Can anyone tell me the difference between Marine Force Recon, units and other Marine recon units. I believe that Force Recon is the Marine equivalent of the Army Special Forces or the Seals, but I'm not sure.

I ask because Mike Stewart delevoped the Bravo-1 based on input from Force Recon units and it begs the question.

"Force" Recon is the Marine Corps Special Ops, now under the guise of MEUSOC I believe. Fleet Marine units also have their own recon elements (probably at the battallion level) who are just regular ol' Marines. We have the same thing in the Army (in Infantry battallions anyway). Our headquarters company has a scout/recon platoon in it. They have their own sniper section, and the rest are just regular soldiers that usually get picked based on their PT scores. Between you and me, there's nothing special about a line recon/scout platoon. They get all the good schools because their usually the Sargeant Major's babies, but for the most part the guys in a recon platoon aren't very intelligent, which makes it a good thing they pick the strong ones, because if you're going to be stupid, you better be tough too.

And we can all watch Clint Eastwood lead a recon platoon tonight at 8:00 pm (that's 20:00 for you non-recon guys) on AMC.

Alright you jarheads! "Hearbreak Ridge" is starting right now on AMC. Gotta go.

Thanks Corporal.

I prefer the marine combatives to the US army one by a huge amount.
The marine version is simple but effective while the army one is needlessly complex and relys a lot on ground fighting which is ridiculous in a combat situation. It was obviously developed by a good mixed martial arts guy which is great for a sporting event but nearly useless for real combat. Apparently they want a way for soldiers to compete among themselves rather than to teach them real skills.

I am not making a comment on anything but the 2 different approaches to teaching hand to hand combat. They are both available as PDF on Steves pages along with some other cool manuals. The Marines also use Col Applegates seminal "Kill or Get Killed" as a text. It is one of the best knife fighting books ever. It is also available as a PDF and it really is a must read. It is worth buying the book as well both to have and because the funds go to the Col's widow.