This story starts in April 1964 when as a young and eager 17 yr old. I departed Staten Island, NY for Parris Island SC. When we arrived at the receiving center we were greeted by the usual screams of, "Get off my f'n bus" and "Get on my yellow footprints" (receiving used to be up by the Iron Mike statue for those of you who came after we left), it is now down past 2nd btn. and the schools building. I digress back to receiving, well we did all the forms and made our phone calls to who ever answered the phone at home. Then some of the group were picked up and went to their platoons, the rest of the group were sent back to the classroom in receiving where we waited 2 days for the rest of our platoon to be selected, as we later found out, to be members of the Stoner 63 Rifle/Weapon System Test Platoon. We became platoon 236. That was when we met our loving caretakers and banes to our existence for the next 13 weeks. Our drill instructors S/Sgt.. Edwards, Sgt Hall and Cpl. Later to become Sgt Wade. Well I don't need to elaborate on the thumps and other eccentricities these gentlemen performed on our young bodies. Locker box manual of arms was a favorite and moving house was another. Oh and when we got to the rifle range "get neckid and waller" in the steam room was a real treat. We started with 95 "Laddie Bucks" and graduated 62. As you know the most enjoyable sight in my entire time in the corps was seeing that long causeway disappear out the back window of the bus leaving recruit training depot Parris Island.
Being that we were a "special" Test platoon after PI we stayed together through ITR and then went out into the division to A Company 1st Btn. 8th Marines to continue the testing of the Stoner system. We stayed together for a few months after PI and I think it was Sept of 64 when we finally finished our phase of the testing, broke up and went to our respective fields of endeavor throughout the Corps. I went to 10th marines with a few of the other guys. We did the Santo Domingo thing in 65 I did a stint in Gitmo. When I got back from Cuba I found orders to WEST PAC, and wound up in Kilo 4/12 for my remaining time in the corps .
Then about 10 years ago I told my wife that I would like to find as many of the guys I went thru P I with as I could, so we started to do some research and came up with 42 of them. We have had several reunions and great times since.
Last February we made plans to go to Titusville, Fla for a reunion and tour at Knight Armament Co., who now hold the rights to the Stoner system and were guided on our tour of Knights Museum by Reed Knight, designer of the Rail Systems for the M16 and Mrs Barbara Stoner, wife of the late Eugene Stoner. About a month or 2 prior to the get together, the lovely Mrs Bob tells me upon my arrival home from running some errends that I had a phone call from a Charlie Edwards. It seems that she had found our Sr DI and he was willing to talk to me. I said, "HOLY CRAP! What do I say to this guy," and Mrs Bob, told me that I stood at attention through the whole conversation! Well it turned out he is a really nice guy and I thanked him for making me the man I am today. I invited him to our reunion and he said he and his wife didn't fly and since they were in California it didn't seem likely. I told him to expect many calls from the guys, to which he answered, "I doubt those guys will want to talk to me." Which proved to be wrong as Charlie soon found out.
We went to Florida and on the first night as Marines are wont to do were all standing around at the bar waiting to be seated for dinner telling all of the "how Bad we were stories" when in the back door comes this campaign hat tilted down in the front and this guy strutting his stuff like it was 40 years ago and we screwed up on the drill field. MAN YOU WANT TO SEE 15 60 year old plus guys sphincters tighten. Our wives and children tell us, "It was a pleasure to watch". My wife Flora, Barbara Chadwick (wife of MGYSGT Mike Chadwick USMC Ret. and Terry Edwards (wife of Capt. C. E. Edwards USMC Ret.) , co-conspirators, had it all planed to surprise us and man did it work. We had a great reunion nice to find out after all these years he didn't hate us after all.
Semper FI
Bob Molski
Attached photos: Parris Island graduation, Feb 2009 reunion Knight Armament Museum, 1st meeting after 45 years at restaurant.
PS any other Stoner Guys out there Email me at nabiki3485 [at] aol [dot] com
SGT Grit staff: If you want you guys can forward any responses if you think it is better to do it that way