Enorah: Living in Fallbrook, I see Marines rolling through town all the time in LAVs, Humvees, etc, and they are always in body armor and have helmets on. Given that most of these Marine units, including the Reserve units, are at some point in the rotation cycle between CONUS and Iraq and Afghanistan, it is SOP to be battle ready at all times, so that you’re individually in the mindset of always having your protective gear on.
If it comes down to martial law, that’s going to be the bailiwick of the National Guard and not the USMC or the Regular Army. There are only a few Regular Army units that spend a considerable amount of time in crowd control, urban pacification and riot work (the 82d Airborne is one) as it is.
