When i went to join the Corps the recruiter showed me a film of the different MOS's and one was a tank tearing all holy heck thru a course. When he completed it they stop, the hatch opens up and the tanker pops up looks right at the camera.. and said.. its like driving a 52 ton Cadilliac.. Some things you just never forget.

Semper Fi..

Marine Corps Begins Shutdown of All Tank Battalions

The end of the Marine Corps' tank missions has officially begun.

Marines with 1st Tank Battalion recently watched the last of their unit's tanks depart Twentynine Palms, California. Photos taken of the event show Marines surrounding an oversized flatbed as the tanks were loaded up onto the vehicle and driven away.

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Less than two weeks later, Alpha Company, 4th Tank Battalion, held a deactivation ceremony at Camp Pendleton, California. The unit is the first of several companies with 4th Tanks facing deactivations this summer, Maj. Roger Hollenbeck, a spokesman for Marine Forces Reserve, said.

The changes are part of an aggressive plan the Marine Corps' top general set in place earlier this year called Force Design 2030. The plan, leaders say, will set Marines up for future fights, defending ships while at sea and operating in hotly contested spots near the shore.

To be ready for those missions, Commandant Gen. David Berger said the Marine Corps must get smaller to get better. That includes cutting all tank battalions and getting rid of the vehicles.

"Remember that our tanks were just weapon systems," Capt. Mark Rothrock, commander of Alpha Company, 4th Tank Battalion said when the unit deactivated on Friday. "[Tanks are] a (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) fine weapon system, but nonetheless, just equipment. You individual Marines were always the key to the company's success."

Retired Master Sgt. Jay Corroccia had a similar message for members of 1st Tanks as that unit's vehicles rolled away earlier this month.

"Take the standards and the pride you had here and apply it to whatever you do," he said. "Whether you stay in the Marine Corps or you get out, nobody can ever take Tank Battalion away from you."

More than 1,300 Marines will have their careers affected by Force Design 2030. Service officials announced in May that four military occupational specialties would be cut because of the changes, and several more would see their billets reduced.

The Marine Corps Reserve, Hollenbeck said, has created a team to help provide any Marines affected by unit deactivations or other changes information on career options. Those options include lateral moves into other fields or transfers to other military branches.

All of 4th Tanks' six companies, along with its battalion headquarters, are expected to deactivate by the end of 2021, Hollenbeck said.

Tank battalions aren't the only units deactivating because of Force Design 2030. Several combat logistics regiments, an engineer support battalion, and a Marine wing support group have also cased their colors in deactivation ceremonies this summer.

Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, the head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, is overseeing many of the Force Design 2030 changes. Tanks leaving the Marine Corps, Smith told Military.com in May, could be sold to foreign militaries or to the Army. The Marine Corps could also sell their parts or store the vehicles, he said.

Smith added that the Marine Corps' decision to move forward without tanks doesn't diminish their importance in past missions.

"They were of massive value, I mean huge value, in the past," he said. "I used them in and around Ramadi and in and around Fallujah [in Iraq]. They've paid their dues in blood. These are Marine warriors from the Korean War until now.

"It's just that for the future fight, [tanks] are of less value than the things that we need most, such as long-range precision fire," Smith said.

Tanks are an important weapon system on most battlefields. That being said, I wouldn't want to be in one. Every Commie or Terrorist want's to get one. You're a big game target. I would take my chances in the trenches I think. Although I have been blessed with the fortune of never having to decide.

interesting I was just watching Age of Tanks on Netflix

the US started phasing out tanks after WWII thinking they had the Atom bomb , the USSR ramped up tank production and started supplying North Korea , we had to quickly get back into tanks.

I could see where large main gun tanks have a lot less use than they used to but an armored tracked vehicle as a command center with the ability to support troops would still seem very valuable.

having grenade launchers and multiple anti personnel and anti vehicle guns that can be fired from behind armor would also make sense .

I don't know much about this. It's the first I'm hearing of it but I assume it's only the Marines. The army will still have plenty of tanks and I would assume support the marines when needed.

just Marines , but I would sure like to see some tanks at questionable embassies for the Marines. Maybe avoid the Next Benghazi.

Fond memories of the:
M41 Walker Bulldog and M48 Patton.

IMO, close air support via helo & high performance aircraft made tanks a bit closer to obsolete and a lot more vulnerable

I was a tanker in WI Army National Guard. Started out in M60's and then M1's. It was so much fun!

But, they are expensive to maintain and operate. Sometime in the mid-90's the decision was made to take our tanks away and make us infantry. That's when I got out.

Bad move for the Corps. The problem you have is every general and admiral wants to tinker with force structure. Tanks have a ton of uses. The problem is ROE. I know the Corps (and the rest of the military is) thinking China, but we need to be able to go anywhere, not just an island hopping campaigne thru the pacific.

We spend bazillions on tech stuff of dubious value. They want to get rid of tanks, but want anti-ship missiles? In a perfect world you have every weapon you wanted or needed. But this ain't a perfect world.

We have not even managed to give every Marine and Army Infantrymen a pistol yet.

Isn’t the Warthog a flying tank?

true to an extent , it seems all the times we hear about something going very sideways air support was unavailable or to far off seems odd that you can fly across an entire country in minutes but be unavailable when needed.

air craft and sand storms are a no go but tanks with thermal , IR and other instrument navigation can operate in these conditions.

so I don't think tanks are obsolete yet.

I can see them going the way of armed armored personnel carriers less emphasis on anti tank guns and more anti personnel anti vehicle where the gunners are behind armor.

looking back at the history of tanks , most of us think of the 4-5 man crew tanks , however some of the most effective early tanks were 2 man light and fast at least fast for the time.

We see several time in history where speed mattered more than armor or gun.

the french had well armored tanks with big guns , but the German Panzer 1&2 could with it's light armor out run them all the way to Paris

a 3 man crewed tank with pilot , commander/navigator and gunner something that could cook along at 60+mph handle in tight spaces total foot print no larger than a Humvee but can turn on it's self could be very useful.

But when you add drones into the equation the weather is immaterial. Where would you rather be .......in a tank or in Omaha flying the drone ?

Omaha flying the drone is great , but while we have boots on the ground having tools for them to help themselves still makes sense in my opinion.

it would seem teaming Armor with convoys and air watching out for them would make sense , I recall hearing about how the Humvees and truck convoys would come under fire from a distance and they were learning how we moved so they knew where to put the IEDs next time, seemed to me that no one should have left with that knowledge , when shots come in fire should rain down. where is was the air support then?

I was not there.

I also don't see the days of door to door fighting being over light , fast and maneuverable armor could play a support role in that type of fighting.

I understand this is just the Marines and not all armor.

I'm sure tanks may still have their uses but they sure add a negative to the supply line issues too.......IMO. Lots of fuel has to be moved

I wonder what foreign country is going to be given our tanks?

Keith