I remember this story breaking a while back and all the usual suspects poo-poo-ing it, telling me that it wasn't an issue.
It is now. It's finally to the point where even the idiots can't ignore the issue.
Gangs Spreading In The Military
Evidence of gang culture and gang activity in the military is increasing so much an FBI report calls it "a threat to law enforcement and national security." The signs are chilling: Marines in gang attire on Parris Island; paratroopers flashing gang hand signs at a nightclub near Ft. Bragg; infantrymen showing-off gang tattoos at Ft. Hood.
"It's obvious that many of these people do not give up their gang affiliations," said Hunter Glass, a retired police detective in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the home of Ft. Bragg and the 82nd Airborne. He monitors gang activity at the base and across the military.
"If we weren't in the middle of fighting a war, yes, I think the military would have a lot more control over this issue," Glass said. "But with a war going on, I think it's very difficult to do."
Gang activity clues are appearing in Iraq and Afghanistan, too. Gang graffiti is sprayed on blast walls – even on Humvees. Kilroy – the doodle made famous by U.S. soldiers in World War II – is here, but so is the star emblem of the Gangster Disciples.
Sure glad we lowered the standards of our all volunteer military so that we can finally give gangs the urban combat training they have been lacking.
The unintended consequences of this insanity are multitude and they alone will cost us dearly.
Turning our professional millitary into the most sophisticated and well armed gang on the planet seems somehow a fitting fate after the last 6 years, doesn't it?
