were pissed when the Army gave everybody a beret. Judging by the posts on the Sgt Grits Marine Forum, there was pretty much universal disgust. We all know what it is like to have to bust your ass to earn something special...and when they give it to everybody it degrades those who had to hump the course to earn it.

That brings up a memory and something that I have wondered about.

Did Marines who went through the Army Ranger School get to wear their Ranger Tabs on their uniforms? I had two of them go through the training with me - a rea;;u sharp little old (hey, I was 20) Philipino Recon Gunney and a large but not very bright young 2nd LT who was new to the service.

I actually ended up getting in fight with the LT while we were packing up after the Ranger School graduation ceremony. The big redneck decided to punish me for some slight that he had perceived that I had made and I decided to teach him that the legs come off of the upper bunk on army bed real easily and that thinking that it is safe to mess with men just because they are smaller is a poor life philosophy.

But I always did wonder if they got to wear the tab to indicate that they had gone through the program.