Why are Marines vicious people?
There is a historical and technological reason that Marines (and most modern soldiers) need to be ‘vicious’ at some level. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, wars were fought by masses of men in formations or, at the very least, in close proximity. In order to keep men fighting, all that was necessary was to instill a sense of loyalty to the unit. The anticipated guilt over abandoning ones comrades-in-arms was enough to keep most men fighting even as the terror of war overwhelmed them. In WWI and WWII, however, weapons technology had evolved to the point were masses of men were more tempting targets than effective fighting units. So, soldiers were spread out and fought as individuals. The problem is that an individual soldier in a foxhole generally does not want to fight. Firing his weapon gives away his position and exposes him to counter-fire. Military researchers found that individual soldiers did *much* less firing than those who were in groups or working crew-serviced weapons. So
