Author: SgtGrit

Greetings Sgt. Grit

While serving with the 12th marines in 1958 during ” Operation Strongback ”  there were Pygmy’s living in the jungles of the Philippines…They were a tiny people called Nigaritos who lived a very simple and secretive life style….I remember the first time I saw one of them several of us guys were bathing in this small fast flowing river, all of a sudden we look up and here comes this tiny dark skinned little man straddling a log and riding it down the rapids with only a loin cloth covering him….He didn’t acknowledge us or even glance our way as he passed by….In our C Rations we had small bars of soap and anytime we’d find a river or stream we’d strip off and jump in for a good bath, it was much better than bathing out of our helmets….When we finished we’d just leave the small pieces of soap lying on the bank….We soon realized the Pygmy’s were slipping down out of the jungle at night and gathering up all the small pieces we left….We always felt like they were watching us, but they were very seldom seen…..I just found out recently some of them were working underground with the Military forces helping to defend their country…..Being an 18 year old kid from Indiana it was quite a culture shock to see these things……It was a great education. read more

The way I left MCAS Kaneohe in JANUARY 1963 was, I rescued a
tourist surfer in Waikiki. He got hit in the head by another
novice surfer, a blond, who just took off. I pulled his head out
of the water and asked him his name.

No response, outta of it. I put him on his board and toe towed
him to the beach yelling for help. read more

Dear Sgt. Grit

I was a between the wars Marine and served from 10/55 to 10/58 with 5 years inactive reserve. My first and best duty station,  following P.I. (Platoon 164) and I.T.R. at Pendleton, was at  Camp McGill Japan. Camp McGill was a former Japanese naval base and my draft wound up in the 1st Amphibian Truck Co., 2nd AMTRAC Batt. 3rd Marines. The company was soon downsized to platoon strength and became the 3rd D.U.K.W. Platoon with Capt. Dave Dichter commanding. read more

As #WomensHistoryMonth ends, we honor retired Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Mayo. Mayo enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1986 and served in engineer, administration and public affairs roles. During her career, which spanned both active duty and the Marine Corps Reserve, she twice deployed on combat tours to Iraq. “One of the things that was constant in every job I’d ever done was taking care of Marines,” said Mayo, reflecting on her service in 2019. “I wouldn’t change anything. I’ve loved serving with the Marines I’ve served with.” Today, Mayo continues her dedication to the Corps through a leadership role with MCCS. Additionally, Mayo volunteers her time with charitable organizations such as Combat Female Veterans & Families United, and organizations that provide assistance to homeless veterans. In 2019, Mayo was recognized as North Carolina Female Combat Vet of the Year, a further demonstration of how she serves as an inspiration for future generations of Marines, and across her community. Submit your own Story>>

The saying goes, “Once a Marine, always a Marine”. For Christina Johnson, project manager for the National Museum of the Marine Corps, every day reminds her of the faithful service that both she and others have dedicated to the Corps.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson, a former sergeant, stood in the museum overlook while observing the traditional cake cutting ceremony for the Marine Corps Birthday. As the Marines march in with the cake and pass the piece of cake from the oldest Marine to the youngest, Johnson notices a woman next to her crying. read more

HERO PILOT
Maj. Robb T. McDonald
Marine Attack Squadron 211
Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
Sept. 14, 2012
Award: Silver Star

On Sept. 14, 2012, heavily armed enemy fighters infiltrated the Camp Bastion airfield, attacking coalition forces and destroying aircraft. Maj. McDonald and two other officers, armed only with pistols, immediately left the security of the billeting area, and maneuvered on foot more than a mile through an area dangerously exposed to enemy fire. When he reached the squadron maintenance building and learned his Commanding Officer had been mortally wounded, McDonald assumed command and began directing the tactical situation. Realizing the aluminum skinned building was indefensible, he fearlessly exposed himself by leading multiple groups of his Marines across 75 meters of open ground to get them to the more protected squadron headquarters. Leading a small team out to reconnoiter the flight line, he killed one enemy with a rifle he had borrowed, and then expertly coordinated two helicopter strikes to destroy all remaining enemy. McDonald’s decisive leadership and tactical expertise inspired his Marines to vigorously repel the enemy, thereby preventing additional friendly casualties and further destruction of aircraft and facilities. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Cpl. Orrin Farmer) read more

#OTD in 1967, 2nd Lt. John Bobo, 24, earned the Medal of Honor for his actions while serving as a weapons platoon commander with 3rd Marine Division in Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. While establishing night ambush sites, his company was attacked by North Vietnamese soldiers with heavy automatic weapons and mortar fire. Outnumbered, Bobo organized his Marines into a hasty defense and moved from position to position, encouraging his Marines. When Bobo’s right leg was severed below the knee by enemy mortar round, he refused to be evacuated. Instead, he insisted on being propped up in a firing position so he could cover the rest of the Marines as they maneuvered to safety. With a web belt for a tourniquet around his severed leg, Bobo was eventually struck and killed, but his courage and leadership enabled the Marines to maneuver and repel the enemy assault. Bobo’s body was returned home and buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in New York. On Aug. 27, 1968, his parents accepted the Medal of Honor on his behalf. Submit your own Story>>

The average age of a United States Marine Corps recruit is 21 years old. When Paul Douglas enlisted in 1942, he left behind his wife, child, and career and reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island at the ripe age of 50. After completing boot camp, Douglas proudly wrote “I found myself able to take the strenuous boot camp training without asking for a moment’s time out and without visiting the sick bay.” Following a recommendation from his commanding officer (and a strong recommendation from his old friend Frank Knox,) Douglas was commissioned as a captain in the Marine Corps, after seven months as an enlisted Marine. Douglas went on to serve in the battle of Okinawa, often being remembered by Marines for running around the battlefield with the vigor of a much younger Marine. He was promoted to major during the battle of Okinawa. Douglas had been hit by a machine gun in his left forearm and was evacuated by the men that he had dedicated his life to serving. After being hit, he proceeded to use his uninjured hand to take off his major rank insignia so that he wouldn’t receive special attention. Douglas expressed passionate interest in returning early to his men to continue serving on the front lines. He was hospitalized in San Francisco and subsequently moved to Bethesda, Maryland where it took more than 14 months to be dismissed from the hospital and was medically retired from the Marine Corps, only regaining partial use of his left hand. Because of his brave actions under fire and unselfish service he was promoted to lieutenant colonel a year after he retired in January of 1947. After returning to Chicago as a war hero, Douglas won his spot as Illinois state senator in 1949. Even in public office Douglas continued to advocate for the Marine Corps, and proudly kept the Marine Corps standard displayed in office. Semper Fi, Sir! Submit your own Story>>