The Marine’s Hymn, the official song of the US Marine Corp, includes the lines:  “In the snow of far-off Northern lands, and in sunny tropic scenes; you will find us always on the job, the United States Marines.”

But right now, you will not find a US Marine on FaceBook, Twitter or other social networking sites.  The US Marine Corps has banned with immediate effect the use of these sites from its networks, because of the opportunities that they present for hackers to exploit careless use and vulnerabilities.

Of course, there is also the risk of soldiers inadvertantly giving out classified or sensitive information, and the use of these applications as a platform for malware.

It’s not known if the ban is a temporary measure until network security measures change.  But it means that homesick Marines will have to rely on more traditional methods of communication with loved ones – like the phone, or email.