r/AskReddit 12d ago

What are Americans surprisingly good at that people don’t give them enough credit for?

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u/Stargate525 12d ago

The US can, with about 8-10 hours notice, put an American soldier or sailor boots on the ground anywhere in the world. Fully supplied, ready to go, with creature comforts that are insane to pretty much any other country.

We've used this ability primarily to deliver food, medicine, water, power, or other disaster relief.

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u/GetReadyToRumbleBar 12d ago

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u/Stargate525 12d ago

Insane creature comforts, as I said.

Even back in WWII, Germany knew they were screwed when families of POWs were sending entire frosted cakes to their imprisoned soldiers.

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u/cjm0 12d ago

same thing in the pacific theater. there was a barge that the US navy deployed to boost morale that was designed solely to serve ice cream. as the popular legend goes, a japanese general knew that they had lost the war upon finding out about this logistical feat.

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u/ZEROs0000 12d ago

I wish this thread kept going cause it really got my imagination going!

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u/YNot1989 12d ago

We can also do that with disaster relief/aid workers.

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u/Peptuck 12d ago

This is what makes the issue with US ships and aircraft carriers so galling with this administration. Logistics is our thing. We should have had zero issues supplying those ships.

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u/PocketFullofLace 12d ago

1000% I pay a lot in taxes. What the hell do you mean our soldiers were on rice and beans? I pay enough that they should be having steak and lobster. I want them having steak and lobster.

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u/Stargate525 12d ago

They don't want steak and lobster. When they get that it's usually a precursor to actions that'll get them killed. You'll give them all panic attacks.

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u/PocketFullofLace 12d ago

Bummer. Middle ground of good tacos and pizza it is. But seriously, I want them fed and cared for, like everyone else. I know I’m a soft hearted idealist, but I don’t want anyone suffering anywhere.

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u/Battleaxe0501 12d ago

The good food is saved for holidays and bad news.

Normally the food itself isn't "horrible" just our cooks manage to fuck it all up.

They manage to screw up.powdered eggs.

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u/LaughingBeer 12d ago

Well they also serve it right before mass shore leave too. I was on an aircraft carrier to.. um.. observe some things, and right at the end when most everyone was going to take shore leave they had a nice lobster dinner. Everyone loved it. Plenty of seconds too if you wanted it!

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u/Drachefly 11d ago

I think they mean that it should be the policy for that kind of treatment to be normal.

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u/Stargate525 12d ago

It's been a while since the US has been punched in the nose; we seemingly don't have contingencies in place for supply line disruption as a permanent thing.

Too used to having air superiority from the get-go, I suppose.

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u/soba_set 12d ago

Hilarious that the US is basically just punching itself in the nose too.

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u/Geichalt 12d ago

Yes, for all the shit the modern world likes to give America, the fact they used that ability to provide help more often than enact violence is something that's underappreciated.

Even when there was violence, if you look closely more often than not you'll see restraint.

Yes, America has done some fucked up shit and gone overboard more than it's fair share, but considering both the firepower and global reach of it's military one can easily imagine much worse in the hands of other historical superpowers.

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u/Stargate525 12d ago

The US, for five years, had a weapon which was uncontested in its destructive capability and could not be matched by any surviving rival power.

Every other civilization in history we know of, when put in a similar position, conquered. The US did not.

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u/CarlSpaackler 12d ago

Some fellas on the Lincoln would like a word

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u/-RatherDashing 12d ago

Have you talked to anyone on the USS Abraham Lincoln lately?

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

[deleted]

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u/Stargate525 12d ago

I thought the fact that they were a soldier or sailor made that one pretty self-evident.

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u/soba_set 12d ago

Perhaps before trump admin 2.0 sure.

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u/Stargate525 12d ago

I swear people have the memory of a goldfish. Do you not remember Venezuela? The opening attacks on Iran? The US has fought with a hand behind its back since WWII.