Skip to content
War Pets
April 15, 2016 Grunt.com Admin

War Pets

By: David S. Martinez

The mongoose and pet puppies stories made me go back and look for this pic that my uncle Sgt. Major A. M. Solis sent home to my grandparents in 1965. He had written a note on the back saying it was his little horse he had gotten to save a lot of walking. He never told me what happened to the pony. He was also there later with VMCJ 3 and on a later tour with VMO 2 before retiring. We served at the same time frame but not in Viet Nam. I was assigned to F4 Phantom squadron VMFAT 101 after radar school at Millington NAS in 1969. Supposed to have been a 6 month OJT assignment before orders to Nam. Well after I was on the job trained as radar tech I stayed on at El Toro MCAS training F4 pilots and rios to go to Nam but us avionics snuffies couldn’t buy a ticket over there, too many people already coming back.

Previous article Finally

Comments

Cpl David Solis Martinez - July 11, 2020

Greeting Ssgt Ray, sorry I hadn’t replied just happened to go back this far in the Sgt. Grunt stories looking for another story I had written. Wow, thanks for commenting on my uncle. He was always my hero what with him becoming a Marine in 1944 and I was born in 1946. He sent me sooo many souvenirs from all his duty stations, I wish I had saved each one! Years ago, I also heard from Colonel Joseph Moriarty his CO while assigned to VMO-2 a OV10 Bronco squadron at Danang. The colonel authored the book; “Ground Attack Viet Nam, the Marines Who Controlled the Skies”. He praised his Sgt. Major throughout the book. I have some of the pictures he sent home to my grandparents including some from bootcamp, South Pacific, Korea and Viet Nam as well as some from stateside. Sorry to tell you he passed away from cancer back in the late seventies, just a couple of years after retiring. Again thanks for commenting, it always means slot to hear what I’ve always believed to be true form someone who served with him. My email address is: angryenchilada@icloud.com let me know if I can add anything to your memories of him. Semper Fi Marine!

SSgt Gary Ray - July 11, 2020

I served with 1st Sgt Solis in VMCJ-3 (MCAS El Toro) and VMCJ-1 (Danang) in 1965-66. He was an excellent 1st Sgt and and an exemplary Marine. Semper Fi 1st Sgt.

Cpl. David S. Martinez - July 11, 2020

Additional info on my uncle: his tiger stripes and fire power were part of his Marine advisor gear. I have an additional photo of him wearing the tiger stripes and advisor beret.

jerry powers - July 11, 2020

quess we were a little.

jerry powers - July 11, 2020

sometimes i think iam crazy, but cant remember what i rode home from cuba,

Leave a comment

* Required fields