[Nick Hector]

Larry,
Easy, friend (meant sincerely by the way and not sarcastically).
My comments were not an invitation for you to lump me in the same boat as the "yankee go home" crowd that some of my compatriots feel the need to affirm with. I won't be lobbying my local MP anytime soon, because truth be known he belongs to a party whose voters are often of that ilk and as such, you couldn't get me to vote for him if you held a pen in my hand against a ballot paper whilst I was suffering an apoplectic fit.
In my opinion, poorly-informed is the Australian who does not acknowledge the United States' role in the defence of our country and poorly-informed is the American who thinks Australia would have been invaded, occupied and never liberated without American intervention. Fact: the Japanese never seriously countenanced an invasion of the Australian continent. They could only have planned to do that if the war had gone in their favour for longer than what it did. Consequently, it is an exaggeration to claim that MacArthur and his troops were the liberators of Australia and more fair to state the fact that the country gave him a more convenient base of operations.
I note that you are an ex-US serviceman. I am ex-RAAF, served 7 years and am now a civilian working in the defence industry. I served with USMC personnel on several exercises and whereas 7 years' service is not as many as some, I've seen the good the bad and the ugly of it all.
A point for you to consider: Americans come to places like Australia, the UK and Germany to conduct exercises etc. But in return Australian, British and German troops do not go the US to do the same, certainly not in such great numbers. Is it any wonder therefore that I saw the following conversations/situations take place:
USMC: You guys have a nice country here. RAAF: Yeah mate, when do all of us get to come to yours?
USMC CO in a thankyou and farewell speech to RAAF personnel: There are allies, there are friends and then there are F R I E N D S and you guys are true friends. Muttered comment from one RAAF serviceman to another: "Wonder if he'd say that if we were all over there chasing their women." ....And Australian-US relationships certainly weren't helped by the fact that there were many among them that actually did not know that Australians had served in Vietnam. A great way to reduce your welcome in an allied country is to forget that country's involvement in a war that the two of you fought together LOL
Please, I would hate for you to think I don't take your point that Australian soldiers were not tea-drinking alcohol shunners dressed in designer uniforms with little lace hankies tucked in their breast pockets, or were they tough, grizzled, scarred, hard drinking veterans of Greece, Crete and Cyrenaika who jumped at the chance to kick some Yankee butt.
To clear up any misconception that I am somebody who thinks his country's soldiers are forever and always angels... One of the worst, most disgusting instances of undisciplined behaviour that I have ever heard of was perpetrated by Australian soldiers in 1915: the so-called "battle of the Wazzir." The mythology of that sordid episode long held to the contention that it was a case of Australian troops cleaning up the sin and debauchery that was parts of Cairo. One or two publications were released in recent years that quoted the actual court of inquiry which showed in fact, it was a case of two Australians demanding money from Egyptian prostitutes and it all snowballing from there. Why were they demanding money from these prostitutes? They blamed the girls for giving them VD and felt that the resulting suspension in pay whilst they were being treated for it was something they had a right to expect the girls to reimburse them for. If it's not disgusting enough that a soldier educated in the medical effects of VD and the disciplinary measures attached to getting oneself infected with it, then proceeds to go and engage in the activities most likely to cause it and THEN blame the girl... ...It's even more sickening to demand money from her and physically assault her and destroy her property (because, yes, that is what really happened). A small riot then ensued as the situation escalated and said riot became mythologised as " good clean Australians cleaning up filthy Cairo." Absolutely sickening.
Quote: It’s what soldiers do, Nick. They fight.
Response: Yes, Larry. But well-disciplined soldiers fight on the battlefield. Poorly disciplined soldiers fight off the battlefield, in places such as the "Wazzir" and the instances in Mannheim mentioned by yourself.
Quote: Just thinking my country and servicemen should have a say in this, too.
Response: As hinted at above, that say would be received more warmly if temporary occupation was a two-way street.