Category: Main

66th Chosin Few Reunion, San Diego, California

My husband and I attended our 1st Chosin Few Reunion as guests of my parents, Robert and Arlee Johnson of Mesa, Arizona. My father who is the AZ chapter President, displayed a wealth of pictures and articles on display boards. He and others were interviewed for the PBS program, American Experience which is scheduled to be aired Tuesday November 1st, 2016. To honor my father’s service in the Battle of the Chosin Resouvoir, as well as my parent’ts 65th wedding anniversary, I presented this king size quilt to them. The white squares represent the 50 degree below zero conditions that were fought in; the blue squares represent the night sky, and the red squares represent the Marines and the blood shed in that battle. I also embellished it with patches I located on the Sgt. Grit website. Also see the cake topper which is appropriately changed into a Marine uniform like the one my father wore when they were married October 20th, 1951. Thanks Sgt. Grit and Semper Fi! Sandra Byrd, Tacoma, WA. read more

The Chosen Frozen and the Chosin Reservoir

I just came from spending an hour visiting with one of the “Frozen Chosen” who was with Chesty at the Chosin Reservoir. This Marine was a Staff NCO, and both he and his wife knew the General personally.  All Marines know about General Puller and many of the stories about him.  Certainly one of the most remarkable, is about the Chosin Reservoir.  If you’ve never heard of it, your knowledge of American History is sorely lacking.  On 1, Nov. at 9:00 pm eastern time, PBS will be airing a special about the incredible history of the Chosin and the Frozen Chosen. Under incredible hardships and unbelievable odds, Chesty and Men of the First Marine Division accomplished the impossible. When Marines think of the Chosin, they remember the saying “the difficult we do immediately, the impossible may take a while”. If you enjoy the PBS presentation, you will want to search John Wayne for a presentation which he did about his relationship with Chesty. The Duke as well as John Ford recount their memories and experiences of and with Chesty. This man is the reason you have heard the saying that when Marines lay down to rest, their last thoughts are God Bless America, and good night Chesty wherever you are. read more

‘Hanoi Hannah,’ Whose Broadcasts Taunted And Entertained American GIs, Dies

One of North Vietnam’s most recognizable wartime voices fell silent last Friday, when former radio broadcaster Trinh Thi Ngo, dubbed “Hanoi Hannah” by American service members, died.

Her former employer, the government-run Voice of Vietnam, reported the news on its website Sunday. The radio service says Trinh was 87 when she died, though there are conflicting reports about the year of her birth. read more

A Letter to Cpl Valdes

My book shelf dedicated to the Marine Corps and the Marines I know; of which I will have to expand at some point!

Hello Cpl. Valdes,

First and foremost I want to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation for your service. I don’t exactly know for how long, but I have been a subscriber to SgtGrit for quite some time. Though I never served, I certainly represent the latter half of the slogan, “There are two kinds of people in this world: Marines and those who wish they were.” read more

The Rock and Racks by Norm Spilleth

Left to right, PFC Phil Liguori, PFC Norm Spilleth, PFC Bill Jones, in the second deck squad bay of the VMA-212 barracks wearing our 782 gear after returning from our physical readiness test, sometime in 1963. photo from Norm Spilleth

Left to right, PFC Phil Liguori, PFC Norm Spilleth, PFC Bill Jones, in the second deck squad bay of the VMA-212 barracks wearing our 782 gear after returning from our physical readiness test, sometime in 1963. photo from Norm Spilleth

We called it “The Rock” and counted the days when we would rotate back to the land of the big PX. Hawaii wasn’t exactly the paradise we expected. The Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe is on a peninsula that forms Kaneohe Bay, with the Pali Mountains as a backdrop. The Air Wing enlisted barracks were a group of two story flat roofed, stucco buildings with open squad bays that were connected by breezeways. The VMA-212 barracks had the MPs on one side and the helo boys from HMM161 on the other. Next to the HMM-161 barracks was the mess hall. The front of the buildings faced a grassy drill field ringed with banyan trees. On the other side was the MAG-13 headquarters and to the right was Kansas Tower on top of a hill. The barracks had an upper and lower open squad bays divided into six bunks (or racks) that formed cubicles by standard green wall lockers and a central corridor. read more