IN> From Hades' Halls of Loyalty to the Stores of Shal-Mari...

[Moe Lane]

I got this idea from a comment on the SJG forums.  It amused.

Marine Forces Celestial (MARFORCES)
(Motto: "Semper.  Fidelis.")

To begin with, these are not the "Heavenly Marines."  This is a field
command of the United States Marine Corps.  They are merely... very
much outside of regular communication with the National Command
Authority.  Yes, there is some communication; the situation is very
complicated, and most of the details are classified anyway.  Suffice
it to say that accommodations have been made.

MARFORCES is a fully volunteer organization open not only to
formerly-corporeal Marines (mere death isn't enough to make a Marine
an ex-Marine), but to any blessed soul who thinks that he - or she,
these days - can hack it.  A surprising number do; and a surprising
number can't.  Celestials are not permitted in the ranks unless they
have previously honorably served as United States Marines as part of
their Role.  Generally, blessed souls will retain their earthly ranks,
although there is considerable pressure to fill and maintain
MARFORCES' own, extremely strict, readiness standards.

Service in MARFORCES is tailored to appeal to career military: it
neatly eliminates virtually every unpleasant aspect of soldiering in
order to focus on training and field maneuvers.  The training is on
every conceivable topic of interest to military science (in some ways,
combat techniques are the least emphasized, or at least most generally
assumed), often taught by the absolute experts in their field.  The
field maneuvers are in the depths of the Groves, and take advantage of
the surprising range of micro-climates to be found there.  Then, of
course, there's guard duty - the exclusive privilege of Alpha Marine
Division, and one jealously protected.

Lastly, there's the Final Battle.  MARFORCES is not unique.  There are
many Heavenly organizations set up that echo or extend worthy
corporeal military forces, from the Roman Legions onwards.  But
MARFORCES considers itself to be the best of them, and it has every
intention of proving it when it comes time for the final assault on
Hell.  Or, more tragically, when it comes time to hold back the Horde
from the walls of Heaven itself...

Bth Marine Expeditionary Force (B MEF, pronounced 'Behemoth';
commander: Lt. General; motto: "Why you joined.")
The 'B' is an approximation of the celestial number actually used,
which means "one more than whatever number the USMC is using for its
Expeditionary Forces on the corporeal plane."  B MEF's total troop
strength has been carefully not spelled out in order to permit
individual GMs the opportunity to customize for their own campaigns,
but it must be noted that as described the Force rivals if not exceeds
the size of the entire USMC on Earth.  It can easily be made even
larger without losing any efficiency, given that many of the small
problems and restrictions that collectively plague corporeal armies
simply do not exist in Heaven.

Subordinate Groups

Alpha Marine Division (AMD; commander: Major General; motto: "Cut you
if you stand.")
AMD is tasked with being a primary response force in case of invasion,
as well as a secondary strategic reserve for the Host.  It also
assists with Heaven's physical security, including ceremonial guard
duties.  AMD's combat engineers concentrate on static defense, and are
thus organized at the regimental level in order to better coordinate
their efforts.  Similarly, the light recon troops are working from the
advantage of intimate knowledge of the terrain, and can thus be used
as a rapid-reaction force.  Note the anomalous artillery battalions,
which are not organized on the regimental level.

AMD mostly coordinates with the Words deemed unlikely to be involved
in the front lines of Armageddon, such as Flowers and Destiny.  The
primary strategy in case of a full-fledged demonic invasion is to
decisively strike at the incursion points, throw back the invasion if
possible, and make a fighting retreat to Jacob's Ladder if not.  AMD
estimates that even in a worst-case scenario the evacuation of
Heaven's non-combat personnel should be largely accomplished by the
time of the final destruction of the Division, although the Savannah
provides a special complication.  Fortunately, early pessimism
regarding of the necessity for extensive use of tactical nuclear
weapons seems to have been just that: pessimism, although AMD will not
completely rule out the tactic.

	* 15 Marine Regiments in 45 Battalions;
	* 1 Light Armored Reconnaissance Regiment in 3 Battalions
	* 3 Combat Engineer Regiments in 9 Battalions
	* 2 Armored Regiments in 6 Battalions
	* 1 Marine Expeditionary Brigade
	* 12 Special Artillery Battalions
	* Marine Symphony Orchestra
	
Omega Marine Division (OMD; commander: Major General; motto: "Shoot
you when you run.")
OMD is tasked with being a primary assault force for final offensive
operations against the forces of Hell.  This is not currently defined
as including Armageddon, although OMD will also act as a primary
strategic reserve for that battle.  OMD's regiments and battalions are
overstrength by corporeal standards, with a policy of "two forward,
two back" instead of "two forward, one back".  This reflects an
expectation of heavy shock at the first point of contact with enemy
forces, coupled with the need for a strong commitment of reserves.
Note that the combat engineers are not organized at the regimental
level.

OMD works mostly with the War Faction, which in this context includes
Lightning.  As noted before, this Division is one of the corporeal
groups dedicated to the final assault on Hell: they expect to be used
- and, honestly, used up - providing a preliminary beachhead and
Landing Zone for the Host.  Hell apparently expects to be able to
empty out the damned soul portion of Gehenna to oppose OMD and its
counterparts, which is why the first thing that OMD intends to do once
it has secured its primary objective is to thoroughly obliterate that
Principality from as long a range as possible (the phrase
'metaphysical kinetic energy weapons' has been used in brainstorming
sessions).  The Division has every intention of having someone raise
the Stars and Stripes over Lucifer's Throne, but they have no idea how
many Marines will die to get it there...

	* 10 Marine Regiments in 40 Battalions
	* 1 Assault Celestial Battalion
	* 2 Reconnaissance Regiments in 8 Battalions
	* 1 Long Range Special Reconnaissance Regiment in 4 Battalions
	* 4 Combat Engineer Battalions
	* 4 Armored Regiments in 16 Battalions
	* 5 Marine Expeditionary Units

Bth Marine Aircraft Wing (B MAW)
B MAW is generally associated with OMD, although all MAGs rotate
through joint training schedules with AMG.  It is about 2/3rds
fixed-wing and 1/3 rotary-wing aircraft, and is much larger than its
corporeal equivalent: current doctrine is to use it as an artillery
substitute, which has spawned some of the most acrimonious disputes to
have ever gone on in Heaven.

	* 30 Marine Aircraft Groups
	* 6 Marine Air Control Groups
	* 30 Marine Wing Support Groups

Bth Marine Logistics Group (B MLG)
B MLG is notably smaller than an equivalent earthly organization: the
lack of need for food, shelter and many medical supplies simplifies
matters immensely, as does the complete lack of corruption.

	* 10 Combat Logistics Regiments

Notable Sub-groups

Marine Symphony Orchestra
This group is in fact a full-fledged orchestra, and quite a good one.
It is also the place where MARFORCES puts its best Song users.
Members of the Orchestra train extensively in metaphysical and
esoteric combat; it remains to be seen how well this will translate to
battlefield utility.

Long Range Special Reconnaissance Regiment (LRSRR, pronounced "lurser")
When it comes to United States Marines that have somehow managed to
end up in Hell, MARFORCES takes a simple attitude: you may have sold
your soul to Satan, but your a*s belongs to the Corps.  LRSRR
supposedly is in contact with carefully unnamed elements within Hell
that can provide at least some intelligence on Infernal machinations
and troop strengths.  The regiment is typically staffed by angels
(including Redeemed ones) who have served at least one tour of
corporeal duty with the Role of a US Marine.  It is unclear how much
of what LRSRR gets is true and how much is disinformation, but they
are getting something.


-- 
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Last Updated 01/16/06 - now with non-IN material
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