We Were Young and Healthy

The Warehouse for Marines in Arlington, VA, was unique because all the truckers knew that if you backed in at 4:30 we had to take the delivery… even if they had a big shipment to deliver. All civilian warehouses would refuse the late delivery, and say re-deliver in the morning!

Also, our warehouse was old probably from WWII or older? Other warehouses were newer, which meant that the old ones could not take the newer rigs backing in, which meant that the shipment would have to unloaded in front of warehouse entrance and carried by hand to the delivery dock. Some drivers helped us unload, and some took delight in laughing at us.

Computer cards or punch cards back in the 60’s were heavy cartons and we received shipments of hundreds of cartons in a delivery. We all kept in shape as we were young and healthy, and we survived.

Later on in the Air Wing Supply (at Cherry Point, NC), I met a pilot and his fiance at a group function. Her name was the same as the Group Commander’s. That is one way to get ahead in the Corps… marry the daughter of the Group Commander!

I never saw so much b-tching and complaining by a bunch of cry babies in my life? But, we did a job… and we did it well! The strong helped the weak and the haves helped the have nots!

One guy never showered, and he hung his skivvies in the window to dry after a days worth of sweating on the job. We enlightened him when he was in the shower. One guy stood on another Marines shoulders and poured lighter fluid thru the screen and we burned his skivvies. He threatened to go to the First Sgt. We told him go ahead you scuzzy maggot!

Another guy did not like to shower either and this guy was named “Filthy Finnigan”. We took him in the shower and used a wire brush on his body. He asked for a transfer and we never saw him again.

We also had a guy who took showers at midnight and we caught him taking all the remnants of soap and squeezing them together. He was too cheap to buy soap at the post exchange. We called it “rainbow soap”. Can’t make this up!

Semper Fi

You have to see the humor in your enlistment and forget the bad moments!

Bruce Bender
Cpl 1963-1967