It looks like a scene from a low-budget thriller: a group of foreigners get into a bar brawl with local policemen in Asia. The incident gets caught on CCTV. The foreigners are (visibly intoxicated) US soldiers, holding beer bottles and smoking cigarettes.
However, it appears that turning “shoulder-to-shoulder” into “mano a mano” is a kind of a national sport for US troops deployed overseas. It seems that in any country where off-duty US troops are being sent to by Uncle Sam, the locals just don’t appreciate their Kung-Fu.
In some places, like Okinawa, Japan, a number of off-base restrictions were imposed on all US military personnel for one month in May of 2016, including a ban on alcohol consumption in local bars and restaurants, and a curfew after a US sailor and a Marine veteran were charged with crimes.
When you take a closer look at what the US servicemen post on social media, you can’t help but wonder what is the true essence of their overseas mission.
Well, here is a possible video hint from YouTube user Eric Estrada. (Spoiler: It involves swearing, video blogging, makeshift swords and “the Evil Groundskeeper”):
It appears that with only a few military bases being used for real combat, Uncle Sam often leaves his troops bored and looking for "cross-cultural adventures", which, knights cosplay aside, sometimes leads to crimes and misdemeanors.
The US currently has more than 800 military facilities in 80 countries, which is significantly more than the combined total of 30 overseas bases owned by Great Britain, Russia and France.
