Author: PeteLanier

I was a member of Series 3100 (honor platoon), graduating 10 November 1966. Senior DI Panach(?) during each night’s “free time” repeatedly told us that the only woman we should write letters to was our mother. One night after mail call, he call the entire platoon to attention, then told us to open that letter we just received from our girlfriends, “Rosie Rotten…..” and look up at the upper right corner of the letter. He said to call out every letter that had been written on a Friday or Saturday night. Not one called out. He then concluded the lesson by explaining that Rosie didn’t write on a weekend because she was out bangin’ some draft dodging Joe College (of course there are an few more descriptive terms). BUT your mother wrote regardless of what day of the week it was. “She was the only woman you can trust”. read more

While on rifle range guard duty at Paris Island in 1965, my sling slipped and my M14 fell muzzle first to the ground. Thinking this may effect my marksmanship qualifying efforts, I mentioned this unfortunate event to my junior drill instructor thinking he may have some sound advice. He took my weapon and asked me to show him how it fell. My confusion was answered by him instructing me to fall exactly like my rifle did. At that point in my stay at PI,my instilled blind obedience took over and I fell over but used my hands to cushion the impact. he barked “no maggot, your weapon does not have hands, do it again.” The second time was without hands and it did in fact “mess up my dope”. Lesson Learned !! read more

In September 1962, we were on the confidence course, the DI had us in formation, and had us count off by fours. I was a four, and he told us every “4” would come to attention when we were coming down the slide. Now truthfully,I thought “good” because it looked impossible to to . So I get going,and I changed a couple of the moves,and I thought , shit I can do this. Well I heard the DI call me to attention, but I kept going, because now I knew I could finish. When I got down ,the DI called me over,and asked for an explanation. Well I gave him a lame ass excuse, ” Sir ! The recruit didn’t hear the Drill Instructor Sir”. I foolishly thought that was it. We Returned to the barracks, and lined up for a head call. About ten recruits ahead of me was passing a hatchway and a fist came out at blinding speed,and hit him square up side the head,and knocked him across the passageway. Now I knew what awaited me for my disobedience. But for better or maybe worse I knew what was coming! I got up to the Hatch,and the fist came out, and also knocked me across the Passageway a lesson learned, but I was glad I had completed the slide anyway ! read more

As most young boys, I looked up to my Father as a provider, protector, friend, and all around Hero. My Father, Allen W. Miller, United States Marine Corps combat veteran during the Pacific Campaign earning a Purple Heart while on Okinawa passed away Friday, April 28, 2017 after a brief illness and two months after his wife passed. He saw action on Guadalcanal, Okinawa and served in China during the occupation. He never really talked much about his part of the war until I saw the scar of the wound he received while on Okinawa. When I asked him about the round looking hole behind his right knee, he told me the following story. He was one of many mortar teams set up on one side of a small hill while the Japanese were on the other side. They had been trading mortar rounds back and forth until one of my Dads team leaders got pissed and decided to storm over the top of the hill and “Kill those lousy Japs”. As my Dad was approaching the half way point over the hill, he said it felt like someone had hit the back of his leg with a baseball bat and the next thing he knew he was back at the bottom of the hill. He looked down and saw his trousers were soaked in blood from the waist down and thought he had be blown in half. One of the Corpsman came by and helped my Dad up and got him to an aid station, then to a hospital somewhere so he could recover and that was the end of the war for him. He returned home to Camp Pendleton where he became a Fireman on the base. He met my Mother prior to leaving for overseas and they got married when he returned home. I came along in 1956 and then my brother in 1960. For all those years he rarely spoke about the war until I found a shotgun in his closet. He told me that he had “Liberated” it from a dead jap soldier on Okinawa. He worked for 40 years for the Ford Motor Co., retired, and when my Mother passed in 1988, he mourned. Then in 1989 he found himself standing at the front door of a female family friend and said “Here I am!” They were together from that point on until her passing 2 months ago. The end came when I had to put my Dad in Hospice care while in the hospital for a massive blood infection. I thank God everyday for having such a loving and caring Father. I’ll miss you Dad. SEMPER FI, Leatherneck! Daniel Miller, L/cpl United States Marine Corps, 1974-1976 read more

Monday, May 15, 2017, will mark the 42nd anniversary of an oft forgotten event in both Marine Corps and U.S. military history. But, it will not be forgotten by the hundreds of Marines, Sailors and Airmen who participated in the rescue of the U.S. container ship S.S. Mayaguez and the battle fought on Koh Tang, an island off the Cambodian mainland, for the release of the ship and her crew. It is not my intent in this posting to recite the entire story because it is too long, many books and articles have been written about the operation and are available to anyone who wishes to delve deeper into it. I would suggest to start at www.kohtang.com which is the web site for the Koh Tang/Mayaguez Veterans Organization. My intent today is just to make it known and ask that everyone take a moment on Monday to remember those 41 servicemen who sacrificed their lives to rescue 41 the merchant sailors of the S.S. Mayaguez, Here’s the story in a nut-shell: On 12 May 1975 the SS Mayaguez was captured by Cambodian Khmer Rouge pirates and taken to Koh Tang (island), Aircraft from Thailand and the Philippines responded to ascertain the situation. On 13 May 1975 2nd Battalion/9th Marines (WestPac Air Contingent Battalion) we alerted, pulled from the field in NTA & Kin Blue on Okinawa, during monsoon rains, back to Camp Schwab for deployment to Royal Thai NAS U-Tapao, Thailand. At the same time USS Coral Sea, USS Wilson and USS Holt were diverted to the Gulf of Siam (Thailand). At U-Tapao, CH/HH-53 helicopters from the Air Force 40th ARRS and 21st SOS squadrons rendezvoused to provide lift from U-Tapao to Koh Tang, about 180 miles. During this rendezvous, one of the choppers crashed killing 23 Airmen. The morning of May 15, 1975 the Marines of 2/9 assaulted Koh Tang, while a detachment from Delta 1/4 landed aboard the USS Holt and cross-decked to the SS Mayaguez. It was a massacre on the island due to poor intelligence which led us to believe that there were only about 20 irregulars on the island instead of the 200+ battle hardened Khmer Rouge regulars with heavy armament. USS Holt towed SS Mayaguez from the island, while USS Wilson picked up the crew who had been released by the Cambodians. Getting off the island was now the problem, with so many aircraft damaged and destroyed during the insertion. Final extraction from West Beach was not accomplished until after dark that evening. Marines of 2/9 were scattered between all three ships and the final muster brought a shocking realization. A three man MG crew, as well as bodies from the days combat had been left on the island. This was a direct violation of the adage that Marines never leave their brothers behind. However, regardless of how much we begged the Admiral aboard the Coral Sea to let us return to the island, our requests fell on deaf ears due to the geopolitical situation at the time. Most of their remains have now been recovered and are buried in their hometowns or Arlington National Cemetery. There is still much controversy about the remains of the 3 man MG crew which may have been taken to mainland Cambodia. The Koh Tang/Mayaguez Veterans Organization continues to monitor and do what it can to find out what happened to our brothers. “All Gave Some, 41 Gave All” Semper Fi, Edd Prothro, MSgt USMC Ret. read more

I enlisted in Aug. 1956, right out of high school as soon as I was 18. While in school I sported a mustache because I was always in too much of a hurry to get finished. So when I got to Chicago for indoctrination and swearing in and had my picture taken for my ID card it was with my mustache. After arriving at MCRD and around 3 or 4 weeks into boot training our DI’s took offense with some of the ‘screws’ starting to grow mustaches and one morning announce at roll call that when we hit the head to shave if you don’t have a mustache on your ID card you will exit the head clean shaven. Well that went as planned except I didn’t shave mine off, after all it was on my ID card. During muster for our march to the chow hall our senior DI called me out and reamed me for not following orders and who the hell do you think you are and more importantly WHERE do you think you are. I will admit I was intimidated but stood my ground and reminded him that his order was “If you don’t have a mustache on your ID card, SHAVE!”, he demanded I present my card and that is when I felt I had trumped him on that one. He didn’t like it but he was a Man about it. I was appointed to be ‘Right Guide’ afterward and performed my duties proudly and competently after that. read more

I/3/3 (RVN, 1965-69)
Sept. 12-17, 2017, Niagara Falls, NY
Contact Ted Phelps 704-747-6392, tedphelps@i33.org or visit www.i33.org for details.

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