Which Military Service Is Most Important to National Defense And the Most Prestigious?
Gallup is out with its periodic poll on which military service is the “most important” to national defense. Makes about as much sense as pointing to a toolbox and asking: what tool in there is most important? It all depends on the job at hand. A hammer makes little sense when you need to cut a 2-by-4. But common sense like that might force pollsters to earn an honest living.
Prior to 2004 — and going all the way back to the 1940s — the Air Force headed the list. But not anymore. What changed?
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As for the most prestigious service, it’s not even close. “Americans have named the Marines as the most prestigious branch of the armed forces in each of four surveys conducted between 2001 and 2011,” Gallup reports. “Thirty-six percent named the Marines as most prestigious in 2001, while 46% do today.”
Back in 1950, President Harry Truman famously said the Marines “have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin’s.” Apparently, they still do.