I joined the Marine Corps in May, 1954 on my 17th birthday..I went thru boot camp in San Diego
The Korean war had ended just 10 months prior…we were told it would start again”any minute”
I ended up in Camp Fuji Japan and was assigned to G Co. 3rd Btn, 3rd Reg.,3rd Div…I Loved
the infantry & was an Expert Rifleman…I rose to the rank of Sgt. & was a squad leader.We were
ready to go, anywhere, anytime…nothing happened during my 4yr enlistment.
I was discharged in May,’58 & had a career in Law Enforcement.
I loved the Marine Corps & still stay in touch with an old boot camp buddy
The highlight of my Enlistment was a landing exercise on Iwo Jima in 1956. We were the
first Marines to set foot on the island since the invasion..You wouldn’t believe the things
we found .
I had a buddy take my picture on the monument where the flag was raised..It was nothing
fancy then…just a simple monument…But as for Iwo…believe it or not…you could still
smell the battle after only 11yrs….Thank You
Nicely written Ralph, I do like these types of stories. SEMPER FI Harry 1371
Hey Harry, This is Paul. I sent in that form 149 in March to get the Combat Action Ribbon added to my service record and this what I received. The DD-215 to correct the original DD-214. This is how it reads. Delete Vietnam Service Medal with 1 star. Add: Vietnam Service Medal with 4 stars / Combat Action Ribbon / Presidential Unit Citation / Meritorious Unit Citation/ Republic of Vietnam Unit Citation (Civil Action Color with Palm and Frame) I never would have known. Thank you much! Paul
You are welcome. Glad it worked out for you. Harry
Semper Fi My Brother. I served 68 thru 72. Did a tour in Nam and spent 13 months on Okinawa.
Ralph: I too served with G-3-9 but I didn’t arrive there until the Spring of 1957. We were at South Camp Fuji (liberty at Fujioka). Our First Sergeant was Master Sergeant Trope who was featured in a multi-paged article in a 1950 Life magazine, showing his platoon for which he was the SDI, as they progressed through boot camp at P.I.
One other matter: My older brother who was also in the Third Division made a landing in 1953 so yours was not the first landing on Iwo after the battle. He has photos to prove it. I, myself visited Iwo in 2015 along with quite a few veteran of the battle, including Hershel (Woody) Williams, the only surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the battle of Iwo. He is now the only surviving recipient of the MOH from the entire Pacific theatre. He recently celebrated his 97th birthday on 2 October. You may have seen him toss the coin at the Super Bowl two years ago. He is really a great guy and Marine.
Ralph, I really enjoyed your story. I too joined the Marines on my 17th birthday December of 1961, and also a Hollywood Marine, I did two tours in the Far East 1962-63 & 65-66, the second tour included Vietnam. As an Amtrac’er (1833) I served with Marines who fought on Iwo Jima and have always been fascinated with that battle. If there was one island I would have liked to visit during my time in the Corps it would have been Iwo Jima. After I left the Marines in 1966 I spent 37 years as a police officer. We have much in common, best to you.
I felt the same way at Gettysburg …too many souls met their fate in a manner too difficult to erase just by time… God Bless and Eternal Peace to Them All… My father is a Member of the Chosin Few… Time dims the memories but not the effort or effect….
Hey Marines,
I was an o335 with IST BN 3RD Marine in 1954, based at South Camp Fuji. My unit did a landing on
Iwo, I believe it was February 1954;
I am not aware of any subsequent Amphibous landings on that rock.
Semper Fi
I still have the headlines from Stars & Stripes, Feb, 1956 (Marines Land Again
On Iwo Jima)…It was a large scale exercise…we, the 3rd btn, were the defenders &
arrived one week prior to the operation,hence our opportunity to explore a bit ( caves
were off limits)..the rest of the 3rd regiment hit the beach & the “Battle” commenced.
The exercise lasted almost two weeks then back to Fuji we went…Don’t know
anything about 1954 but do not doubt your word…Semper Fi
Yet another common experience to Ralph’s story. Entered the Corps at PI in September 1954 as a 17 year old recruit. Also made that landing exercise at Iwo in 1956 from Camp McNair, Japan with the 1st 4.5″ rocket battery. My thoughts on the Iwo landing were exactly similar while on that coral sand beach there. It is difficult to imagine the terrible sacrifice those Marine’s endured to regain that island. Like most of us that recall our common USMC history, we hope that we could have been as worthy to our traditions as they were in those terrible combat days.
I don’t doubt it. Semper Fi. Sgt. Joe Salisbury
Iwo jima. Mount seribachi. I’m one of the privileged few to visit iwo. The silence was palpable. You could feel it. The history of iwo is legend in Marine lore. I will never forget it. Semper Fidelis.