Semper Fi, Sgt. Grit…This story is about one of the finest Marines I ever had the honor of serving with….and would like to hear from anyone who might have served with him also….His name was SGT.Major Richard R."Big Red" Ebert….I arrived on Okinawa in April of 1957 and was assigned to Hdqrs Bn under Sgt.Ebert….before being assigned to Kilo Btry. 4thBn. 12th Marines heavy artillery….Before enlisting I had seen all the Marine Corps movies with the John Wayne's, Major Huxleys and all the Hollywood Marines, but none ever came close to Sgt. Major Ebert….I had just turned 17 yrs. old and thought this man was the epitome of what a Marine should be, and what I wanted to be….He was a big man standing around 6'3 or 6'4 and weighed around 270lbs with red hair…When he spoke he sounded like a foghorn and always had the respect of everyone….I remember every morning he would personally step out of his quarters and blow Reveille with his own bugle….He'd get us on the road for PT and start us out with 100 pushups along with everything else….Every Monday night he lead us on a 20 mile hike and I mean lead us…even though he walked with a limp……Young guys were falling out behind him but he never looked back or slowed down the pace….He had seen combat in WW11, Korea, and was tough as shoe leather…The rumor was he had seen action on Guadalcanal, but no one ever dared to ask…..One evening after our 20 mile hike he came into the shower bay I was in and when he dropped his towel I noticed the ugliest scar I had ever seen on his leg,it had turned purple from the long hike but he didn't let it slow him down… And even though I knew better than to ask I couldn't resist… I said Gunny what happened to your leg ? Without even looking up he said…"caught some shrapnel" I didn't dare push my luck by asking more questions…. He wasn't the kind of man to carry on idle conversation….All business and all Marine…
From the research I've done I found He had a small part in the movie Battle Cry….His line was " Hey fellows strike up the band, Huxleys Hookers finally got here"….I've been able to find a lot of accounts of the kind of Marine he was….He was a Legend at that time to anyone who knew him…..I am very proud to have served under him and to have known such a fine Marine…. I just found out a while back that he passed away in Feb. 2002 at the age of 84 in the Clear water Fl. Area…..He had come from the Wilkes Berre/ Scranton Pa. area and was of strong Irish heritage…If anyone out there remembers this great Marine I'd enjoy hearing the great stories you might also have to tell….I'm sure when he passed away and got to the gates of Heaven, a Marine Honor Guard was standing there waiting to escort him in.
My name is Howard W. Kennedy
h.kennedy[at]comcast[dot]net