Author: Sheldon Morgan

I graduated from high school in june of 72 and went to Parris Island Jan 73. I just wanted to thank my Senior Drill Instructor SSgt. John Steele. This guy was fantastic and I will never forget him. I joined the Corps right out of high school to go to Vietnam. I figured if I could make it through boot camp and survive Nam, the rest of life would be all downhill. The only problem with my plan came just before boot camp ended.I had my orders for Nam, but they got changed at the last minute because we stopped sending people over there. I had to deal with the guys that were in country without being there myself. Made for some very interesting nights walking firewatch, as some of them were understandably quite jumpy. Sorry I never made it into a combat zone, but never regretted one day of service. I was declared medically unable to re-enlist and was discharged on 01 Apr 1981. read more

I don’t remember any sewage field but I do remember in October 1961, my time in Motivation Platoon or (Fat Boys Platoon). I remember a not quite starvation diet and lot of PT. I remember a lot of sand in every orifice I had. I remember a group of DI’s who constantly reminded me why I was there. I remember that if I didn’t get squared away and back to training, that the Russians would attack the US and start raping my mother and sisters and kill everybody else. I remember that I couldn’t decide who I hated more, the Russians or the DI’s. I remember In Vietnam that those same DIs made it possible for me to survive 2 tours and eventually be promoted to Sgt. of Marines. That is something I have never more proud of. read more

You are the first Marine in the USMC that remember Motivation Platoon I were sent there in 1972, and were disabled to a degree in training. Today that training have been terminated, and its like it never happen. Although some of your descriptions in Motivation Platoon were different then mines. I didn’t read in your statement about the sewage drain field, where you had to drop into a pool of sewage and low crawl in sewage water going into your mouth and nose, the unknown D.I.’s used a long aluminum pole to push your head under water, to make sure you walloped in it like a maggot, at the end of the sewage field, you had to shout at the top of your lungs in boot deep sewage to tell the D.I. how much you loved the USMC, then we got on the road and everything happened as you said. Upon Graduation there were and Investigation and a letter had to be signed before you could leave the Island, “stating that: I have been treated well at Parris Island, SC.” And ordered to seal the letters, are face staying six more months on the Island, to go to a hearing. read more

Yes, I was a Hollywood Marine. In 1967 I was a Junior in College. I dropped out 1 semester to earn money for the next submester. Like most here, I was drafted. Being from San Diego, raised on a farm in the mountains east of San diego. Having worked on a farm I was physically fit. Don’t you know, I was drafted in April 1968 and also was “said to have volenteered ” to the Marines. This was because my DI advised that the Marine Corps never drafted anybody. Boot camp was somewhat easy for me. When asked if I would volenteered for OCS, I told them no. When asked why I told them that my was a retired lifer Marine Major & was a ***hole & I didn’t Dixie to be one. After sitting in my D.I’s chair and being pted the rest of the day. When I graduated I made PFC & Expert rifeman. Now ITR was much more of a harassment than Boot camp was. Being PFC I was constantly singled out for examples of what not to do. Having spending most of my in country career at Camp Pendleton, I never once see any recruit making Lcpl out of boot camp. I did however saw 2 Lance Corporal coming from MCRD. One was a reserves activated and one had former military in the army. read more

Served from May 1961 – May 1965 (went through Parris Island MCRD) – when the DI’s were allowed to swear and smack you around a little if you needed it – and run your ass off – all night an all day if THEY so Chose – loved every minute of it. There was even the “Fat Man” Platoon – but I’m sure you can’t say that now – or it would hurt someone’s feelings of a “weight-challenged” individual. Now all the bleeding heart liberals in Congress – most of who are a bunch of pussywimpass non-vet Cowards have banned all such behavior on the part of DI’s who are trying to prepare Boys to be Men and to possibly go into combat if needed. Hey – if a Marine now encounters the enemy swearing at them or calling them names – are they supposed to report the incident to some State Side Military Lawyer and wait for permission to fire their weapon? Happy Horseshit we use to call it. Good luck to all who now go through the politically correct restrained “babysitting” MCRD experience. read more

In 1969 I was living in Minneapolis at the time the first draft lottery cam to be. For those who don’t know about this, it was 365 dates in a large fish bowl. This was news, and was covered by all the television stations at the time. Everyone who was eligible for the draft was watching because if they pulled your birthday you were guaranteed to be drafted and had a direct line to the Army or so I thought. Well I arrived at the induction center several weeks later. After we had been tested for a variety of things we were all gathered in a large room. A representative from the Air Force walked up to a podium in the room and asked for “volunteers” to serve two years in the Air Force since they had not reached their quota for the month. Everyone raised there hand, but only six people were actually chosen.
This same process continued through the Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps. When the Marine approached the podium he asked for three volunteers. No one raised their hand! The Marine asked again with the same response. The Marine then announced that he had other ways to get three volunteers. The Marine went on to remind us of the tests we had been taking for most of the day and said he had decided that the people who scored the highest, middle and lowest overall test scores were his choice. My name was one of the three and I was immediately moved to a Marine Corps van in front of the induction center for a short ride to the airport. I was taken away to the MCRD in San Diego. The first couple of days there were much like the person who wrote about “Motivation” article. Mass confusion, no sleep for close to two days and many berating encounters with the Drill Instructors. The next few weeks proceeded much like the first two days but we were allowed to sleep. One of the things we were required to do was “PT” physical training! Doing set ups, push ups, a variety of other things including running were part of the agenda. I was what would be called a nerd today and a weakling back then. I weighed 175 pounds and was six feet four inches tall and had never participated in sports of any kind. After a couple more weeks with me always being the last one to complete all the physical exercises I was move to a place called the “Motivation Platoon”! If I thought it was rough in regular boot camp the Motivation Platoon was ten times worse. There was never a minute of the day that we were idle except when we were studying the Marine Corps Manual, at Church, or sleeping. When awake were either doing exercises of some type or we were running. We ran and ran and ran, nine miles a day, rain or shine. Three miles before breakfast, three miles before lunch and three more before supper. The Motivation Platoon was originally formed to help recruits that were over weight to loose the weight and gain some muscle, then return to complete the rest of their boot camp experience. Since I was the skinny weakening I didn’t have any excess weight to loose, all I needed was muscle. When we went to the mess hall for chow the rest of my Motivation inductees ate greatly reduced rations, while I was forced to eat double rations. And I gained the weight, lots of it. I returned to a boot camp platoon weighing 250 mean lean pounds. Boot camp was a breeze and I also made the rank of Lance Corporal at he rifle range by shooting in the top five recruits. After that I was trained as a radio relay operator and was on my way to Viet Nam! The rest is a whole another story. read more