I'm not going to say one is better than the other. Whether one gets used first or not seems to be a decision by the president. Some seem to like the Marines, others prefer the Army. They tend to overlap in some missions, not so much in others. I don't think the Army has or wants an amphibious landing mission or skill set (Neither did I when I was in the Corps, as the first few waves toend to become cannon fodder and machinegun bullet magnets.)
On the urban front, I would certainly have said when I was in (76-80) that the Marines were a bit more familiar with that environment (we took significant casualties in Hue City and never forgot it) because we trained for it all the time. The only thing I know for sure is that in the urban areas, a smaller force can fight evenly with a significantly larger and better equipped force - its all about teh envirnonment you're fighting in.
Jeff
On the urban front, I would certainly have said when I was in (76-80) that the Marines were a bit more familiar with that environment (we took significant casualties in Hue City and never forgot it) because we trained for it all the time. The only thing I know for sure is that in the urban areas, a smaller force can fight evenly with a significantly larger and better equipped force - its all about teh envirnonment you're fighting in.
Jeff
