We were on the USS Okinawa LPH3 in 69 along with 2/26 (I think) floating up and down from the DMZ to Chu Li looking for trouble. We were using the old UH 34Ds to transport the grunts. After flight quarters were secured and after dark abuddy and myself would go up on the flight deck and swing our legs off the rear of the deck,sit and solve all the worlds problems. Right under us was fan tail and after dark the “dobbie” brothers would congregate there and do a few “Dr Feelgoods” and converse on an intellectual level. Now there was a door to enter/exit so EVERY time the door opened why a person had never seen so many fireflys flying off the fantail.The aroma would float up to us to the point we had to move (second hand “doobie”) …..Skip and I would laugh seeing all that good weed flying away and the cost. Full disclosure: Never smoked it period!…My drug of choise was alcohol.
Category: Main
How to convince soldiers to do pull ups for the Marine Corps!
I was sent to Army Ranger School in the summer of 1980 when I was a Second Lieutenant. While we had about 10 Marine enlisted in the class, I was the only Marine officer. During the 2 1/2 week-long second phase of training, we were in the mountains of north Georgia near Dahlonega and were flown to and from our missions by a squadron of Marine helos. While at Ranger School, it was common for the helo and c-130 crews to give the students some gedunk while in the air as absolutely nothing other than the issued daily c-ration was otherwise allowed.
When not in the field, we ate at the chow hall, and before each meal were required to do pull-ups. Being the only Marine in my squad ( we removed all rank during the training) I, of course, was very loud when counting off my pull-ups – ‘Marine Corps’, ole Dan Daly’, ‘Semper Fi’ and one more for ‘Chesty !’. We had no liberty, ate one c-rat a day while on our multi-day patrols and were always rushed through the chow hall when not in the field.
We lived in hard-sided squad tents, when not in the field, and the pilots and crew chiefs were billeted across a field in another area. After lights out one night, I stayed in the shadows and made my way to the tents where the crew chiefs were staying, told them I was a Marine Lieutenant, and asked them to get me a few 6-packs of beer to share with my squadmates. A Marine Sergeant quickly said sure, made his way to the Camp club, and came back with the 2 six-packs. He didn’t want anything in return- Semper Fi!
A few minutes later, I re-entered our squad tent, held up the 6-packs to 11 wide-eyed Army soldiers. Of course, everyone grabbed for a beer but I told them that first, they had to agree to do pull-ups for the Marine Corps in the morning. After a slight delay, all agreed!
In the morning, before chow, we lined up at the bars while our instructors were milling around. I saw some hesitation and gave them each a look and to my surprise, each of the soldiers from the 75th Rangers, 82nd, and 101st Airborne jumped on the pull-up bars and cranked out pull-ups for the Marine Corps!
I was ecstatic, while the instructors screamed in disbelief at my squadmates! I don’t think anyone gave up the reason for doing pull-ups for the Corps – it’s amazing what beer can do!
Drill Instructors’ and Nurses
I graduated in early June 1966 from MCRD, I believe it was the first week. I am now 74 years old and have wanted to thank my Drill Instructors for fifty years. We were the honor platoon 3006. I know some are not with us, however sitting with Chesty they may forgive me.
Lt/Col. P. H. Simpson, S/Maj. R. C. Brown, Capt. M. Horowitz, 1st/Lt. Vukojevich, G/Sgt. Barbee, who was a hard ass Marine, and I mean hard. S/Sgt. B. W. Rayner, Sgt. J. W. Chase. He was extremely statistical, in mentors way. Last but not least was Sgt. E. F. Saar. He was one proud Marine because this was his first platoon as D/I and we were the Honor Platoon.
One TURD was Pfc. S. S. Wade, M/Gen Sidney S. Wade’s son who came to our graduation. Pfc. was killed in the Nam. I don’t know that to be true though. Major General Bruno Hochmuth, one fine day as we were drilling on Hall field was ditty bopping (Generals do not ditty bop, I just through that in) across and stop Sgt. Chase and Sgt. Saar he ask if he could drill us. The looks on their face’s was astonishing. They were so proud they could hardly contain themselves. He drilled us for about five minutes and complimented us all. “Did you people see that?” one Drill Instructor said. Me, I scared to death. However we had an easy day after that. General Hochmuth was killed in the Nam while I was there. The day I heard that I was heart broken. That night we had our perimeter hit and I was extremely violent. I took my anger out on the NVA that night.
Thank you all for making me a Marine, and the person I am today. Your training and guidance has sustained me through my whole life. I walked among men. Thank you again.
I would also like to thank Lt/Jg. S. Magrath and Lt/Jg. Houdeck two nurses on The U. S. S
also. I can not remember his name though. What character he was.
So again thank you all.
Wm. Roesch Kishpaugh 2216837
Rust on his M1
Had a recruit who couldn’t/wouldn’t keep his rifle rust free even after several admonishments from the DIs. He was called out during morning formation and while standing at at ease told to strip his M1 down to the 3 main groups. Then take it down to the bare essentials. Instructed to dig a hole 5ft long x 2ft wide x 3 ft deep. He placed 3 or 4 pieces on the bottom covered with sand and water did ths till there was no more parts or sand. Took a fire bucket filled it with water and poured over the area. I mean he put so much water on the area the water was flowing off. The DI told him at 2000 he was going to dig up his rifle find EVERY piece, have it cleaned for morning inspection if one speck of rust is observed he was going to be courts martialed I mean they were up in his face(they were mad!). During the day after everything dried the DIs raked up the whole area so he wouldn’t be able to tell exactly where it was buried.He was up most of the night. His rifle passed inspection and HE NEVER had a dirty/rust rifle again in boot camp
FNG
I remember arriving at my first fire base in Nam in March 1969. The firebase had been over run just before I got there and hit hard. Anyway, never forget a marine survivor telling me to take my dog tags off from around my neck and tie them with your laces in my boot for two reasons. One is because they clang if you go on a patrol and make noise and the other was, if you get hit by a mortar or rocket or step on a mine all that maybe left of you is parts of your boots and they like to identify you by the dog tags. Welcome to the Nam.
“Sergeant Gill, you really don’t want to be in here!
I arrived at South Camp Fuji Japan in the spring of 1957. Several days later I came down with the Asiatic flu (yes there was a flu pandemic in 1957), probably picking up the bug aboard ship on the way over. Laid up for several days I heard some of the guys talking about liberty off base in the ville of Fujioka. According to the scuttlebutt as soon as one entered a bar he would be joined by a pretty josan. So after I recovered I made my first trip into town.
“Toughest Men in America”
In 1975, I was stationed at Camp Geiger (Camp Lejeune), NC. I was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. In the mid 70’s, there was a television show called “Movin’ On”, which was about two semi truck drivers who would travel around the country getting into different adventures. The program starred actors Claude Akins (as Sonny Pruitt) and Frank Converse (as Will Chandler).
In one episode, Sonny is interviewed for an article in a national magazine. The article is entitled “The Toughest Men in America” and, in the article, he claims that truck drivers are the toughest men in America. When the article is published, men from other professions challenge Sonny’s claim. One of the challenges comes from Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Harris, played by actor Don Galloway. Gunny Harris challenges Sonny and Will to spend a week with a Marine Corps rifle company to prove how tough they really are. Being an ex-Navy man, Sonny accepts the challenge and Will reluctantly goes along.
This is where Company B 1/8, along with other Marines, comes into play. Our unit and barracks were used in the filming of the episode. We spent the better part of a week taking part in the filming and the cast and crew spent another week completing the show. One of the things I learned during the week was that television shows aren’t filmed in the order that they are seen. Filming each day was dependent on the weather, availability of filming locations, availability of the cast (including us Marines), etc.
It was fun getting to work with Claude Akins, Frank Converse and Don Galloway, but they weren’t the only well-known people we got to meet. Rosey Grier (as Benjy), of NFL fame, played the role of a truck driving competitor of Akins and Converse and heavyweight boxing champion Smokin’ Joe Frazier played the role of a Marine corporal who participates in a boxing match with Will. The “boxing match” took place at the field house at Camp Lejeune. Toward the end of the scene, the Marine extras in the audience were supposed to act like they were erupting into a brawl initiated by Benjy and his truck driving partner, Moose (played by Art Metrano). Of course, it didn’t take much motivation for Marines to start throwing punches and some of them were a little too real!
Our final day of filming was on a Saturday and it was to be a war games scene. Even though it had been a fun week of filming, none of us were very excited about having to work in the field on a hot summer day. To top it off, we saw cases of C-rations piled up nearby and assumed that they were for our lunch. Toward midday, two box trucks pulled into the training/filming area and began unloading tables and chairs. Box lunches and drinks were also unloaded and we found out they were for us. Our morale suddenly improved! At the end of the day’s filming, we were lined up and each given $40 for our work that day. It may not seem like much money now, but for Marines at that time and toward the end of the pay period, it was a welcome sight!
When the episode aired later in the fall, we were all excited to see ourselves on television. I remember thinking I was going to be in several scenes (and told my family I would be), but I was only in the background in one scene doing close order drill with other Marines. Of course, you couldn’t tell it was me because of our distance from the camera. In the end, Sonny and Will learned that Marines were definitely “The Toughest Men in America” and we had fun proving it to them!
Jumping in Fox Holes Too.
I arrived in DaNang in mid may of 1967,the first night there we had heavy incoming rounds,mortars& artillary,we jumped in fox holes,well I fell asleep for two days in the fox hole because I had no sleep forthree days prior to getting to DaNang.Well when I finally was awoken by a gsgt,he made me move a pile of dirt from one spot to another then back again.That was my intro duction to Nam before being sent to Cam Lo.
Eisenhower Jacket
I became a Marine in 1963. I served in NAM with HMM-163, a UH34D Helicopter Squadron.
Of course we did not have the “Eisenhower Jacket” then. But I did own one when I was a child of 12, and on until I enlisted in ’63. The only name I new it to be was the “Eisenhower Jacket”, as told to me by the WWII Veteran of the Army who gave it to me.
Semper Fi
Winter Green Jacket
In 1948 at MCRD San Diego I was issued 1ea Coat Winter Green and 1ea Jacket Winter Green. That was the desingation as listed on a hand out for laying-out “Junk-on- the Bunk” while I was stationed at Marine Barracks NAS San Diego, CA. I wore said “Jacket”for the next 18 years untill the curent Uniform became avilalbe. The “Jacket” was a betterfit than the long “Coat” . I never in 20+ years on active duty heard it refered to as an “Ike”. Some did refer to the short Jacket as a so called “Battle Jacket”. Check with the “Uniforam Branck” HQMC for correct termonolagdely cir 1940s to 1960s
William F Beasley
GySgt USMC (ret)
One of the “Chosin Few”