Why do most people think/assume the army is the worst branch?

Question

After doing a little research into each branch, I'm curious to wonder why seemingly EVERYONE assumes or thinks the Army is the absolute worst branch.

Everyone tends to have this thought of the Army being full of a bunch of future-less, uneducated morons who plan on getting shot. Correct me if wrong, but isn't that the Marines? Haven't the Marines ALWAYS been the first wave. Haven't the Marines ALWAYS been part of that reckless force that just runs and guns. Aren't the Marines the ones with the highest casualties?

This is by NO MEANS a debate or war against each branch, but I'm wondering why everyone believes the Marines to be badasses, with higher educations...who belong to a better branch.

Answer 1

Im in the army. Marines make us look like ****.  #1:  They are more physically fit.  Very few fat marines.  I see countless overweight male army soldiers  especially female.  Army Females are worthless..   fat lazy and dumb.  Marines have better uniforms from boots to headgear and that shows professionalismn.  At NTC in Cali they made us lok like ****, and it shows.  Its sad to say , the army is going downhill, from dress to the peple they admit and the marines are superior in dress and fitness.

Answer 2

care for me to ask a few questions about army?

correct me if wrong, but isn't that the Army? Hasn't the Army ALWAYS been the first wave. hasn't the army ALWAYS been part of that reckless force that just runs and guns. Isn't the army the ones with the highest casualties?

--sorry, couldnt help myself....

Answer 3

I never heard that they were uneducated morons. Actually, alot of people just join the Army for education benefits & money for college. No one really joins the marines for college. They have to have a strong desire to be one of the few.  People probably think the marines are better cause they have way fewer men than the Army and the marine bootcamp is tougher. A lot of people just think the army is an easy way for money.

Answer 4

The question is loaded.

What branch you think is best would depend on what you personally enjoy the most. One person might love the Army and the next might hate it, just depends on personal preference.

Answer 5

FIRST.....I am not sure your assumption is accurate..... I can tell you heroic and ugly stories about every branch of service..... not sure any branch has the exclusive right to the label "worst branch"..... it is a highly subjective opinion

SECOND.....  Military personnel reflect the society from which they are drawn That means every branch has its heroes and duds..... Lee Harvey Oswald was a Marine.....Timothy Mc Veigh was a soldier...

In that the Marine Corps is significantly smaller than the Army... they would have less heroes and duds.... the Army would have more

You always hear about the duds.....you rarely hear about the heroes

Ergo the Army would "appear" to have a lesser quality product ( not necessarily true.....but that is the perception)

FINALLY.... The Marines have a HUGE PR program..... this further reduces the negatives and magnifies the positives ..... The Army does not promote it's "superior" image as does the Marines.....Perception does not mean "FACT".....

Worst and best depends on your criteria.....who is evaluating and how

Answer 6

Other than you, I have never met anyone who has any strong feeling that the Army is the "worst" branch. Each is different and each has a different role.  If you are percieving some popular feeling, examine your own biases.  If it were true that many people don't like the army, if is probably simply because the army has the most people and therefore the most vets who served one tour and left.

Answer 7

Many people that believe that haven't worn the uniform of any branch of the military, ever.

Answer 8

Hmmmm.... I didn't know that.  My dad and I were both in the Army, my uncle in the Navy, other uncle in the Air Force, and grandpa and yet another uncle in the Marines.  I have a cousin currently in the Coast Guard.  I've never heard anything other than friendly rivalry between the branches.

Answer 9

Every branch screws with the other.  It's part of brotherhood.  As an Infantry guy we gave h**l to everyone and grudging respect to the Marine infantry guys.  Pick a branch and go with it.  They all have their benefits.

And I'm no idiot either.  96 ASVAB

Answer 10

I beleive your just doing this to bs the Marines.

I think we need the Army, who else is going to DEFEND when the Marines are away? That what you guys are train for durng peace time.

The Marines train the most during peace time. Why think think Marines are always the firt ones in? Its what they train for.

Answer 11

I don't believe for a moment that's it's the worst brand of service.  But your question is LOADED for sure!

The trash I use to hear when I was station at NATTC Memphis!  Thank God we grow up!

Answer 12

I do not for one second think the Army is the WORST branch in the military. However, MARINES do belong to a "better branch". We EARNED the title. We clean up after the army goes and turns a situation into complete Sh*t. Military history is evidence of this. Marines hold themselves to a much higher standard then the Army does. We believe in Core Values and Traditions, we RESPECT the UCMJ and we understand the difference between an Enlisted Rank and a Commissioned Rank. We know that it's SERGEANT and that there are no such thing as "Sarge". We don't need Stress Cards to tell us when a situation is over our head, because THERE IS NO SITUATION that is over a Marines head. We will Plan and Execute each mission tactfully and in a timely fashion. We respect the uniform we put on every day at d**n near zero dark thirty in the morning. By the time the Army wakes up for PT- the Marines are already at Noon Chow. We sure as h**l don't go prancing around town in our "ACU"s. We wear our Uniform when performing an actual job. Not to run errands around town. We RESPECT our superiors and will always render a salute while in proper uniform to a superior officer. We NEVER in a work environment show such blatant disregard and insubordinance to our superiors.

The Marines are about QUALITY- not Quantity. It's the Marine Corps, you need to EARN the right to be called a Marine and you need to EARN your rank, we don't just hand you some ribbons and send your *** into the fleet.

You Join the Marines because you want to make a difference in the world, serve and protect your country. Being a Marine isn’t a Job, it's a way of Life. You join the army because you want to pay for college.

Answer 13

           I served in the Air Force for four years and heard more horror stories about the Army than any other branch. I've heard horror stories about all the branches and being in the Air Force got to see their negatives as well. But the thing with the Army is they'll take anyone even people that can't score a 31 on an ASVAB. I've heard the Army waivering many people that couldn't score high enough on the ASVAB or had a lingering physical disability in which they should have never been allowed in the military in the first place.

          There was something on the news where a kid pretended to be a drug addict to find out how far the recruiters would go to get him in sure enough the recruiter acted like it was no big deal and even told him ways to pass the drug test. The kids was just pretending and word got around quick and those recruiters were promply fired. I talked to all the recruiters from all branches and the Army is usually the most harrassing branch as well as feed you the most bull. The Navy follows a close second as far as lies are concernced.

             Most people that I know that went in the Army went it with a GED and most got kicked out. So from what I've seen and heard yes the Army is the worst branch overall. They also have the longest deployments of any branch.

              Is there smart soldiers? Of course, every branch has heroes and duds as someone mentioned. But I'd have to agree with what I've seen that the Army is the worst branch hands down.

Answer 14

Marines aren't the smartest branch at all. The qualifying score for the asvab is the lowest of all the branches. At least in 95' when I went in. (I got an 88, personally.) Watch that show on HBO; Generation Kill. It's pretty realistic, I think, although I have only seen one episode. The Marines hit Iraq with no batteries for night vision electronics, lost food, little water, and horrible leadership. It has been said that more Marine officers got Marines killed than the V.C. and NVA. I believe it. Also, as part of the dept. of the navy, our budget is whatever is left when the navy takes what they need. We might fire a thousand rounds a year in machine guns and rifles, when 10 time's that is needed to maintain proficiency. I have had field ops (training) canceled because we couldn't afford engine oil for our AAV's (Assault Amphibious Vehicle, a personnel carrier that floats.) But, after all that, WE STILL WIN!

But, like the Army guy said, he has seem some real idiots. So have I, but our's just catch bullets. The training is harder, and weeds out the ones who can't handle the preassure. You don't have to be smart to kill somebody, any fool can fire a rifle, but to keep doing it for 72 hours with barely any sleep takes training.

Answer 15

I agree with the Lieutenant Commander.  I served in the Air Force enlisted for 4 years before becoming an officer in the Army.  I have dealt with idiots and very intelligent airmen and soldiers both.  The Army gets labeled as the dumbest branch b/c it is the largest branch and therefore has the largest amount of career fields that don't exactly require a Ph.D.  I used to feel that the Army was just a bunch of dumb grunts, but after transitioning into the army from the air force via the green to gold program, I learned real quick that the military as a whole has its share of excellent "high-speed" soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen.  While at the same time it also has plenty of morons who do not belong here.  I do admit that the Air Force and Navy have the most technical jobs, but that doesn't mean all the other branches don't have any technical fields.  The army has Air Defense artillery (patriot, THAAD, stryker, just to name a few), Chemical Corps(chemical, nuclear, biological, radiological weapons), Signal Corps (computer geeks), and not to mention that the army does the most medical research and development of any other branch. Every branch has its role to defend our nation, and that's it.  Marines as a whole may be more physically fit, but that doesn't necessarily make them better service members.  You can be as strong as an ox, but that doesn't mean you know how to fight or make good combat decisions.  I believe that each branch has its own share of good officers, bad officers, poor enlisted, good enlisted, and fat people.  Do not label a whole branch simply based on what others say.  I have respect for all service members regardless of branch.

Answer 16

I have witnessed this sentiment before and it is entirely wrong, but none the less, like racism, exists boldly and prevalently.

The Army is given a bum rap for several reasons, depending on your perspective. The first reason the Army gets a lot of negative comparison to other branches is because of their tolerant ASVAB score acceptance standard. They have the lowest acceptance standard (ASVAB of at least 31). The Marines require a 32 minimum ASVAB score. The Air Force requires the highest with a 36 ASVAB Minimum, unless you include the Coast Guard, they require a 40 minimum ASVAB score. I couldn't shake a stick at the number of Air Force and Coast Guard jokes I've heard as a SEAL, but I know Coast Guard personnel and they are as professional as you get, especially their Rescue Swimmers and Helo pilots who are saving lives constantly.

But it is an interesting phenomenon that many view the Army as inferior, and the Marines as vastly superior, usually it's civilians doing this, since all branches share a strong brotherhood as one military.

The Marines do a long Boot Camp and have a very extensive training and challenging program, plus, they have Recon and Force Recon. Both of these light infantry units are expert in their craft. Marines are viewed as first to fight. Marines are also known for maritime environment operations and securing  areas before others follow.

The Army is viewed by many as a kind of follow the Marines as they secure areas bunch. But in fact, it's the first eyes and ears on the ground that makes it safe for boots to follow, no matter whose boots those are. And those eyes ears... often belong to the Army's Green Berets and Delta Operators.

The Navy has a minimum ASVAB requirement of 35, and I've heard a lot of Navy jokes too. Squids is not a particularly nice name to call someone. Hey... Squidface! Probably wouldn't make your day at 8:12AM.

Let me remind all that the Army contains not only the Airborne Rangers, but also the Special Ops Teams of the Green Berets and Operational Detachment-D (otherwise known as The Delta Force). Their d**n Sniper Teams win just about every shooting competition... and my Dad was in Korea and he was a Sergeant in... yes you guessed it, the Army.

So don't put a lot of weight in ASVAB scores and don't take negative Army jokes seriously, even if they are funny... just kidding.

Answer 17

While I was an Air Force officer for 4 years, I have a great respect for the Marines. They may be the first in, but they have some of the toughest training and high standards. They are professionals, just like the Air Force. The Army IS full of criminals and they have the lowest standards of all the branches. For example, they allow you in with a criminal record, their training is simplistic, most have arrogant attitudes and don't show respect to officers from other branches, and they are trained to be rife-carrying machines. The Army generally has higher casualties than any other branch. In the combat field, they make up most of the force. They are the ones who go in in large numbers. There aren't nearly as many Marines, so they tend to be more careful. I don't mind Army, but please show some military customs and courtesies! We all have our different roles and in war, we tend to come together. What I have stated above is typical talk when we are at bars or in more casual settings.

Answer 18

Most peoples perception that the army i the "worst" or "stupidest" branch is primarily because it i the easiest branch to get into. You can get a waiver for many more things in the Army. Criminal, testing, physical. The marine have most casualties because they do do a lot of the fighting. they are usually the first ones in and the last ones out.

The Air Force is said to have an easier way of life, more like a civilian job. The navy has the bet training and the most advanced equipment. Each branch work together with the others for one cause. They are all equally important. No soldier or sailor is les important than another.  

Answer 19

Actually, in most conflicts, it is National Guard and Reservists who tend to go in first - don't ask me why.  The Marines tend to be more selective, being a much smaller force.  So the notion is (right or wrong) that you can count on your fellow marines more so than you could your fellow army grunts.

Answer 20

The Marines have more casualties because we are the ones that do the majority of the fighting

But I wouldnt say the Army is the worst of all the branches

Be Army

If thats all that you can be.

And before any of you get all worked up, the army comment was a joke. Any one that has served should understand it

Answer 21

idk...while i was in army basic training we always picked on the marines...&& we all agreed we should've joined the air force..lol (for some reason everyone says it's easier..idk how true that is).

but being in the army did make me a lot more scared to be an american..because i saw first hand who is really out there defending our country...i honestly don't know how some of those people graduated or why they even joined in the first place...

but as far as being stupid..i made a 96 on my asvab...hooah lol