Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert Mariner
I might be overthinking this, but I don’t believe there’s a one-size-fits-all answer. Given their specialized skill sets, some USN and USAF personnel could prove too valuable to be used solely as rifle-carrying infantry replacements—at least, not right away.
Possible examples:
- A grounded F-16 pilot now serving as convoy commander for a mixed-service logistics detachment.
- A Navy machinist’s mate acting as lead mechanic in an USMC armored recovery team.
- A former USAF weather technician repurposed as the unofficial S2 (Intel) officer for a provisional infantry company, thanks to her expertise in map reading and terrain analysis.
- An Air Force Security Police detachment reassigned as the quick reaction force (QRF) for an Army-run supply depot.
- A Navy corpsman now fully integrated as a line medic within an Army infantry company.
- A Navy aviation ordnanceman, his carrier long scuttled, now serving as the armorer for a Marine-led fire support team.
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I agree completely. If the folks in charge know what they're doing, USAF and USN servicemen (and women) with in-demand skills are most likely going to be placed in new jobs in the ground forces that make use of same.
I was generalizing on a macro level. After the fuel is gone and spare parts used up, there will likely tens of thousands of grounded USAF and beached USN personnel. The majority of them- those without skills that translate to ground forces needs c.1999- will end up as infantry replacements.
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