I wonder why the Airborne wasn't hived off in 1947 to the Air Force.
I wonder why certain people have wanted to abolish the Marine Corps throughout its history. Now, why on earth would a newly established Air Force in 1947 want to take on the responsibility of training infantry and then look for volunteers to jump out of perfectly good airplanes? Yes, the Germans did have good paratroop divisions structured differently. And they got annillihated during the Battle of Normandy with their enemy's back to to the sea and their supply lines to their own backs. They were great at defending hedgerows. They were not so good on the offensive up against divisions with 80% replacements like the 30th and the 90th. And they certainly were no good with their peers on the other side jumping in amongst their midst: i.e. the 82nd All Americans and the 101st Screaming Eagles. You can't move them to another branch of service and expect the same espirit de corps. The opportunity cost far outweighs any practical reason. Simply putting a beret on any soldier's head doesn't make it so. Mattis explained this type of elitism to his Marines not too long ago and the same applied to the 82nd and the 101st in 1947...

...For the mission's sake, our country's sake, and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in past battles — who fought for life and never lost their nerve — carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world that there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a U.S. Marine.