Marine Corps Vets With Combat Experience Are Leaving The U.S. Military

A U.S. Marine fires an M777-A2 Howitzer in the early morning in Syria, June 3. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Matthew Callahan)

Jeff Schogol , Military Times: Where have all the combat vets gone?

The Marine Corps is facing a troubling drain of combat experience as thousands of battle-hardened Marines have left the Corps during the past several years.

The number of Marines on active-duty who have been awarded Combat Action Ribbons has dropped by more than half over the past five years — from a high of more than 40,000 at the time of the surge in Afghanistan in 2011 to fewer than 17,500 in 2016 — according to data obtained by Marine Corps Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

In today’s Corps, fewer than one in five Marines has a single deployment under their belt and the number of Marines who have deployed twice is now less than one in 10, according to Marine Corps officials.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. Air Force is also having the same problem .... A 'quiet crisis' in the Air Force is sapping the service of manpower (Business Insider).