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Last July, I had the honor and privilege of visiting with an
elderly gentleman, Mr. Al Cialfi, USMC, 88 years old.
The purpose of my visit was to talk to him about his experiences
during WW II, and to try to collect some important data,
documenting his wounds in an attempt to obtain a long overdue
Purple Heart.
He was short, maybe 5' 7" or so. He may have been a bit taller
when he was younger, but not much. He had dark wavy hair then,
now turned white and a bit thinned. He was a handsome man, now a
bit wrinkled with the lines of age and character, all earned
that hard way. He still had a sparkle in his eye. His handshake
was strong. He had an easy smile and he looked you in the eye
when he spoke to you. He was still handsome.
His mind was quick. His memory a bit dulled after all these
years. However there were things he recalled, which were
difficult to speak of, but he did, willingly, because he wanted
to share them with me, a "young" Marine.
(I am sixty nine years old.)
Over sixty years ago, this gentle man was a young turk; full of
life and energy. He went to war for his country, serving in the
Pacific. He went through some of the most difficult battles of
those times. He made four amphibious landings.
The last was at a place called Iwo Jima.
His was a Sergeant in the first wave to land at Blue Four, on
the right flank of the landing force. He told me he was called a
"Pioneer". These days he would be a Combat Engineer. He and his
men were to hit the beach and work inland to clear the beach of
mines, wire, and pillboxes, as well as any other obstructions
that they saw. He was a squad leader in a company of two hundred
Marines.
When he walked off that Island, there were twenty four Marines
left. All changed men forever.
We talked for several hours about those times and experiences.
Often, in mid story, he paused for a minute, to recollect
himself; to regain his composure. He spoke softly, but with a
clear voice, of nastiness and horror and courage. He told me
they were really getting pasted by the Japs. Guys were dying,
left and right. Nothing but pieces of men and equipment. Just
terrible.
Then the flag went up. He told me that his thought at that
moment was, "We got the Bast*rds now."
As the time came for me to go home, he paused, and told me he
wanted to share one more thing with me. He searched among the
neat clutter of his home and found a small plastic bag. He said
he wanted me to have it, a gift from him.
The bag had some black grainy material in it. Probably an ounce
or so.
It had a label.
The label says, "Sand from Iwo Jima".
J Cooke
SGT, USMC
Friend of Al Cialfi, USMC
Go Figure
Here is a pic of my Dad Gene Richards in Sasebo Japan in 1950 I
believe. He served in the Pacific during WWII and is also an Iwo
Jima Marine. He'll be 86 this May.
Also, this is a pic of me during Desert Storm. This donkey hung
around our camp after the cease fire. I was with USMCR AT (Tow)
Co. Lt. out of Broken Arrow Oklahoma and attached to 3/23. This
little guy even had USMC spray painted on his side so I guess he
qualifies as a mascot. I tried to feed him some dehydrated fruit
from my M.R.E. but he wouldn't eat it. Instead he walked away
and chewed on some plywood! Go figure.
Thank you,
Jim Richards
Coweta Oklahoma
Slew-foot
Maj. Darby,
That was BGen. Wilburt S. Brown. I heard some of his
contemporaries refer to him as 'Slew-foot' Brown. Probably went
back to his WW1 days. I've attached a foto of him with Lt.Gen.
Franklin A. Hart (a fearful man). Brown is in the center. He was
Chief Umpire for the exercise. Notice he is wearing the French
Fourregere, that was a personal decoration since it has the
loops outside the arm. This was during AirLex II at 29Palms. I
believe it was early 1953. I was with 3rd Sig.Bn.
29 Palms was pretty nasty back then. I first went there in '52,
absolutely nothing there, no shelter of any kind. Just lizards,
tortoises and some old prospectors.
P. Santiago
GySgt. (Retired)
Hue
In a few short days it will have been 41 years since I was a
young Corpsman serving with Golf 2/5 as we entered the city of
Hue'. I had only been in country a little over a month but had
already experienced some hard firefights and treated Marines who
were victims of the Arizona Territory in the An Hoa basin.
On that early afternoon of January 31st we didn't have clue of
what we were in for. I doubt any of us even knew that cities
like Hue' existed in Vietnam, for us it was rice paddies,
mountains and straw hooch's of the people.
A town with paved streets, brick buildings, houses with
driveways and garages (with cars inside) was, at least to me, a
surprise. As we moved along the first set of buildings, some of
us joked that it was like the T.V. show "combat." The further up
the road we got the worse it got and the joking ended. I
remember us moving through a group of Marines in a deep roadside
ditch, they had that wide eyed "What the ^%$&" is going on face
(I later learned it was Alpha 1/1 that we moved though) little
did I know that before the day would end we'd all have that look
on our face.
By the late afternoon, we had taken the bridge across the
Perfume River (at least a 1/4 mile across) and had attempted to
enter the walls of the Citadel. We knew by now that not only
were we out manned, we were out gunned and we didn't have glue
as how to fight in a city but it wouldn't take long for these
Marines to figure it out. I witnessed first hand Marines
learning on the fly. They hot wired cars to evacuate the wounded
and our KIA's. I saw them run out into the street to retrieve a
downed Marine who had just been hit trying to cross the same
road, I too had to learn on the go. I had to learn how to go out
under cover fire to get wounded Marines, how to use buildings,
walls and rooms to safely treat these men. The Marine wounded by
gun shots could also be suffering wounds from flying concrete or
glass. I rarely had just one wounded at a time, and with a
shortage of other Corpsman (started the fight short and lost
others as KIA's) I learned how to evaluate and treat pretty
fast.
As the battle ground on I had Marines refusing to be evacuated
for anything short of a life threading wound. I witnessed E-4's
and later E-3's compare dates of rank so they could take charge
of fire teams or squads. What I saw were Marines acting in the
highest traditions of the Corps. They sucked it up, adapted and
over came, yes, they kicked a$s. I am privileged to have served
with these Marines, I only regret that I couldn't save more of
them. May those that gave it their all in the fight rest in
peace and to the families of those men, your sons will never be
forgotten by his brothers.
Semper Fi
John "Doc" Higgins
Golf 2/5, 1967-1968
Duke's Right Shoulder
A few days ago, I had the pleasure of getting together with a
guy I hadn't seen since we graduated from boot camp with Platoon
145 in September of 1962 at MCRD San Diego. Henry 'Hank' Glees
and I spent a couple of hours, swapping stories about boot camp
and our time in the Corps. Turns out we both served a couple of
months over four years and got out within five days of each
other. Hank went to Sea School after graduation and spent a
couple of years on one of those small aircraft carriers (I
forget the name). He said he met John Wayne and brought a copy
of the picture he had as proof. He gave the copy to me and I
would like to share it with you. That's Hank just over the
Duke's right shoulder. The time frame is sometime in 1963 or
1964 and the place is on a flat-top out of San Diego bound for
Hawaii.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.
Mrs. Puller Opened The Door
I have read the many stories in the American Courage newsletters
about Chesty Puller and various interactions. I don't think any
of us who are a part of the brotherhood can get enough Chesty
stories and I enjoy reading EVERY one of them. Well, here is
mine...
I was stationed at NWS Yorktown VA from 1987-1989. While there,
the Commanding Officer of the base was retiring and several
dignitaries were going to be present. Several of us were
preparing for the pomp and circumstance of that day, including
me. At the time, I was a Corporal. I had been told that I,
along with a Lance Cooley, were going to be driving to one of
these dignitaries houses to pick them up. We were told to have
our dress blues squared away.
That morning, I was given the address. I was told the dignitary
I was going to be picking up was Virginia Puller, Chesty's wife.
We pulled into the Puller's driveway and I knocked on the door.
When Mrs. Puller opened the door I gave the official "I'm here
at the direction of (such and such) to escort you..." She cut
me off and groveled over how good we looked in our dress blues.
She then told us to come in so we could have a soda.
Breaching the portal of Chesty Puller's home sent a chill down
my spine. For the next hour I was in awe as she told us stories
and showed us around her home. She showed us a vase that had
been given to Chesty from his time in China and various other
treasured mementos that hung on the walls that he had collected
from around the world. She showed us his favorite chair, his
favorite pipe and his favorite book. She allowed me to look at
the book, which was about Generals of the Civil War. There were
several penciled inscriptions in the margins of the book in
Chesty's handwriting. She had numerous family pictures on the
fireplace mantel, including one of her son in a wheelchair. She
went out of her way to tell us not to feel sorry for him,
because he was a very successful lawyer and she was very proud
of him.
We drove her to the ceremony. On the way she told us various
stories about different locations relevant to the Puller's lives
as we passed. Once the ceremony was over, we drove her back
towards her home. She was happy the day was over and told us
how her husband always hated going to official ceremonies such
as the one she just attended. As we drove, she asked if we had
ever been to Chesty's grave. When we said we had not, she
insisted we stop.
When we arrived, she pointed out the History marker the state
had installed at the entrance to the cemetery. When we arrived
graveside, I was astonished at how non-descript Chesty's marker
was. When I commented about this, Mrs. Puller said that's
exactly what Chesty wanted. Mrs. Puller asked our opinion about
the EGA on Chesty's marker. She told us when Chesty was
originally buried, the original EGA looked crooked to her. She
had them replace it because she knew that throughout history
Marines would visit the gravesite and they of all people would
notice. She said she found it unacceptable that this one symbol
was anything less than perfect. She was not happy that the new
EGA was sticking up higher then the rest of the marker, but she
said at least that one was straight. She told us that the
little church house in the same cemetery is where she and Chesty
were married. As we looked into the windows of this church, she
told us about that day and she began to cry.
We escorted Mrs. Puller back to her house and dropped her off.
When we left, my eyes started to sweat as the realization hit me
that I had just experienced a personalized front row seat to
history. Thank you for the memory of a lifetime Mrs. Puller...
SEMPER FI!
W.J. Covington
86-92
0311
Sergeant Bill Covington
"Some people spend a lifetime wondering if they made a
difference. Marines don't have that problem."
Ronald Reagan
Wife Was Following
Last week, my wife and I came back from being on the highways
and by-ways of the western U.S. for seven months. We had some
very memorable experiences meeting a rather large cross section
of old and young Marines.
This past Wednesday we were taking the rolling house to storage
in Lakewood, California. I had a young Marine pull up on the
driver's side and roll down his window to talk to me. I noticed
a Marine Corps uniform hanging on the passenger side of his
vehicle. He stated he worked the Lakewood Recruiting station
and asked if I could come by with the motor home and he wanted
to give me something. I told him I would and I knew where the
recruiting station was located at the Lakewood Mall. My wife
was following me with our car and thought I had lost my mind
when I pulled into Mall parking lot.
I parked it in the isle
facing the recruiting station and went in to their office. The
young man in the car turned out to be a Gunny Sgt. Luckily I
carry a small pocket digital camera with me at all times. I
asked if they would like their picture taken with the back of
the motor home. I was most honored to take this picture and
forward it to you. These fine gentlemen all have over 5 years,
plus, of active service and 3 of the 4 might make it a career.
The men left to right;
Gysgt Juan Contreras, SSgt Kristopher Lee, Sgt Gregory Friend,
Sgt Kevin Knight.
Old Sgt Fritz McDowell
#2349865
Corps 1967/1970
P.S.
I did get two Marine coffee mugs for my wife and I from these
gentlemen.
He Replied
While on gate duty at Paxtunt River, an individual tried to go
thru the gate and I signaled him down. Looked like a gardener -
not shaved and a little on the dirty side so to speak. I said
"May I see your identification, Sir?" and he replied with "You
don't know who I am?" and I answered "no". So he showed me his
ID and it was Chesty Puller. He replied "Do you think you will
recognize me the next time I come thru the gate" and I said "If
you shave, Sir." He replied "Smart A$s Marine" and laughed. I
made two mistakes in the Corps - Not going to OCS and was asked
to try out for the rifle team. But if I made it would have
meant staying in for an undetermined amount of time. I will
never know if I would have qualified.
DALE LOGSDEN SGT
1950 to 1952
Hunting Trip
While serving with Bravo Company 1/9 in the vicinity of Cam Lo
in 1969 we were assigned to a tank patrol. After several hours
of seeing nothing, the Gunny in charge of the tank frantically
requested an M16. From his perch he popped off five or six
rounds. Of course we scattered and set up a perimeter expecting
the worse, with a sheepish grin the gunny informed us he had
shot a deer. Volunteers were requested to mount a combat patrol
to retrieve it. Several of us searched for about a half-hour to
no avail. On the way back riding on the tank any wild animal
was fair game. With the M79 loaded with buckshot and M16s
firing it must have sounded like a small rolling firefight.
Fortunately we weren't hunting for supper because we came home
empty-handed. Upon returning to base a special formation was
called and our CO informed us that was the first and last
hunting trip we would participate in. Our unauthorized hunting
trip stands out in my memory as one of the few enjoyable times I
spent in Vietnam.
William Whitley
Football
GRIT,
I remember playing football for HQ BN 2nd Mar Div in 1967.
Just back from Nam G-2-9 M-60's Myself Mike Ryan and Leo Black
play line backer. They called us "The tubby twins"
We were both grunts. We weighed about 170 lbs. I guess we were
tubby considering our weight when we got home me 138, Leo 145. I
can't remember the coaches name, he was a Lt Col. he use to say
"I like you grunts you like to stick your face right in their
numbers"
SEMPER FI
Cpl. Mike Ryan 1963-1969
I just read GySgt Tom Shirey's note about football on Okinawa in
1962.
We won the Far East Championship in Korea vs an Army team during
the Thanksgiving holidays.
I wan to let Gunny Shirey know that my good friend Ed Heuring,
Lt. Col. USMC (Ret) died 5 years ago of heart problems. Before
the Marine Corps he was an All American tackle from U. of
Maryland and played Pro ball in Montreal and Denver.
I retired in 1981.
Gerry Brodeur, Maj. USMC (Ret.)
I remember and played offensive and defensive lineman for 8th
Motors. We were kind of unorganized and didn't have much
equipment but we loved to knock heads. We had a Staff Sgt. for a
coach. 8th Motors was next door (barracks) to 8th Comm. I was a
2531 radio operator with 1/3 in Vietnam but changed to Motor
Transport in Okinawa on the way back.
Bill Bratton- Former Sergeant of Marines
Sal Rivas,
I was stationed at Onslow Beach with 2nd Recon Bn in late 1969.
Myself and two other Marines from Recon wanted to try out for
one of the eight man teams and we were jeeped to mainside
Lejeune for a week. I can't remember who the coach was. I do
remember that our first day at practice they didn't have enough
helmets for us but we practiced anyway. A week later I was
preparing for a Med cruise and had to stop playing.
Garent Gunther
Note:
Marines playing football without helmets! There is a joke in
there somewhere.
Sgt Grit
A Little Motivating
Swimmer in the Mississippi?.......around '73-74 (from memory),
the Reserve unit (Ordnance Maintenance Platoon (-) ) in Moline
Illinois had a separate training center (no Navy, other than our
Doc). We were on the South bank of the Mississippi (look at a
map or Google if you don't think the Mississippi has a South
bank) at 3900 River Drive........only a two-lane street and a
strip of grass away from the river shore. A Captain, name long
forgotten, and a civilian bud were swimming the length of the
Mississippi, or at least that was the plan. They started out
somewhere up around Minneapolis, wore flippers and wet suits,
were gong with the current, and had a support vehicle on shore
(think the whole support crew was the Capt's wife, and a rep
from their sponsor, Sioux Bee Honey). Recruiting was tough at
the time, may have been right around the end of the
draft.......not our direct responsibility, but the I-I staff
helped wherever and however we could.......saw this as a great
PR opportunity, arranged to have local TV, poolees, etc. on the
shore at appointed time, and plan was to have the Captain come
ashore, do a little motivating of the poolees, etc. with film at
eleven. It all came off...except that, the Capt got out of the
water, peeled of some of the wet suit, donned a Sioux Bee Honey
windbreaker from the support van, and began to wax eloquent
about the joys of honey as a training food, and ignored the
poolees. Heard later that he made it all the way to New
Orleans, and the civilian called it quits at St. Louis......also
heard (unconfirmed) later that the Capt had been separated from
the Corps for psych reasons.....he supposedly also held some
sort of record for continuous sit-ups (crunch hadn't been
invented yet). Was the I-I there at the time, would love to
hear from any of the staff or the Reservists of the era.
S/F,
Dick Dickerson, Maj USMC (Ret)
Eight Man Squad Drill
I went through P.I during the Fall of 1960. We drilled on the
drill field doing what I remember was call "eight man squad
drill". I seem to have heard that it was soon discontinued as a
drill procedure after 1960. Does anyone know if this is the case
and why was it discontinued.
I thought it was the sharpest marching I had ever seen,
especially when done by recruits in their final weeks at P.I. I
remember being thankful that my position in the platoon during
drill practice did not require really intricate foot work.
L/Cpl. Wm. Joseph-"60"-"64"
Our Prisoners
You are the only Portsmouth Marine I have heard from since I
left there. I was stationed at the Marine Barracks 1946-1947. My
main duty post was the railroad gate at Kittery, ME. Sometimes I
chased prisoners from our small brig. I believe it only had 3 or
4 cells. You may have a clearer memory of that. Our prisoners
were mostly sailors from the submarines and the hospital. A few
times rode shotgun for the Wells Fargo armored truck to pick up
the payroll at the bank in Portsmouth. We carried a .45 and a
Riot Gun for that. That was heady stuff for a 17 yr.old. Great
duty and liberty but awfully cold on that gate in the winter.
The wind and snow really blew over that river.
P. Santiago
GySgt. (Retired)
EE8
Sitting in a foxhole in China Beach, Vietnam in March, 1966
might have been a good thing if there had been lots of round-
eyed women laying on the beach, except we were in the process of
building Camp Hoa long and bunkers had yet to be built and there
were no round eyes. On moonless nights we would intercept
sappers heading for the wire at the helicopter base a couple of
clicks or so up the beach. Well, one of these nights after I
had got the word that I could take R&R in Japan and had received
a letter from lovely friend of mine who was station at Camp Zama
and said she would spend the week with me in Koyota, I decided
to try out our phone system as I was also in communications as
the unit that I was with was the 5th Communication Battalion.
I cranked the EE8 (how many have read this from that area and
said double E eight) got the 5th Comm switch and ask them for
DaNang Switch and when I got DaNang Switch I ask for Saigon
Switch. Now I knew I could get to Saigon, the tricky part was
getting to Japan. Once I got the operator on, I just told him
that I would like to get Camp Zama switch on so I could talk to
the women I was going to see in April and that I was calling
from a foxhole in DaNang, he could not believe I was doing this,
but told me as long as he had no priority calls he saw no
problem in doing it and put me through Camp Zama.
When Camp Zama switch came on I asked to be connected to that
women at her work locations, the phone rang, a flare went up,
she answered and said "HI Claire, it's Bob and I am calling you
from a field phone in a foxhole in Vietnam", silence and then,
another flare went up down the line, but Claire and I talked
about me coming to Japan the first week in April and she was
taking leave and that she would buy the scotch and be ready when
I got off the aircraft. We talked about 5 minutes and then the
line went dead, but I will never forget how a double E eight let
me talk to someone some thousands of miles of way from a foxhole
in Vietnam. By the way I am still in contact with Claire and
although we have not seen each other since that trip, we have
renewed our friendship through, yep you guessed it, the
telephone.
Robert D. Gordon
SGT Vietnam 1965-1969
Operations and Communications
Rocks & Shoals
I sure do remember them. I ran afoul of them as a PFC (My error,
naturally). I have a copy. They were posted on every bulletin
board. There was no excuse for anyone not being familiar with
the articles. I kept one when they were removed after UCMJ came
in. Those provided much harsher punishment than UCMJ. The full
title was 'Articles For The Government Of The United States
Navy'. Some people believe those regulations only applied to
Marines when they were aboard ship, not true. They applied at
all times. Some infractions that may get you a little brig time
or just a good chewing out today, could be punishable by death
(in peacetime) under Rocks & Shoals. Some examples: Disobeying a
lawful order from a superior officer, sleeping on watch, leaving
your station without being properly relieved, unlawful setting
on fire or destruction of public property.
P. Santiago
GySgt. (Retired)
Poppin Heals And Strutting
July '59 myself, Val Connell and Bill Dunavan joined the Marine
Corps in San Antonio TX. And in platoon 149 at MCRD our lives
changed forever by the strict, we thought crazy, D I's SSgt R T
Bellis, S/Sgt Lovette and our beloved Sgt Lewis Ha
.. After boot camp I went to 5th Marines Val to Las Vegas,
Dunavan to Barstow. I went to E/2/5 Camp Margarita. On March
25th /30th 1960 I also made the 5th Marines Regimental 150 mile
hike (From the Desert To The Sea ) I have a plaque on my wall
proclaiming us Boondockers Supreme signed by Col.Tolson, A Smoak
our Bat. Commander. Let me tell you the hike from 29 palms to
Camp Margarita, it was not fun and we cussed it every mile but
we made it and was proud to have made it. We would not have been
good grunts if we would not have b!tched all the way. When we
marched in to Camp Margarita we were poppin heals and strutting.
I was also witness to a drumming out in 1960 at Camp Margarita.
They marched the prisoner out to the front of 3/5 cut all his
buttons and insignias off. 3/5 did an about face then a Chaser
and a single beat drummer marched him off. very sobering day.
We left 2/5 in April 1961 went to Camp Sukiran Okinawa (The
Rock) as A co 1st bat 9th Mar. and the rest is history. Any one
still recall being in the "Crotch" ?
PFC Ray H Phipps 1879982 42 mo. in grade. Ha From MCRD, thru
Camp Pendleton, Okinawa, Japan, Subik Bay, Olongapo a quick trip
to Vietnam aboard the USS Princeton and Hong Kong for R&R back
to Pendleton what a life starting out as a 17 year kid.
SEMPER FI.
Dynamite Tornado
Sarge,
I remember in 65 when My pal Tuttle and I went to the slop
chute, and tied one on, feeling happy and giggly. when we got
back to the Squadbay, around 12 AM, we turned on the Lights.
Well Cpl. Cannon came out from the NCOs part of the Squadbay, he
was BIG and looked like KING KONG. He came up to us and told us
"IF YOU TWO ever do that again I will stuff you two in that
locker box" and I believe he could do it.
We became friends kind of, and one day he was at the desk at the
hatch where you check in and out to go places, and I asked him,
"CPL, Canon what does D.T. mean", (his name was D.T. Cannon), he
looked at us with that same locker box time face and said
"Dynamite Tornado" Then I asked what his daughter's name was
(all I knew it was H. Cannon), he told us Hurricane. LOL
Just some FUNNY INPUT from when I was in A-1-10.
LCpl. William Russo
64/66
Other Side Of The Fence
Sgt. Grit,
After reading the interesting and varied letters from other
Marines, I would like to share some of my experiences that I am
sure other Marines, young and old can relate to.
Back in 1949 I told my Father that some of us were going to
enlist in the Marine Corps. Now he was a Sgt. in the Army
during the first world war and he said that "I don't think
you'll make it. That's a tough outfit". Now that statement made
me even more determined to enlist. So the day after graduation
four of us went to the Post Office to join the Marines. After
talking with the Recruiter, he said to one that" the Marine
weren't for you, to go see the Navy down the hall". To the other
two he said " you two go see the Army in the next room". Then
he asked me why I wanted to join the Marines and first I told
him what my Father said and that made me more determined to
join.
With that he had me sign a pile of forms and said I would go to
the Philadelphia Naval Hospital for my physical. After passing,
I left for the train station and headed for Parris Island. I
was assigned to Platoon # 32 in the 2nd Marine Training Bn. Off
with the hair, took a "De-lousing" shower, was issued clothes
and all the web gear, a pair of sneakers, etc. Then we were
marched off to the wooden barracks that were built on poles as I
recall. That was to end of life as I remembered it.
There were many experiences that we went through (some did not
make it and were sent home). One especially I'll never forget.
It was during one of our forced marches around the island (which
is mostly sand and hot as h### in the summer). Any way at one
point (near exhaustion) the DI called a 10 minute break until
the stragglers caught up. It was then while sitting and laying
in the sand that one of the recruits slapped a sand flea. The DI
saw that and stormed over yelling "by slapping that poor little
sand flea you just got yourself killed if you did that in
combat" Then he said "what s&x was it? The poor recruit said "a
male Sir". The DI then ordered the platoon to find the flea for
a "Military burial". Soon after a recruit came forward with a
dead sand flea. The DI looked at the flea and said "that's a
female, keep looking". Then another recruit brought the DI
another flea. Then the DI held a military funeral. Break over,
we continued our training. One thing about Parris Island is that
I would never be anywhere else for training.
Later when I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, my CO, Captain
Ellis called me in and said the he was sending me to San Diego
for Drill Instructor training. Now I was on the other side of
the fence. Great memories.
Ken Fahringer
SGT. 1102961
General Victor Krulak
I was visiting with the Gunny at the Recruiting Station in
Flagstaff the other day, and he handed me the article that spoke
of the passing of General Victor Krulak at age 95. Tears came
to my eyes, as I recalled this unique, and most impressionable
officer I have ever met. I had served as a Drill Instructor
from 1957-1959, and at the end of my tour on the Drill field, I
was given an assignment to Sea School at MCRD, San Diego, as an
Instructor.
General Krulak became Base Commander, replacing General Thomas
Wornham, at about the same time, and I was honored one hot,
sunny day when a Lieutenant, approached some Sea School
Students, in "modified Blues",I was drilling on the Grinder that
hot summers day, and I halted the troops.
The Lieutenant told us "the General wanted to let us know we
were a fine looking group of Marines, and he enjoyed watching us
drill "from Building 31, where his Headquarters were located!
We were a proud group to receive his comments.
Later, while teaching in a classroom setting, General Krulak
would occasionally visit our school and sit in on our
presentations, never wanting to acknowledge his visit nor
interrupt our classes.
In 1959, I felt a hand on my shoulder while visiting his
headquarters, and he paused to say "Merry Xmas to you and your
family, Sgt. Stauffer", and I was honored "always to be in his
presence!" I consider General Victor Krulak to be the epitome
of Marine Officers, and I can visualize he and General Lewis
Burwell Puller standing at the Pearly Gates, where Marines will
be greeting the Army and the Navy as they visit Heaven's scenes.
I pray that I'll have a position in that Guard Detachment!
Former Sgt of Marines
Richard A. Stauffer 51/60
Silver Dollars
Just read Gunny Wasmund Letter about the 150 mile march from 29
Palms to Camp Pendleton. I was in Hotel Co. 2nd Batt. Our
company commander was Captain Cook (6'4, legs to his shoulders).
We had hiked all over Pendleton to get ourselves in shape for
the "Desert to the Sea March". Our Battalion CO was LtCol.
Linane. I remember the USO Show, but I didn't go, to exhausted.
We did not have one man fall out during the march, though a lot
of them had blisters the size of silver dollars, we kept
everyone going.
MSGT. Michael Ray, Ret
Semper Fi, OOHRAH
No Better Duty
In 1972 I was dragged kicking and screaming to Field Medical
Service School at Camp Lejeune North Carolina. After Field Med I
had orders to Third Marine Division, Okinawa Japan. I was a
young HN with a wife and small daughter and the last thing I
wanted to do was leave them for a year with the Corps,
especially with Vietnam still going on.
I got to Okinawa in October 1972 and was sent to "Charlie Med"
3rd Medical Battalion at Camp Hanson. I wasn't too impressed
with Okinawa so when they asked for volunteers to go on float
with 1/4 I jumped on it. I didn't know it but I loved being a
"Grunt". At the end of the float we were supposed to head back
to Okinawa but got pulled to the Gulf of Thailand to stand by to
pull American Civilians and Embassy personnel out of Phenom Penh
(yes we DID have Marines in Cambodia in 1973...don't let them BS
you). After 30 some days the Ambassador said Phenom Penh was
going to hold so they sent us back to Okinawa. When we got back,
after serving with the grunts, I started reenlistment papers.
I ended up spending 9 years on active duty, most of it with the
Corps (per my request). My last unit on active duty was 3rd
Battalion 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division as Senior
Battalion Corpsman. I liked being a "Cannon Ccker" almost as
much as being a "grunt". Did another 5 years Reserve duty with
4th Medical Battalion Detachment "F".
There is no better duty in the United States Navy than a
Corpsman serving with the Marines. There is a bond between a
"Doc" and his Marines that is special and unbreakable. Every
Marine I ever served with is still one of my Marines as is any
Marine I meet now. God Bless the United States Marine Corps and
the Guardian Angels they call "Doc". There is no higher honor
than to be bestowed that title.
Semper Fi !
"Doc Rock"
The Trained Killer
I was stationed at Subic Bay, Philippines, 1967-1971, and
provided Technical Services to the fleet on weapons and weapon
systems. I was assigned to ComFairWestPac, Cubi Point.
There were several Clubs at Subic Bay. Two of the Clubs were the
Cubi Point Officers Club, and the Skyclub at the Marines MAU
Camp on the hill. The Cubi Point Officers club was a formal,
quiet, and sedate club where Naval Aviators gathered to frolic.
The Skyclub was quiet different, dress was informal, (but, you
had to wear something), and fun things were permitted as long as
nothing was brought along that made a loud noise and expelled
projectiles.
Most of the patrons attended the club to have a cold (usually
alcoholic) beverage, and discuss the flora and fauna of the
Philippines.
Discussions usually covered the female of the species fauna,
which were in abundance in any of the "upscale" night clubs in
Olongapo. Where, for a relatively modest fee, one could
considerably widen one's knowledge of said subject.
One night, a Marine MEU, A Marine Recon Unit, and a couple of
seal teams, were visiting, plus, the Aircraft Carrier USS
Constellation was in port.
In spite of this influx of various warrior groups, things were
running along smoothly, until a Skyclub patron turned to
another, and mentioned the fact that he was nothing but a
trained Killer. The person spoken to promptly informed the
trained Killer that he was nothing but a trained Killer Killer.
The trained Killer, taking umbrage at this affront, strongly
suggested that the trained Killer Killer go some place and
conduct an act on himself most people would deem impossible.
(Since the Vice President of the United States recently told a
certain Senator to do the same thing, it must be possible) As
their philosophical discussion continued, other trained Killers
and trained Killer Killers, desiring that all points be heard,
joined in.
Some of the trained Killers and trained Killer Killers mistook
the Waltz the trained Killer and the trained Killer Killer were
doing, for a Tango, and decided to participate. This additional
activity promptly turned into a Rumba or Rumble, I forget which.
At the conclusion of the night's entertainment, most trained
Killers and trained Killer Killers returned to their commands
somewhat intact. The same could not be said for the Skyclub, as
it was now a pile of rubble.
When the Cubi Point Commanding Officer saw the rubble the next
day, he was asked what he was going to do about it. He, being a
guy who had "come up through the ranks", and knowing most of the
people involved had been, and were going back, into harms way,
simply said: "rebuild it".
Hey Marines, some of you were there that night, and I would like
to hear your version of this story.
Jim Reed S/SGT MGCIS-1 1948-52
VMF (AW) 214 Black Sheep, 1954-55.
NCTS Point Mugu 1966-90 (Aviation Ordnance Association plank
owner)
Drummed Out
...As they marched out of our company area, the drummer was
drumming a beat on his drum. In the vernacular of the Marine
Corps, this guy was a first class sh!t-bird. It is now 56 years
since I witnessed this disgraced individual being "drummed" out
of the Corps. He got just what he deserved.
E.G. Matthews--Semper Fi
Funny, I saw this posting. I was just thinking about how many
Marines have actually witnessed such a tradition as I did in
1987.
I transferred as a Cpl. from Marine Bks. Alameda in the spring
of 1987 to fox co. 2/8, 2nd Mar.Div.
We had a Marine who was trying his damnedest to get kicked out
of the Corps and he succeeded.
It was probably two to three months after I arrived that we had
a company formation out in the quad on Camp Geiger. I found it
strange to see a taxi cab sitting just off in the distance.
After being called to attention, First Sgt.Toomer was reading a
dishonorable discharge as the "person" (I don't want to call him
Marine anymore) was escorted out in civilian attire by two of
the largest Marines in the unit. I remember the "person" having
a few choice words as the First Sgt. had us do an about face as
he was placed into the taxi cab and removed from base.
That was one of my first introductions into the Grunts, and I
thought it was cool as h&ll to witness such a tradition first
hand.
I don't recall any officers present, Just the first Sgt. & Co.
Gunny.
I would be interested to know if any others had such an
experience as we did in Fox 2/8, 1987.
Chris Aulette
Sgt. 1985-91
Speaking of being drummed out, I was assigned as a brig chaser
at the Stumps in 67, and was part of the group that delivered a
BCD fellow to the gate. At that time, there was a pretty much
deserted road outside the gate, and the nearest building was
four miles away, a honky tonk we enjoyed on weekends.
As I was in the company office, preparing to deliver the man to
the gate, I heard the gunny tell one of the clerks to call the
sheriff and let them know there would be a man walking down the
road after a certain time. When I asked the reason for calling
the sheriff, I was informed that California has/had a vagrancy
law. If you were stopped on a roadway, and did not have a job,
or a minimum of fifty dollars on your person, you were
considered a vagrant, and could be arrested. Additionally, I
learned that when you receive BCD or DD you are given fifty
dollars (I guess kinda separation pay) and out of that money you
buy your clothes to depart the base with. Well, it doesn't take
a rocket scientist to realize that using some of the money to
buy clothes, would leave a person with less than the required
amount needed to not be a vagrant.
I heard stories of people being drummed out, and having their
uniforms desecrated at the gate, but I never witnessed it
personally. Just pushing them out the gate in civvies.
GyPink, USMC
2058386
...At this point, a drummer and two sergeants marched to the
head of the formation. The drummer positioned himself behind the
C.O. and the 1st Sgt. The two sergeants flanked the prisoner,
and on the 1st Sgt commanding "get this fu*king piece of sh*t
off my base" (yes, that was a direct quote), they executed an
about face and "slow marched" him back down the line. As they
did, each Marine in line facing each other executed an about
face as they came abreast of them. At the end, a white pickup
was parked and they placed him in the bed of the truck. We were
told that they drove him to the gate and dropped off there. To
this day, if anyone needs explained what true humiliation is,
all I have to do is explain what was in his face that day.
SSgt. Russ Shinert
USMC Retired
SEMPER FI!
....did an about face...the charges were read and then the
prisoner was escorted to the jeep...was taken to the front gate
and told not to look back...of course the story went was that he
got 6-6-and a kick....the kick was supposed to be given at the
gate and they were never to set foot on an installation
again....
LCpl. John Cerullo
A-1-2-2 and MCAS
60-64
I was at Camp Laflores, with 5th tanks in 1970 when we stood in
formation. When they dishonorably discharged a guy from the
Marines. It was a h&ll of a experience for a 18 yr old. They
read the charges and cut all his buttons off his uniform and
eagle globe and anchor. Them we did a about face and turned our
back on him When the MP drove him to the gate, back gate. that
was it. The only thing they left on his uniform was his medals
and he had a lot. That's one thing they can't take from you.
When he came back from Nam. Couldn't adjust I guess no excuse
for it.
CPL Bill (69-71) Semper-FI
Cold War
Good Morning and Semper Fi,
I have looked through your catalog many times and have bought a
few items. Your items are great and I thank you, and your staff,
for your quick and dependable service.
I am one of those unfortunate Marines, or fortunate depending on
your point of view, to be in peace time service during the Cold
War. I am sorry to say I never had to face enemy fire. I was a
grunt from June 1980 to July 1983, I lived in fox holes all over
the world, in "every clime and place," but never fired a shot in
anger. I volunteered for duty in Beirut in late 1982 but never
got there. I must confess lack of combat service has caused me
much heartache over the years. I often wonder if me and my
buddies would have done our job like all the other Marines
before us? Would we have performed well under fire? I believe we
would have but I'll NEVER know for sure. Not having been in
combat makes me fell like less of a Marine, less of a veteran.
My oldest boy is now in The Corps. He is almost ready to be
assigned to a unit and get deployed. With great sadness and
frustration I realized there was not a damn thing I could tell
him in regards to combat. I have no words of wisdom to offer
him. I took my youngest boy to the Marine Corps Museum. As we
walked along the time-line we came to my point of service. I was
a little ashamed because there was almost nothing there.
I know from your newsletter that a lot a Marines and former
Marines send you email on all different topics. Has anyone else
ever written to you about this topic before? Also, have you ever
thought of developing a few items for those of us who never got
in the game?
Thanks for your time and letting me share these thoughts with
you. I am still proud to call myself a Marine. I just regret
that I did not do more to earn the title.
Semper Fi
Andy De Cusati
Lima 3/5 Reunion
May 27, 2009, Charleston, SC.
http://www.limathreefive.com/
Behind The Mess Hall
Tom's story about Red Ebert brought back memories of when Red
was Bn SgtMaj 1st Bn 10th Marines. I was assigned to H&S Co as a
Counter Battery Radar Operator at that time (0842). On TRAEX
1-56 to Vieques, PR our tent city was set up and we rotated
guard assignments throughout the compound. One of these was (as
usual) guarding the messhall. (Just why, I never completely
understood.) Red was our "reveille" via the rigged-up
loudspeaker system and screamed us out of the rack every
morning, with one notable exception.
One night, apparently the relief sentry failed to show up to
relieve his man at the mess hall post. Being a good Marine, the
sentry on duty would not leave his post without being properly
relieved (See General Orders). When nature called, he did what
he had to do and left the pile for all to see. That morning, Red
gently awakened us in a truly gentle voice with something like
this:
"Good morning Marines. I hope you rested well last night. As you
arise, I have just one question for you: WHO'S the DIRTY Son-of-
a-B*#@* WHO SH-- BEHIND the MESS HALL?" We never heard who
that Marine was, nor did we forget Red Ebert.
Red did a lot of good for his Marines. He sent a friend of mine
into recruiting duty at a time and in a city where Marines were
not held in high regard. A reserve unit from that city had
suffered severe casualties in the early days of the Korean War
and the citizens held the Corps responsible for those losses.
And Red sent me to a Top Secret station that we now know was #3
on the Soviet ICBM target list. Thanks, Red, wherever you are.
John Tonkin, Pvt, PFC, Cpl - almost Sgt - PFC
USMC 1955-1958
As If They
I look forward to reading your e-mail publication when it
arrives. I think it brings all Marines closer together as we
read the stories of others.
I really enjoyed reading of the visits of Lt General Chesty
Puller to Quantico, VA and Camp LeJeune in the middle sixties as
I was at both bases during the visits. Reading of his visits
brought me right back to those days as if they were yesterday.
And I can say from my brief meeting that he was truly "A
Marines' Marine"
Semper Fi To All
Jeff Halliday
SGT 1963-1967
Under My Pillow
I will never forget the day when I was ordered to present myself
at the company formation, November 10, 1955. I was working at
the tank park at Camp Lejeune and was ordered to double time it
to the company site. I fell in and upon given the order "front
and center" which I didn't know what to do, stepped up and stood
there in my soiled utilities with an old Corps Marine Gunny
Sergeant wearing Dress Blues, with more hash marks then I could
count. They brought a cake front and center, and as per Marine
tradition, cut it and gave it to the Gunny and then he presented
it to me because I was the youngest Marine on board. That night
I slept with that piece of cake under my pillow dreaming of
visions of Chesty Puller and all the traditions and history of
the Corps going threw my head. It was a proud day for me, one
that I will never forget.
One of the Proud,
Ray Skarzynski
Sgt. 1955 - 1959
An Invitation
"Once a Marine, Always a Marine" Not everyone can lay claim to
the privilege of wearing the EGA. Note the number of Marine
decals in relation to the "other" military establishments on
passing vehicles.
The Corps is very unique in the unity and immediate attraction
of its former members. The quantity of Marines in relation has
always been a smaller number.
There are at least two organizations that appreciate your
service (Not everyone gets called to be in harms way, yet all
have been prepared and stand at the ready). The two
organizations that know you and still want you are the U.S.
Marine Corps and their affiliate the Marine Corps League.
I issue you an invitation to continue wearing your EGA and serve
God, Family, Country, and Corps with the Marine Corps League.
Semper Fi!
Gerald Edwards
MSgt USMC(Ret)
Jan 1966 - Jan 1991
MASS-3 Chu Lai May 67 - Jun 68
Stolen Valor
Sgt. Grit,
Haven't seen anything about "Stolen Valor" ever mentioned in
your news's letter in the years I've been reading it. Don't know
if you'll display this or not in your next news's letter but
thought I'd send it anyway to get the word out of what happens
to someone who may have great expectations of doing so. There's
more to find out about this person on the web, but this is the
final results.
A Former Marine
Semper - Fi
Now For A Few
RVN, 1965, Hill 54, lstBn, 5thMarines. Gen. Krulak came out to
the bush to visit our battalion and to award various decorations
to members of the 5th Marines. LtCol Coffman, our CO had a talk
with the battalion about the General reminding all of us about
his height and never, never look down at the General. That's
o.k. for Marines who are 5'11" to about 6' tall. Now for the
few Marines who are 6' 7" the General comes just about to the
bottom of your chin, all I could see was clear blue sky and
these pearly blue eyes just kept looking out into space. He
would talk and you would respond looking out in space. And no,
I never looked down..... General Krulak, you made a difference
to our Corps and to all Marines, then and now.
Semper Fi, for we will meet again.
UGLYSTCK
Corporal of Marines, 0311
RVN 1965-1966
lstBn., 5thMar
H&S Co., Alpha Co.
Rubber Boat Drills
The submarine's klaxon that sounded 'Aaroogah' in preparation
to dive came from the fondness of the Model-T Ford's horn we
learn from an old Navy man, not from Germany, even though
'klaxon' sounds German.
Anyway, the WWII Marine Raiders from the old Camp Catlin used
to go out of Pearl Harbor aboard a submarine for rubber boat
drills. They would pull their rubber boat up through the sub's
hatch, inflate it on deck and go ashore. In actual
circumstances, they would sneak ashore under cover of darkness.
These Marines copied the klaxon sound and said 'Aaroogah',
but it never caught on. It was 1st Amphib Recon that heard the
Raiders, and made their own 'Oohrah' which we use today.
In the early 1950's, 1st ANGLICO, out of Camp Catlin
conducted rubber boat drills from a destroyer out of Pearl
Harbor, again hitting a beach on Oahu, and when finished, met a
6x6 with a keg, and ended with a beer bust, and bringing the
equipment back to base. Oohrah!
Sgt. Max Sarazin, 1st ANGLICO, 3/'52 to 3/'54
If We Were Called
In Reply To CPL Gaytan's letter, "not as lean, not as mean"
First off, you must have caught h&ll in boot camp with your last
name.
I'm pretty much in the same predicament as you. I served on
active duty from 83-87 and then did some reserve time. I got out
as a Sgt. We served, although not in combat or any theater of
operations. I have been in civil service since 1988 and they do
not recognize your time served, unless you served in combat (or
in theater) or a disabled veteran. You must have some sort of
expeditionary medal. This pretty much goes across the board. As
an honorably discharged veteran, the only thing you rate is
burial in a veteran's cemetery with a gov't issued headstone.
Although we did not serve in combat, we should still be proud of
our service. Just being in the military, particularly the
Corps, is a great service to our nation. We served during the
Cold War, and because we did our time, and were there in case
anything happened, we saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and
basically the fall of the Russian empire. If we were called
upon during our time in, I'm sure we would have performed just
like every other Marine that ever served in a theater of
operations.
Semper Fi Corporal.
Sgt. Ed DeVoe USMC
Drop A Dime
Sgt Grit
CPL Chris Harrington asked about the origin of the phrase
"dropping the dime." Back in the days before cell phones there
were public telephones in places such as drugstores, candy
stores and in phone booths on the street. To make a phone call a
person would "drop a dime" (originally a nickel) in the
designated slot, dial the desired phone number and be connected
to whoever he was calling. "Dropping a dime" therefore meant you
called to report a miscreant to the proper authorities, also
known as eating cheese (being a rat.) I'll leave it to someone
else to explain dialing.
Semper Fi
CPL Kirk James
1959-1963, Plt 317 MCRD PISC
Sgt. Grit..
Dropping a dime comes from the use of pay phones that only
required a dime to make a call, I don't know what the cost of it
is now but I'm sure if they were still as prevalent as they used
to be, it would probably be called "Dropping a quarter", To sum
up it meant calling and telling something about a misdeed
someone had done..
Richard L. Davis
This is in response to Cpl. Chris Harrington's inquiry about
"dropping a dime". As an MP, I'm surprised he wasn't familiar
with this term and its origin. The term refers to "snitches" or
"rats" or in days of old, "tattle-tales". The dime dropping
comes from the days when a telephone call from a payphone was
only a dime. Some of us remember those days, eh Sgt. Grit?
Anyway, when someone would rat or snitch to get others in
trouble, it was simply said, "So and so dropped a dime on us"
OR "who dropped a dime on us?" I hope that answered your
question and I hope you find out who "dropped the dime"!
John H. Allen, Sgt. USMC (0811) 1965-1974
To the Marine who asked about the phrase "Drop a dime" to refer
to some one informing about misdeeds
The phrase comes from an old crime prevention advertisement (A
PSA on TV and radio). In the early days of the "Crime watch"
community program these PSA's were aired urging citizens to
"Drop a dime and stop a crime" it was a reference to using a pay
phone, which in those days cost $.10.
Thomas C Bogan
Was Taken
I read your newsletter all the time and I really enjoy reading
the letters that are submitted. Some make me smile and some make
me cry, however I do enjoy them. I'm hoping I could get some
feedback on this problem.
My son a corporal in the USMC was "taken" by a fellow Marine.
All he ever heard was support your fellow Marines, be there for
your "Brothers" in their time of need. Well, that is what he did
last spring, a fellow Marine came to him with a problem. He
asked my son if he wrote him out a check would he cash it for
him. My son being the trusting kind and a little naive took the
guys check and cashed it for him, to only find out later that
the checked bounced. He tried to get the money back from the guy
and got nowhere. My son then went to his Staff Sgt and told him
the problem. He said he could bring the guy in and talk to him
but that was all he could do and my son could not approach this
individual again. My question here is what happen to honor and
paying for your mistakes. Why wasn't this Marine made to pay my
son back. He stole from a "brother" who only did what he was
taught to do, help a fellow Marine out.
Please don't misunderstand me, I am very proud that my son is a
US Marine and I fully support him and all the troops. I just
wanted to know why there wasn't anything that could have been
done to the Marine that stiffed my son.
Thank you for your time,
A proud mom of a US Marine
My guide from bootcamp still owes me $125 bucks from Iwakuni
1991. If I should ever run into him, it will be the first thing
I remind him of. Its called, Lesson Learned. Don't loan money to
your buddies.
1stSgt
Short Rounds
To the Gunny wanting to know if anyone remember the old ROCKS
and SHOALS They were used when I joined the USMC and were read
to us every 6 months keep up the good work.
SEMPER FI rbs
reference the note, towards the end of this newsletter, from one
elena estavillo regarding her husband's service in the Marine
Corps and the nypd: be it known that nicholas estavillo not
only served 40 years in the nypd, he retired as the three star
Chief of Patrol, outranked only by the commissioner, the first
deputy commissioner, and the chief of department. one of the
best bosses i ever knew. semper fi, nick!
bill doherty
retired captain, NYPD.
proud former pfc, '65 - '69.
I served from 1955 to 1959 in 2-12-3 in Okinawa and Japan. You
don't hear much about the thousands of Marines and other service
personnel who guarded the ramparts during the "Cold War". There
were many alarums during these shaky years. I wrote a memoir of
these times (unpublished as yet) and if any Cold War Warrior
wants excerpts of "Basking in the Cold War" he may request at
email: celtoflip @ hotmail .com. God Bless all Marines, combat
or not.
Joseph R. Barry
My wife and I were at our grandson's baseball game the other day
and she was being bothered by some kind of little bug. She
asked me why they weren't bothering me and I told her they knew
better than to bother me because their cousins told them that I
was at Parris Island and I could not be effected by them.
Semper Fi
Ralph Doherty (Sgt. 57-66)
A saint is born.
Article - Last days for Marine were true Finest hours
Here's a link with pictures of Susan Porcello and Gaspar Musso
Semper Fi,
John Wear
5th Marine division, 26th Reg, 1st battalion 17 of 37 Project
I have created the following page in an effort to discover more
about the 17 officers out of 37 who survived and made it off the
island of Iwo Jima: www.donbrazeal.com/17of37
Mark Steinhauer
DVD47
NAME : LCpl Hakes
SUBJECT : Testimonials
COMMENT : Almost made me p!ss myself, that how real it felt. Me
and the girlfriend watched it that night, and she said I was
SCREAMING, "AYE SIR" in my sleep! Just like good ol' PI
Ears Open Eyeballs Click
What great and wonderful memories your outstanding news paper
brings back.
Thanks for the memories.
Gary L. COON
MSgt USMC (Ret), 70-94
Also from the summer of the class of "52"
Locked My Locker!
Lost My Key!
I'm A Sh*t Bird From Yemassee!
I do not enjoy saying a Marine is lying, but i must in the case
of pfc ron dougherty who stated that gen."chesty" puller said
that being in the brig made one a good Marine. In his
autobiography Marine he disavowed that statement saying he never
said that.
Gysgt.Bill Wood retired 49-79
We have two other sons; we'll tell them that if they want a t-
shirt, they have to earn it. "My brother..." isn't an option.
Only becoming a Marine will get them a shirt-Dress Blues,
actually.
The parental order will be on its way after the CFO (chief
family officer) has her input.
Peace ...through superior firepower
John
The last newsletter mentioned Puller, Bigfoot Brown and Schmuck!
In 50-51, they had one thing in common, the first two commanded
the First Regiment, and the latter, the First Battalion in
Korea.
And we remember!
SF
Norm Callahan
C-1-1, Korea.
Hey Sgt. Grit:
I just read the article in Newsletter #192 dated 1/22/2009 and
was surprised to see that Ole' Chesty isn't buried in
Arlington....
So, do you have any info on why not??
S.F.
Cpl. RD Lee
USMC
God Bless America!
Semper Fi
Gung Ho
Sgt Grit
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