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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. – In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was built and dedicated to those who served and died in the Vietnam War. While attending the dedication in 1982, a group of artists felt the positive power of The Wall and felt it should be shared not only in Washington D.C., but across the country. Sitting at about half the size of the actual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, the two replicas began their journey in Tyler, Texas in 1984. Today, the walls travel across the country from April to November, to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.   The city of Desert Hot Springs hosted The Moving Wall at their local Mission Springs Park from June 22 to June 26, 2017.  During the Vietnam War more than 58,000 service members, both men and women, were either killed or deemed missing in action. The Wall has the names of those men and women etched onto a reflective stone, so visitors can not only see the names, but see themselves, reflecting on the lives of the people who fought and died to keep them safe.    At the commencement of the program, Headquarters Battalion Color Guard posted their colors at the Moving Wall opening program and, the keynote speaker, retired Sgt. Frank Orzio, pastor, Wounded Warrior Ministry Project, addressed those in attendance.    “In this time of remembrance we must hold close to our hearts our fallen warriors, keep in our mind our prisoners of war and missing in action service members who have become a shadow of a memory,” Orzio said. “We see these men and women and realize, once again, how much we owe them and how much they have given.”    Following the program, local community members were able to visit the wall and pay their respects. Also local Vietnam veterans attended to honor their fallen comrades, and pass knowledge to the younger generations at hand.    On June 26, Desert Hot Springs hosted the closing ceremony for the Moving Wall. It will now move onto a different location to spread the same spirit of positivity; the same feeling of gratitude and respect that those artists felt from the dedication of the original wall in 1982.    “We wanted the Moving Wall here in Desert Hot Springs to give our veterans the chance to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War,” said Requita Grant, event coordinator, Community and Cultural Affairs. read more

Some people think we came from hell, other think we should all go there. Then there are the wise ones who are glad we are around.

So what does it take to be a Marine? I admit, you have to be a bit foolish, a little daring, somewhat adventurous, looking for a challenge and according to most parents-crazy. Why? Because we are special. We train differently, we act differently, we think like no others, we take chances where others never would, we do more with less,We are overflowing with pride. read more

April 25,1975 was the proudest day of my life graduated marine corps boot camp , parris island . M.O.S 0311, and love everyday of it was stationed at kmcas , did 3 west pac’s learned more about life than any collage could have taught me. How many mountain climbers, bend and mother f—ers, could not even begin to count. Every sand flea , the hot sun , the nose to nose bad breath from the D.I , well brothers you know what I mean. Platoon 1027 had a drill instructor named Sgt bell. If any marine had him, please reach out and let’s talk. For some reason could never figure it out. It he love to head butt me in my chest , a tough son of a gun. Hope the best to all my brothers out there, past and present. Hope you learned what I did and took it to heart as the best expereance you could ever had. The ups the downs, but I will always remember once a marine always a marine. Semper fi do or die. God bless , some day you know we all will meet again. And you know who will be guarding those gates, that’s right a United States marine. CPL RJ Miles 1stBn3rd marines.?? My prayers go out to all the grunts , that are keeping us safe so we can enjoy what we are doing in life and being free. Please make sure a brothers got your six. My photo follows along with my camps front yard. read more

Hello to all Marines! My sad news is that my son Sean P Armstrong, who served in the Marine Corp. from 1993-2002 has passed away. He graduated from Camp Lejeune, NC. My heart is broken and I will never be the same without him. He was my life. He was going to the VA for help at the time of his death but whatever was wrong with him they apparently couldn’t fix. This all happened in January and we are still waiting to hear what/why he passed away. I am so hurt that I couldn’t have his service until now. I hope I’m strong enough to handle it. I’ve looked through his belongings and he still has so much of his Marine gear. I was told to donate all the uniforms, including the dress blues to the VFW. We were told they use the uniforms for parades. I had all his military uniforms cleaned at a local cleaners who charged me half off because they were being donated. (wonderful, thoughtful and caring people) He left two graduation books which I would like to give to someone who graduated at that time and couldn’t afford the book or have lost theirs. I don’t want any of his things to go to waste. He and every Marine deserves better. I remember when he was in boot camp he told me that one of his DI’s name was Armstrong. If there is anyone out there that remembers this DI or was in at that time please contact me with more information that would match what I have and I would be glad to send you a book. Thanks! Semper Fi read more

Retrospect( dmz-67)  in my mind i am often back in vietnam i can once again feel the muggy hot as the red sun rises unveiling steamy green jungle mountains and low land rice paddies of a almost mystical land thatched roof hotches balanced on bamboo poles or dirt floored huts with hiding holes water buffalos and funny little people of many guises who dig underground complexes like groundhogs and tiny moles long winding trails up and down around and around pungi stakes ambush sites and booby traps on jungle trails and paddy dikes both lost and found roads and ancient cities villages and pagodas thousands of strange people in their ever changing wraps with endless chattering and peculiar orders the wack smack sound of chopper blades carrying wounded buddies who gave more than blood in the distance heightens and fades mcnamaras line no place for the boot or the blind hilltop fortresses to keep back the human flood places occupied with fear guts and dragging time operations called search and destroy tracked armor and men on line deployed in the vast dragons domain looking for a so called illusive enemy master of decoy phantom jets and spectacular napalm and bomb blasts chewing up country side and human hide at a voices command chemically saturated and plowed up land now in a barron and decaying mode meant to last funny thing about an enemy a marine must kill at first they are sick and can feel but soon comes a callus and cool at practicing their warrior skills back home there was protests riots and morals under fire but moms and dads kept uneasily still even though the news told of baby killers and murder for hire then came the day when one was snatched from the asian mire back to the real world of ones own choosing to a home where freedom and love was said to flower soon to find that those who sent them listened more to public eyed loosing directed by the news cameras own choosing became to quickly to be hellbent against them so here we are to many decades later fought and silently struggled to make a way without the help of the war lovers and haters  we do not want any ones praise it is way to late when numb are the feelings and hurts of earlier days so leave us be and let us our own flags raise as for those who had to die while for years politicians pretended to rage they did not have the chance or time to question or reason why theirs is a memorial wall dedicated in our capital town where the names of those real heroes are found although much to long in coming one might resound  but if they were up and walking around at parades they would not be found they would be looking for the lost and forgotten ones who have not harped and sounded who have not always cried for attention to be surrounded who are still out there hiding from the nam and at the same time searching to be found by c.r.hurst,jr (usmc nam12/66 to 12/67 dmz ) 2/96 read more

Some of us had trouble getting up a rope – or just being agile around one. One recruit was not fat, but not coordinated either– the poor guy could not get up the rope? The D I took a bayonet and had a few of us get him about 4 feet off the ground- then the D I said “climb maggot?’ The guy started shaking and blubbering- next he D I keeps jabbing him in the ass and screaming at him that he will insert the bayonet up his ass- the recruit panics and starts up the rope. The recruit eventually had to go to sick bay with cuts or slashes on his butt= the Series Lieutenant questioned the recruit about how it happened and told him he would be placed in another platoon and all he had to describe what happened. The recruit said he fell on the bayonet- Recruit became a hero and all D I ‘s went to his support and helped him after that- ( he was a hero ) A few other guys went to sick bay for other maladies- and would not rat out D I’s either. Training tough- but we survived. No regrets- and a shitload of funny stories of how some of my fellow recruits really seemed that they fell off a turnip truck. Some had common sense and little brain power- and others were very streetwise and some were very commonsense oriented. We all worked together= and became United States Marines. read more