Strategypage explains why Marine casualties are higher than the Army's rate:
The U.S. Marine Corps is trying to play down press reports that its troops suffered proportionately higher casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan than did their army counterparts. Analyzing the raw numbers it was found that, .47 percent of all marines who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were killed, and 4.28 percent were wounded. The U.S. Army, in comparison, suffered .38 percent killed and 2.75 percent wounded.
The differences result from two unique aspects of the marines. First, they don't have as many support troops as the army. The navy provides a lot of logistical and other support for the marines, and its sailors doing this work. A higher proportion of marines are combat troops. But even taking that into account, the marines have a higher rate of combat casualties. That is largely caused by a different approach to combat. Marines are trained as assault troops, especially amphibious assault. When attacking a defended beach, you have to push the enemy back, so you can bring in your own support forces, or be at a deadly disadvantage. Retreat is not an option.
I'd add that the Army provides some of those support functions on land. The Army actually attached support units to the Marines in the 2003 invasion, for example.
But Strategypage has done the math and says that Marine casualties are still higher. Fair enough. I also understand the reason for that fact, beyond the tooth-to-tail difference, is that the Marines are different--not better or worse. Marines need to be aggressive and accept more casualties as the price of getting ashore and not having everyone die in the surf. This is why I think the Marines should take the lead in urban combat, as I mentioned here.
Marines are different. In a good way, mind you, for their missions. When I was in signal school, we had a Marine in our Army class. One of the first things we had to do was pound long "elephant stakes" into the ground that were used to support tall antennas. We took turns in timed pounding. Our Marine, fresh from boot camp, stepped up for his turn and proclaimed, "Let me show you how to pound this in the Marine way!" To which I replied, with superb timing as he hefted the hammer up for his first blow, "The Marine way? What's that? With your forehead?" He stopped in mid-swing, glared at me--and then just grinned. Gotcha! He turned out all right, and was willing to drink with the Army types he found himself exiled to.
There really is a Marine way. And they pay for it. Let me just say that I don't ever think we should get rid of the Marine Corps by thinking it is just a second Army.
