MARINE FORCES DOWN, SAYS OFFICER

The Marines need a few good men and women to fill some dwindling numbers.

The Marine force, more than 200,000 strong during Operation Desert Storm and the Persian Gulf War, is down to 174,000 active troops and 40,000 reserves, a result of severe defense cuts over the past seven years.

"Right now we couldn't do two Desert Storm operations," said Lt. Col. Keith A. Seiwell, a Marine stationed in the St. Louis area.

The Marines, said Seiwell, the guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee Friday, have been involved in every major conflict since the force was originated in a Philadelphia tavern in 1775. Even during the Cold War -- 1946 through 1989 -- the Marines were activated an average of every 15 weeks.

Since 1989, the Marines have been called on an average of every five weeks for one reason or another, including actions against terrorists.

"We're the nation's 911 force," said Seiwell, an inspector instructor in the Marines. "We can be called out to assist state and, or federal authorities at any time."

The Marines are always ready, said Seiwell. They receive specialized training for the tasks they are expected to perform.

"Every Marine is a rifleman," he said. "Marines go through some of the toughest training of any branch of service."

The Army, Air Force and Navy go through eight weeks of basic training. Marines have a 13-week basic training course, which includes one 48-hour session when they receive only two hours of sleep and must complete a 40-mile march.

This applies to men and women, said Seiwell. "The women have to go through the same tough training as the men."

The Marines provide a good economic payback for the taxpayers, he said.

"We have only one Marine officer for every nine men," said Seiwell. This compares to one officer for every five enlisted men in the Army and Navy, and one officer for every four enlisted men in the Air Force.

The Marines, who maintain their own artillery, tanker and aerial crews, make up only 6 percent of military personnel. The Army and Navy each make up 24 percent of the military, and the Air Force makes up 30 percent.

The Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of Marines in 1775. The Marines made their first landing on the Bahama Islands. That was during the Revolutionary War. Following the war, the Marines were disbanded.

The Marines were recreated as a military service in 1798. They participated in the battle of the Barbary Pirates on the shores of Tripoli in 1805.