Marine Corps Stories - Old Corps
Search our 1000+ USMC stories.
- Three Wars
-
I am now 85 years old and a retired Master Gunnery Sergeant. I enlisted in the Marine Corps on October 13, 1944 and retired a April 1, 1975. I served in WWII (Okinawa operation), Korea and Vietnam. There are few of us left that served in all three wars. Kenneth Goodale
- “HORSE MARINES” @ CAMP PENDLETON
-
27 JAN 2012: JUST RECEIVED AN E-MAIL FROM A COMBAT BUDDY THIS DATE, TO HAVE ME LOOK AT "GRIT'S MARINE CORPS STORIES IN WHICH HE KNEW THAT I HAD BEEN A PART OF WHILE IN THE CORPS. I WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE YET ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE MARINE CORPS MOUNTED COLOR GUARD @ "STEPP STABLES" MCB CAMP PENDLETON. I WAS ALSO "TAD" WITH THE MOUNTED GUARD UNIT, THE YEAR(S) WERE FROM 1967 THRU 1969. AT THAT TIME, GEN. ROBERTSON WAS IN CHARGE OF MCB PENDLETON, COL. ASA BOWEN, SGT/MAJ. …
Read More - grin and bear it
- I joined back in 1975 right after the pull out and was in for four years. I was stationed most of my time in at Courthouse Bay in Camp Lejuene N.C.. Well one of the things that I'll never forget happened right before morning formation. Being in AMTRACs and being in HDQT platoon in Alpha Co. We dealt with a rather rough bunch of Jarheads. Anyway right before the CO. Gunny came out the incident happened. The rumor was going around that so and so was going to have an …
Read More - Danny A Weakley Sgt. of the Marine Corps 1971-1975
- I was reading about another Drill instructor on Sgt. Grits newsletter and was thinking back on my experience at PI. Of course getting off the bus was scary, but when our plattoon formed (136) we were in a building standing behind our uniforms. Well I saw a big dude (6' 4" about 250lbs) that had a black belt on and two other DI's walking around. I said to myself oh S--t what have I gotten into now. The rest of the time I was there it felt like hell. But thanks …
Read More - Old Corps Pictures
-
Sgt. Grit: I have really enjoyed some of the photos in the news letter so I started digging. I found this one and had to send it out. Some may recognize this as the old MP station at the now closed MCAS El Toro circa 1983. The two Marines in the center are me CPL later SGT on the left behind the car door and then LCPL later Sgt. Dave Sawyer. The Marine in the white cover is LCPL Nickerson and the other I regretfully cannot remember his name. Dave …
Read More - In response to favorite photo in the new Sgt Grit Catolog Vol 25
- In reguards to the unranked marine joe featherston, who served 1963 to 1965 in kaneohe bay to phu bai, RVN. I first went to Vietnam in April of 69. Returned home in April of 70, only to return Juy of 71 for my second tour. Being trained as an 0351 my first tour, but when I got there they made me an 0331. To me this looks like a M 50 A1 Ontos, with (6) 106 recoiless rifles M40's, (1) 30 cal machine gun and (2) 50 cal spotting guns. …
Read More - What is this?
- All hands, Col Sheldon Bathurst came up with an ID on the Item. It is an attachment that is used o Horse Saddles , more that likely rom the Mounted Color Guard at Camp Pendelton...... S/F GG Dear Miss Castro, I found your name and email from looking at the Marine Corps Museum web site. Someone I know sent me these pictures of an old Marine Corps item the gent bought from a free market. I wonder if …
Read More - What is this?
-
I bought something at the flea market over the weekend, and I don’t know what it is. It is about 8” in length, and the metal is brass. I know it is a Marine Corps. Item. On the back of the brass, it is stamped England. The leather looks like harness leather, and it is very well made. Some have guessed it came off of a saddle, but as far as I know, Marines do not have horses. I have attached some pics of the item. Do you …
Read More - LVTH-6
- The Patch you are questioning is definitely an LVTH-6 patch, although as a former H-6 Battery Commander stationed at Treasure Island (in San Francisco Bay), I never saw the patch. The H-6, a 1st Wave assault vehicle, never really had an impact since it was really never deployed properly. At one point, in the Vietnam era, our unit and our sister unit at Camp Lejuene, were placed on alert, to replace the Navy's "Swift Boats" in the Delta area. Since we were armored and mechanized, we would have been able …
Read More - My Three Favorite Memories
- Take a 17 year-old redneck from Georgia, and send him to MCRD, San Diego. September, 1943( when he anticipated going to Parris Island) and you have one very frustrated "boot", with a S/N 495285; Radio School on base, Camp Pendleton, and eventually assigned to the 9th Replacement Draft. I joined the 8th AAA Bn, on Kauai; Our armament was 20mm, 40mm and 90mm guns and rifles. We eventually went into Okinawa; I understood we were part of the 1st Division "reinforced", but i sensed that was more scuttlebutt, than official. …
Read More
