Full Circle

Soon it will be 50 years since I took the oath to become a Marine.10 Oct 1967 I walked down the sidewalk of my home,got into my Dads car and left for the Federal Building in downtown Pittsburgh and ,along with four other recruits was sworn in. That same afternoon we were on a plane headed south. The first stop was the airport in Charlotte NC. While there we met a Marine that just finished 0311 training and,was heading home on leave then on to WestPac.We went to a bar in the airport and had a few beers while listening to his stories and advice about bootcamp. Some of the stories turned out to be true some not so true. Our next stop was the airport at Charleston SC. We were sent to a kind of staging area of some sort. There we met up with a bus load of other recruits and headed for Parris Island. On the way, someone started passing around a couple bottles of Jack or Jim can’t recall which. By the time we reached “The Island” I had a pretty good buzz.When the, I think, the driver announced that we were approaching gate the bus became a little quieter. Everything after that is a little fuzzy I do remember getting off the bus and standing in some sort of formation, were there the “Yellow Footprints” maybe I can’t really remember.

I do remember being herded to a barracks where we stayed until about 0500 or 0600.crap really started happening then. I recall stripping and then being poked and prodded and getting shots I also remember the Corpsmen or,whoever marking numbers on us with black markers.Then , I believe we went to collect all of our gear.Next we met our Drill Instructors and half carrying and half dragging our seabags while being screamed at from all directions and called everything but human.I can recall lying in my rack that night and wondering what the hell I got myself into I got to be honest,I did not take a dump for at least two days!The memories that stick out the most about bootcamp are the confidence course,PRT,puggel stick(spelled wrong I think) I remember being doulble teamed during one fight.The rifle range was a good experience for me .Being brought up in a small coal town and the son of an avid hunter I already had some experience with hi power rifles.When I was about 13 or 14 my Dad bought me a second hand 8mm Mauser that I used for deer hunting I ended up with a Sharpshooter Badge.,missed Expert by a few hits.Another memory of bootcamp is walking guard at the WM recruit area and being approached by the O.D. A really cute WM Lt I saluted and told her good evening as she passed she returned my salute without saying a word.I wanted so bad to turn and watch her walking away but my better judgement prevailed, ff course, there is a lot more to bootcamp so I’ll leave it to you to fill in the blanks. By the way, I was 3rd Battalion PLT. 3056.Next stop Camp Geiger ITR As you may recall Geiger was a little more laid back but still busy learning weapons, tactics and so on the hand grenade range and flame thrower, along with the 105 rocket launcher (bazooka for all you army guys and civilians) and who can forget the dreaded gas mask training!! I ran out of that building coughing gagging tears running down my face and snot just pouring out of my nose!! The next stop for me was 1371 Combat Engr. training.There we learned mines, booby traps C-4, TNT and how to build stuff like the M4T6 bridge, I would become very familiar with that type of construction later on.After engineer school, it was home for a 20 day leave and on to WestPac.Pre-deployment training, as some of you know, is similar to ITR with a few exceptions, learning the M-16, walking simulated jungle trails and so on.Next stop Camp Hansen Okinawa with a stop in Hawaii and Wake Island,I think Wake maybe it was Guam not 100% sure We were there about 4 or 5 days not much to do there we packed up some boxes for storage and that’s about it. I do remember the EM club,I spent a few nights at the club. One funny thing about that club was that they had this all girl band I think the said they were from the Philippines. They were singing this song about San Fransisco and wear flowers in your hair or something like that and they could not pronounce San Fransisco it came out sounding like “San Ran-chico” all of us sitting at the table just burst out laughing at the same time one guy had a mouth full beer and spit it out on the table.A few days later we were getting off a plane at the Da-Nang air base. We got there at night and had one of those green buses waiting to take us to transient area where we spent the night. I didn’t sleep much with sounds of jet engines and distant artillery rounds echoing through the night.Once again I was thinking the same thing as boot camp “What the hell did I get myself into” The next morning we got our assignments.I would be going to the 7th engrs.at Camp Love north of Da-Nang After the orientation period and a week of guard duty I was sent to the ferry crossing at “Liberty Bridge” this is the place I got to know quite well, other then a couple months at Camp Love and making runs north through Hai-Van Pass and as far south as Hoi-An and everywhere in between,I spent the major part of my tour of duty at “The Bridge”. Twelve months and Seventeen days later I was being driven back to “Transient ” to start my trip back to “The World”. As luck would have it I had to wait an additional day.With my last name beginning with a letter at the end of the alphabet, I got bumped by an emergency leave.Whats one more night It was for a good cause.The day before as my friend Ike was driving me around checking out of Division we stopped at the Air Force PX and had an airmen buy me a bottle of 151 for the plane ride.however, that plan changed after we at the barracks got a going away present from “Sir Charles”. A rocket attack at the air base had us scattering outside and into the bunkers.When the all clear was sounded we went back inside. I thought.there is no better time but now to crack open that bottle I took a drink, a too big of a drink I might add, and passed the bottle that was the last I saw the bottle it was gone in no time flat! One good thing about getting bumped is that you get put to the top of the list for the next flight.So there I was twelve months and eighteen days walking up the stairs to the plane that would take me away from ”Nam”. A year older with one Purple Heart and a C.A.R and an experience a 19-year-old would keep forever.It was a very festive time on the plane especially when the pilot announced that we had left South Vietnam airspace.It got a little quiet after that but, not for long.After a few more hours in the air there I was back at Camp Hanson going through more lines collecting the items we packed the year before and, getting our uniforms ready for the trip home.Well wouldn’t you know it, I would get bumped again!! One more night on “Oki” The next day I was on my way.This time it was non- stop flight to Norton AFB .shared a taxi with 4 other guys to LAX and got a flight to Pittsburgh via one stop at Chicago.After about a couple days home I took the money that I was sending home and bought a car.It was a 1966 Corvair. Why a Corvair you ask? I don’t know. After leave I headed for my next duty station. C Co 8th Engrs. Camp Lejeune About 2 weeks after reporting I was sent TAD Rifle Range Stone Bay.The rifle range was the best duty I ever had but it was only temporary. After about 7 months I was called back to 8th Engrs.”C” Co We were being sent to Camp Garcia Vieques Isand PR The duty there was not to bad I got to visit the main island a few times that was nice.There were only a few Vietnam vets in our platoon. One day we were ordered to report to the CO He looked at us and said “I think I already know what most of you will say but, I need to ask anyway.Due to the drawdown in Vietnam you are being given an option complete your enlistment or take an early release” Three days later I was on board a C-130 headed for Cherry Point Got back to 8th engrs and was assigned to “D” Co.. That weekend I caught a ride from the “Swoop Circle” to PA.Brought my Corvair back to base and a week or two later I was swooping home for the last time. So there I was 14 Aug 1970 Two years ten months out of a 4 year enlistment walking up the same side walk that I walked down to go take the oath. Once again a civilian I traveled “Full Circle” It has been a roller coaster ride since then, I would be telling a lie if I said otherwise a lot of you reading this know what I mean. Semper Fi HGW USMC 10 Oct 1967- 14 Aug 1970