An Army Ranger was on vacation in the depths of Louisiana and he wanted a pair of genuine alligator shoes. He was, however, reluctant to pay the high prices the vendors were asking.

The Ranger eventually said to one of the shopkeepers, "Maybe I'll just go out and get my own alligator so I can get a pair of shoes made at a reasonable price!"

The vendor said, "By all means, be my guest. Maybe you will run into a couple of Marines who were in here earlier saying the same thing."

The Ranger went into the bayou. He came upon two men standing waist deep in the water. He thought, "Those must be the two Marines."

The Ranger saw a huge gator swimming underwater towards one of the Marines. Just as the gator was about to attack, the Marine grabbed its neck and strangled it to death with very little effort. The Marines dragged it on shore and flipped it on its back near a pile of dead gators.

One of the Marines exclaimed, "Darn, this one isn't wearing any shoes either!"