Back in the dayTM the Marine Corps every once in a while would remind the merchants and townfolks of Jacksonville just how important it was to be nice to the jarheads, rather than try to rip us off or take advantage of our freespending ways and attraction to cheap, shiney trinkets like cars and jewelry by 1) putting the town off-limits for a week (if the previous weekend had seen a lot of marines getting abused and/or locked up over bogus beefs), or 2) holding two-dollar-bill pay days and offering between two and five cents bonus for each bill redeemed (if things were slowly drinfting south but not at the exploding point yet).
As Corporal of the Guard I supervised security at paydays and recall the difference in the weight of the money chests on a regular payday and on two-dollar-bill paydays. Yes, back in my version of the Old Corps you got paid in Yankee greenbacks, and counted it back to the Paymaster to confirm it was correct. You could then step to the next table and make deposits to the government savings account program, get money orders, or even buy additional Savings Bonds (issued on the spot!).
Nowdays I wonder if the civillians would even notice if the troops were confined to base of a weekend.
stay safe.
PS - Marine leaders were not totally retarded. On the occassions when the town was posted as off-limits the clubs stayed open at least an hour later, and often two hours later. And the price of a drink was reduced - how they could reduce the price of a 25-cent beer or a fifty-cent shot and still clear expenses was a mystery to us, just as was the selection of movies at the base theater.
