Bucket Issue and Transplacement Bn
Sgt Grit,
I recently acquired my uncle's boot camp book (Platoon 171, graduation Dec 1959) and was browsing it to see how different MCRD SD looked back then from when I was there (1983). I noticed a picture titled "Bucket Issue" and recall him talking about buckets and sand to me when I came home from boot camp. We never had buckets, so I wonder if any old salts out there could elaborate on uses for your bucket. I'd ask my uncle but he's gone to that final duty station. Attached are a couple of the pictures from his graduation book that show the buckets.
Another book he had was from his time with 2/9 during something called the transplacement program. I'm not sure but it looks like sometime in 1961 the 2/5 left Camp Pendleton and arrived in Okinawa then assumed the role of the 2/9. I would assume the 2/9 left Okinawa and became the 2/5 in Pendleton. Can anyone out there shed more details on this? Attached are a couple of pictures from that book.
Semper Fi (and it was Oorah in 1983),
Mike Winnie
Cpl USMCR 1983-88
Discussion
Leonard Gary Nielsen February 09 2012, 5:47 pm
I am an alumni of MCRD San Diego from June 21, 1961 in Platoon 340 (honor platoon). Oorah wasn’t there then, but Gung Ho and Semper Fi were. We had M1 Garands. The buckets were there and they were used much like a civilian shopping basket to take our initial issusance of USMC Handbook, boot polish, etc. At about week #3 we got one trip to the PX to replenish soap, shaving gear, etc. We brought our buckets to transport the goodies back to our quonset huts.
We used the buckets as chairs every evening to clean rifle, spit-shine boots and shoes, and occasionally to write a letter. We used the buckets to accomplish washing our gear, swabbing the quonset hut. As an added benefit, did you know that everyone could put sand in the buckets and turn them in to exercise weights???
The photo of the grunts cleaning rifles in front of the tents, looks to me like it was at Camp Matthews (weeks 4 -6) for marksmanship training. Hope this is useful - - - Oorahh!
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