The Marlboro Man--The Iraq War "Poster Boy"

Originally posted by Jedi_Master
I personally think, we should send him some cigs, he said he was running out, and pray that he and all the others get home safely...

Apparently, they aren't putting cigarettes in the "Meals, Ready to Eat" or the "Sundries Packs" anymore. In Vietnam, every C-Ration meal had a pack of four cigarettes in it. Every now and again, our battery would get a "Sundries Pack" that had things like writing paper, sweets, and cartons of cigarettes. You could always tell when it was getting close to "Sundries Pack" time because everyone in the unit would be smoking Kents.

In my day, Marlboro was the unofficial cigarette of the US Marines, with Kool being the favorite of the Black Marines. It would be interesting to know if that is still true.

Ya Grady that is what I gathered too...

From what I read he had 2 cartons, and 3 packs, going in to Falujah, and then handed out cigs to his buddies from his stash, ( maybe the MRE's don't have enough cigs don't know about those things, you would probably know more that I, as I've never been in the military )...

Has anybody but me noticied that the news article seems to try to make him sound like some redneck or something. Notice how the article use's words like drawl to describe his manner of speaking. The article also had to mention that he was a "farmboy". It seemed to emphasize that he was from a farm in Kentucy. I'm sorry if that seemed a little of topic but the news article seems to down play the soldier a lot.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Your ignorance and poor taste are showing wegottopieces. Anyone who served in that era would neve be fooled by that picture, which by the way is copyrighted. I really feel sorry for the likes of you and Nerdling. Cowardice is a terrible condition for which there is only one cure.

WOW, MAN,

Your showing your colors. Ignorance cowardice, your not strikeing out in blind rage are you SON

BEAR

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
"America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold:
its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life.
If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."
-- Josef Stalin (1879-1953) Communist leader of the USSR

We're forty-nine percent there. Uncle Joe really knew how to ruin a nation didn't he?

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
[

In my day, Marlboro was the unofficial cigarette of the US Marines, with Kool being the favorite of the Black Marines. It would be interesting to know if that is still true.

In my day and today it is Camel's and you sound a little racist here. Oh non filter by the way.
Polar

Originally posted by Polar Bear
Your showing your colors. Ignorance cowardice, your not strikeing out in blind rage are you....

Blind rage is not my style, Polar. Wegotopieces, doesn't understand why his alteration of the picture which is the subject of this post is offensive. What would you call that?

Nerdling has never expressed a single word that would indicate that he would put his life on the line for anything. What would you call that?

You may substitute whatever synonyms you prefer.

[edit on 04/11/13 by GradyPhilpott]

Cool black and white version of the pic wecomeinpeace I like the Black and white better actually.

NOOO what happened to it wecomeinpeace now its a rabbit the cuteness is burning my eyes.

[edit on 13-11-2004 by ShadowXIX]

[edit on 13-11-2004 by ShadowXIX]

*Yawns*
*Replaces original picture with a picture of a cute, widdle, fwuffy bunny-wabbit hoping it will not upset Mr Philpott's rigid, one-eyed view of the world.*
*Marvels at the awesome level of maturity required to make silly names out of other people's usernames*
*Idly wonders if the bunny has the courage to lay down its life for the cause*
*Leaves the now annoying thread like a "yellah-bellyed coward"*

Originally posted by Polar Bear
In my day and today it is Camel's and you sound a little racist here. Oh non filter by the way.
Polar

I don't know what your major malfunction is, Polar, but if most Black Marines smoked Kools, then how can it be racist to state that fact. I started out smoking Marlboro and was smoking Kools when I got out. How are you going to spin that, Mother Teresa?

Wow, you are a comical genius Grady. Keep it up!

Originally posted by Jamuhn
Wow, you are a comical genius Grady. Keep it up!

Thank you, Jamuhn. I knew someone, sooner or later, would discover my lovable side.

Originally posted by marg6043
Yeah where are the pictures of the liberated Iraqis throwing flowers and candy to the Malboro man?

Where are the pictures of the happy children and women.

I think these speak for themselves:

I am very pleased Grady,

Sincerely if you are,

Polar Bear

we can agree to disagree

Originally posted by Polar Bear
we can agree to disagree

I never agree to disagree. I just recognize that others are entitled to their view. Such prior agreements hinder progress and future negotiations.

Semper Fi.

This picture doesnt have the impact today that such a picture would have in WW2 or even Vietnam. This is the information age and photos of soldiers with or without a stogie in their gob are a dime a dozen. Hell, footage of a fire fight in fallujah can be shot, uploaded and viewed on the web within an hour.

Bit of a shame that. Photos from WW2 and Vietnam are quite potent. This photo doesnt really move me either way. I wonder if he will get an invite to be on the next Survivor or something after this.

The article mentions that the most of the impact and intrigue came from the fact that the picture carried no identifying information and the fact that a lot of people, especailly women, were interested in knowing his identity.

The image doesn't have the impact of the flag-raising on Mt. Suribachi or of those wounded Marines being evacuated out of the combat zone in Hue during Tet 68, but it does capture the timelessness of combat.

There was a picture that made the cover of "Life Magazine" during WWII that depicted a group of Marines huddled behind some cover while one appears to be letting out a spine-chilling war cry. In the documentary, "Red Blood, Black Sand," that Marine, some forty-five years older, admitted he was yawning.

A snapshot often says things to the viewer that were not relevant at the moment of the photograph. However, knowing what we know about this young man and his circumstances, we can safely assume that the look in his eyes is the result of intense stress and a lack of sleep.

I have seen that look many times myself and know that it would only take about twelve more hours before the hallucinations begin. It may not be the best war photo ever, but it does reveal much about the human spirit and the human condition. The war paint doesn't hurt, either.



[edit on 04/11/14 by GradyPhilpott]

The pic hit the front pages for society to buy into a/the
image. Tough!

Psychologically the image of the "Marlboro Man" is tough and rugged.
Madison Ave. spends million$ to study people, and what they
will buy into. Note the red box.

As for the cigarettes, more Blacks do smoke menthol cigarettes
than Whites.
Which makes Grady correct on the VN era, "Marlboro for Whites and
"Kools" for Blacks."

Blacks today smoke "Newports", a menthol cigarette.

Whao Grady deny ignorance I was not born yesterday, did you watched the news this morning? ha,

The faces of the "fallujah residents relegated to US hastily made tents cities to live indefinitly until the city is "rebuild"

You know what they had in their hands Grady, do you?

Prayer beats and their faces show the desolation and despair.

Take your propaganda pictures Grady and put then int that big album of yours that keep telling you that war is good and killing is ok in the name of Mr. Bush

Originally posted by marg6043
Take your propaganda pictures Grady and put then int that big album of yours that keep telling you that war is good and killing is ok in the name of Mr. Bush

It grieves me greatly that someone like you actually enjoys the freedoms of our great nation. It is even more disgraceful that you are a school teacher. Your avatar disgraces the Corps and and our uniform.