marine Corps boot camp you present him with one of these.
    [​IMG]

    I still have the Ka-Bar that my father presented me in March of 69 at MCRDSD.

    I presented both my son and nephew a Ka-Bar when they graduated from boot camp.
     
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  11. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    When I was in The Corps back in the 1970's, every single thing seemed to cost about $250 bucks.

    The summer green uniform, the winter green, the dress whites, and the dress blues each cost about $250. And the officers sword (a worthless piece of chromed sh!t) was also about $250. The total investment in uniforms, accoutrements, sword, and sword belt came to about $1500 as I recall. Pay back then for a 2nd Louie was about $750 per month before tax withholding.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2017
  12. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    After the start of the war, the SB was moved from a required piece of uniform equipment to optional. The needs of the services for leather for more important pieces of combat equipment was more important than making the Officers look good in dress uniforms.
     
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  13. JakeJ

    JakeJ Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Is the Marine dress sword made of sword-quality steel, ie potentially combat functional? Or cheap steel solely as a prop for show?
     
  14. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    My understanding, both. There's the cheaper stainless steel blade ceremony swords and if you have the bucks you can get a real sword with a forged carbon steel blade that can kill on the battlefield.
     
  15. DoctorWho

    DoctorWho Well-Known Member

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    Midnight acquisition before paying that much for those items.......
    Inventory malfunction..........
     

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