Author: SgtGrit

March Ourselves With Purpose

I read with interest Dennis Krause's tour of Camp Hauge and attachment to the 9th MEB. We were breathing a lot of the same air, trudging around Hauge's streets of gold, and bouncing around the South China Sea.

Like Dennis, Camp Hauge and the 9th MEB are bolted together in my mind. For me it all began on August 4, 1964, when I was minding my and the Marine Corps business in Iwakuni. I was an E4 in 1st MAW's G2/Intelligence, nominally per my MOS, an Aerial Photo Interpreter. On August 4, I caught G2 Duty NCO and was bunked down in the office as per SOP. At 0330 the Duty Officer woke me. We were on Def Con 3, due to The North Vietnamese attack on the USS Maddox in the Bay of Tonkin a couple of days ago. read more

First Day On The Job

It was Friday and mid-April of 1961 when this newly minted PFC and recent graduate of Sea School, MCRD San Diego, arrived dockside at North Island in San Diego to report for duty aboard the USS Ticonderoga CVA-14.

I don't recall a lot of specific details about my boarding the ship. Nor do I remember any specific introduction to the way I was to live on the Ticonderoga for the next two and a half years. However, I do remember the scent of the ship's fuel, the salty perfume of the bay waters, and my astonishment at how large the ship was. Remarkably I was quickly integrated into traditional shipboard life for seagoing Marines. read more

Get your ribbons and medals mounted at Sgt Grit

Get your medal and ribbon mounting squared away for this year's Marine Corps Birthday celebrations!

We offer ribbon and medal mounting for wear or for display in a shadow box. Your ribbons, medals, or mini medals are precisely mounted by our medal mounting professionals and delivered to you ready to proudly wear or display. If you need help with ribbon precedence, use our Ribbon Precedence tool to get them squared away and even save your set of ribbons for reference later. read more