# Great! Now there's Marines in my Backyard... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793 "2003-03-20T13:15:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sperfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@sperfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sperfur)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/21 "2003-03-21T02:01:19Z")
I took background checks to the highway patrol this afternoon (I do this every day) and there were three concrete barriers across the driveway/entrance to the highway patrol like this: / … / You could get around them, but it really slowed you down. You couldn’t get a big truck through there. Also, they installed a metal detector in the front entrance of my building this afternoon and locked both the inside and outside doors to the side entrance on the main floor. The basement side door has been locked up since 9/11. Tomorrow, I expect there will be a capitol police officer or water patrol officer or park ranger manning the metal detector. (They’re all law enforcement officers - they traded shifts searching people who entered the major capitol buildings for about a year after 9/11). The dock is locked down and you can’t go in or out by foot (which is a bummer because I park behind the building, which is built into a hill, so its quite a climb to go around the front - of course, I’m lazy 🙂 ). So yeah, I noticed a lot of changes today. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/22 "2003-03-21T04:33:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyChatMom \* > \*\* This morning, the guard stopped me to tell me the number “3” sticker on my base decal was peeling off and I might not be allowed on base in the future. \*\* Perhaps he was just a hard-core Dale Earnhardt fan? ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/23 "2003-03-21T06:13:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\*Anyone else notice increased security around where they live? \*\* Nope. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@King\_Friday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Friday)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/24 "2003-03-21T08:44:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\*Anyone else notice increased security around where they live? \*\* I was going through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and for about a quarter mile before the tunnel, there were cop cars lining the sides of the road and right before the tunnel, there were two trucks with huge concrete slabs on the backs of them probably 15 feet high. I can only assume they were there to block the tunnel if they needed to. That was on 895, I’m sure the tunnel on 95 had the same thing, that one’s much busier. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/25 "2003-03-21T14:24:38Z")
Ok, now with the increased security do you feel safer? When I got home from work yesterday, I walked down to the two marines, guarding the entrance to the nuke plant. They had a quizzical look at first, kinda like who’s this guy? Basically, I looked at both Marines, one younger one my age 33. And said, "Just wanted to say thanks, guys. I know your here 24/7 for a while, but you are making the people around here feel a whole lot safer. I know my wife and I feel good that your here. " Smiles lit up on their faces and they thanked me in a very _marine-kinda-way_. ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/26 "2003-03-21T14:25:47Z")
Well, I live in DC, so that would be a huge YES. The FBI visited my office building yesterday and I’ve had even more helicopters than usual disrupting my sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/27 "2003-03-21T20:00:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\* I live on coastal New England. Not too far from a small nuclear power facility. A couple towns over there is a defense plant and submarine base… \*\* Are you in Niantic by chance? I used to live there and man do I miss it. Silly me I married one of those submariners and now I’m stuck in stinky Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![sperfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@sperfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sperfur)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/28 "2003-03-21T20:18:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sperfur \* > \*\*Also, they installed a metal detector in the front entrance of my building this afternoon and locked both the inside and outside doors to the side entrance on the main floor… > > Tomorrow, I expect there will be a capitol police officer or water patrol officer or park ranger manning the metal detector. (They’re all law enforcement officers - they traded shifts searching people who entered the major capitol buildings for about a year after 9/11). > > The dock is locked down and you can’t go in or out by foot… > \*\* Just an update - today, there are two law enforcement officers checking IDs at the main entrance and one at the dock making sure deliveries are authorized. You can enter or exit through the dock with your state ID as long as the doors happen to be open. Also, my signature seems quite appropriate for this thread. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/29 "2003-03-21T20:26:26Z")
**Lunasea** Actually, I am in Waterford. And am the only one in a big family who didn’t at one point in their lives go into the navy 🙂 It is very weird seeing marines in Waterford, but I do know there is a national guard base in Niantic, right on the river. And yes it’s nice here… ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/30 "2003-03-22T01:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\*I wake up with a Marine in my bed every morning!😃 \*\* Me too! Well, not the same Marine…or at least I hope not! ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/31 "2003-03-22T02:23:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Geobabe \* > \*\*Me too! Well, not the same Marine…or at least I hope not! \*\* Once you’ve had a Marine, you’ll never go back to mere men, unless of course the Marine in question is an officer. I’d love to demonstrate the difference between a Mameluke and NCO sword:) Congrats, btw on your news that I just found out about. Very happy for the both of you! I hope the room is decorated in camo:) ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/32 "2003-03-22T03:24:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Turbo Dog \* > \*\* Congrats, btw on your news that I just found out about. Very happy for the both of you! I hope the room is decorated in camo:) \*\* Duke blue, actually, I think. And thanks! I’ll let Bill adress the rest of your post. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/33 "2003-03-22T03:38:52Z")
Blue?? Blue???!!! That little bitch. Only a bastard who has metal on his shoulders instead of his collar bones would even think of anything beyond scarlet and gold. What a dick he his. No offense, Geo:) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/34 "2003-03-22T03:52:01Z")
At Ease, Marine. The Blood Stripe border adds a nice touch to the Blue. ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/35 "2003-03-22T04:15:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by liirogue \* > \*\*Umm, did any of you all take a second to think that Kalhoun might be a man, and the marine he’s talking about might actually be a _woman_? \*\* PREPOSTEROUS! Women can’t be marines! BLUB BLUB BLUB BLUB BLUB! ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793/36 "2003-03-22T05:41:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* > \*\*At Ease, Marine. The Blood Stripe border adds a nice touch to the Blue. \*\* oo RAH! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-now-theres-marines-in-my-backyard/162793.md?page=1)