Author: SgtGrit

My Son Survived Boot Camp!

My son signed up to become a Marine in May of his high school year. I was so nervous and sick to my stomach over it. He was told he would be leaving the following March, so this gave me time to deal with and accept it. Well when I got a phone call from him at the end of August, asking me if I was sitting down, I knew something was up. He then told me that his date had gotten moved and he was leaving in a week! My heart dropped but when I heard the excitement in his voice I put my worries and fears away and planned him the biggest going away party. He is my first and oldest son so this was very hard for me to do, but being a mom, I did it anyway. While he was in boot camp I wrote to him everyday letting him know how proud of him I was and I am very proud to say that he is now a PFC United States Marine! I love my son very much and I will be supporting him every step of the way! read more

Gummed Up!

I joined the Corps after my Brothers return from service with the Army from VN. My Mom decided to cheer me up by sending chewing gum hidden in a letter. If you were in the Marines you know what happened next Mail Call, my DI calls my name, I run up to get my mail and he is feeling it, smelling it. He said open the letter so we can all see what you got. Mom taped 5 pieces of juicy fruit to the 3 page letter. Since there is only 5 pieces you can't share with the rest of us. So eat the letter and don't forget the gum, no need to remove the wrapper. Don't swallow it until I tell you to. Well training continued and for 3 days I had this ball of paper and gum and foil in my cheek. On day 3 we are having a PT contest with other companies. Myself and another recruit were told by our DI to cheat on the rope climb by climbing for the fat bodies. Gunny who was the referee caught us and pulled us out of line. He said something like What in Chesty Pullers name happened to your Face? What? I can't understand you recruit. The private got a letter Sir ! He said which DI told you to do this? I told him it was my own idea. He told me to get rid of it before I choke to death. read more

My Son Survived Boot Camp

When my son left for Boot Camp, I was a lunatic. Our family had no military experience and this was my oldest son. Being the computer dummy, that I am, I naturally took to the Internet for information about how I could help or support my son. The first thing I found said "send letters, lots of letters". Well, my son joined in June, but didn't leave for Boot Camp until October, so I started writing, every day, in June. When I finally got his mailing address, I took off to the post office with 105 letters. His first mail call was more like an avalanche of insanity that was not appreciated by his Sgt. The next thing I learned was a list of all the things Poolies needed at Boot Camp, like band aids, gel foot inserts, foot powder, socks, mole skin (didn't even know what that was).  So, off I go to Walmart, then directly to the post office. After I got back home, I read the part that says NEVER SEND ANYTHING UNTIL YOUR POOLEES ASKS FOR IT AND HAS GOTTEN PERMISSION TO RECEIVE IT. Oops!  When he received this package his Sgt asked why he had gotten all this stuff and my brilliant soon to be Marine said "I guess because this Poolees Mom thinks his feet hurt, Sir."  That really cost him. Now 8 years later and after several deployments, that Marine, is a Sgt himself and getting ready to come home for good. He will be coming home to us a proud, confident and much stronger man than the boy that left all those years ago.  read more

A-Frame

A-Frame

Sgt. C.S. Martin

3068 M Company

1995

 

While in boot camp I was no stud, but I wasn’t a slouch either. Every challenge I faced came to me with relative ease and I was succeeding with high marks on everything that was thrown my way until the day came when I had to face the A-frame. Now, growing up, I was athletic and relatively fearless but I had what my mother called “a healthy fear of heights”. If I didn’t have to jump off of it, I wasn’t going to.  So, I attacked the A-frame like I had everything else that had been thrown at me and was cruising until I reached the top. I reached out to grab that rope and it hit me, I have to swing off of this thing with one hand and then grab the rope with the other to slide down. Confidence lost!! read more

Monkey Mountain Moments 69-70 MACS-4 “Vice Squad ch-77, mode-3 code 23, Echo-Charlie 214 your pigeon

I got to DaNang via staging in Pendleton and through Okinawa.  With a history of pneumonia already from the tear gas chamber at ITR in '67, my '69 arrival in Vietnam after the staging area training's own tear gas choral emsemble had my lungs blowing dark green chunkies.  The Corpsman at the 2 day transition/gear storage shenanigans on Okinawa shrugged, handed me two 1000 mg Bayer aspirin, and quipped, "Can't help you here, kiddo.  Go die in Danang… NEXT Marine!"  I actually laughed.  You had to be there to see the insanity and chaos… revisited on the way home 2 tours later.  The Navy really is way-cool.  My uncle was a Sailor in WWII.  Besides, they're actually our mom.  We're fed, clothed, taken to "after school games" and church.  "She" also pimp-slaps our butts when naughty.  If you were REALLY crazy, you were "grounded" in your room… at Portsmouth Naval Prison, NH.  When I got to my unit after a day in the Danang runway transit barracks, with the self-cleaning and debugging screens from insects compliments to the chameleons skittering about all night, the MACS-4 "Doc" up on Monkey Mountain (Son Tra)  scowled at the minute flecks of blood in my green chunked sputum sample, and hissed, "He said WHAT?" Our unit "limo," a '48 canvas topped weapons carrier, tossed me into the DaNang Navy Hospital down by Marble Mountain.  read more