Author: SgtGrit

America’s Top Female Guitarist

Desiree Bassett, daughter of a Marine and a proud Sgt Grit customer, is America's Top Female Guitarist. She is currently the Lead guitarist for the Cirque De Soleil Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour.

When telling of how she got started playing the guitar she said, "My daddy was an E-4 in the USMC stationed at Kaneohe bay, Hawaii from '83-'88 as a 6060 (Flight Equipment Marine), and he did two WestPac tours. He actually bought a guitar in a pawn shop on Okinawa, Japan, and subscribed to guitar player magazine and taught himself how to play below deck on a Helicopter Carrier; when he got out of the Corps, he got married, they had me, and he taught me how to play on that same guitar, which we still have. read more

Ragtag Motley Herd

Sgt. Grit,

Love reading the stories in the newsletter every week. I recently read
a few about our DIs. I too had as a Senior, SSgt F.X. Muldowney. I was
in Plt. 2048, and graduated on 20Sept1966. It is amazing, when you
think about it, how under their (gentle) guidance, a ragtag motley
herd of sh-tbirds were turned into an honor platoon with outstanding
pride in themselves, Corps, and Country. We all knew where each of us
would wind up, and I believe with SSgt Muldowney's leadership (and a
few knocks) we did everyone proud. read more

Great Reunion

Sgt. Grit,

I love your newsletter and have a story for you. The only thing I've
ever won in my life was the draft lottery in 1967 (#67). I was in my
last quarter of college and due to graduate from the University of
Minnesota in Dec '71. My student deferment expired. I stopped by a
Marine recruiter on Lake Street to check my status. We called my
local draft board. I was next on the list… read more

Boot Camp

I was wondering how many out there remember duck walking around their area for a few hours in the middle of the night? At Parris Island many moons ago I was a f-cking recruit in the 5th Bat. We had 92 in our platoon. Half from the North and the other half from the South. Resulting conversations were priceless. And one of those led to 3-hours of duckwalking around our huts, in formation, counting cadence from 1am to 4am. We finished up as the Depot Honor Platoon in spite of our backgrounds and the fact that in 13-weeks we had 13 ddifferent Drill Instructors. In that 13 weeks we only lost 2 kids who could not make the grade and one of the Drill Instructors knew that from the beginning. Him, I'll never forget, Sgt Weatherford. He may not remember me, but he and his attitude helped make me a Marine. I am very proud to still carry the title at 77. read more