Category: Main

ROTC

Got this from Quora and it was written by John J. Peloquin.

When I was much younger, my parents came to visit us. My dad was USMC MSgt. in the Pacific Theater in WWII and a China Marine. One day while my dad was in the back room on the couch watching TV, a young high school girl rang the door selling something associated with her high school’s ROTC program. Upon hearing this, I asked her if she was going to have a career in the military. She replied emphatically “Oh no. I’m going into the Army.” My dad had tears in his eyes from laughing. read more

MCRD San Diego

I attended a graduation ceremony today at MCRD San Diego . I believe that the battalion that was 3rd Battalion Lima. To be honest, I was totally disappointed. I think that microphones should be worn in order to hear commands given by those in charge. Secondly, it appears that the D.I.’s could care less about the way that the platoons start out in marching. So many privates were out of step from beginning to end. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Something has happened to my beloved Marine Corps and in my opinion, it’s not good. I had a knot in my stomach the whole time, and wanting to go out on the grinder and take them all to the pit and PT the fuck out of them, and that includes the D.I.’s. I still love my Marine Corps and those Marines of today, but something has to change as far as training goes for the Drill Instructors. They have to be more disciplined and be tougher on themselves, as well as the boots that they are responsible for, read more

The Beer Run

This incident took place after an all-nighter around the spring of “68” We had set in around a small bridge north east of the village of Dia Loc and hill 37 about 20 miles southwest of Da Nang. We stayed there for a couple of hours then started trekking through the rice paddles heading south. Around daybreak we headed back toward the road we started from a little east of the bridge so we could meet up with some trucks to take us back to the hill. read more

USMC 1955 Uniforms

I thought you might enjoy seeing the USMC uniforms we wore in 1955 including summer “khakis”; winter “greens”; “dress blues”; and our olive drab combat uniform (that’s an M1 Garand over my right shoulder and a BAR in my left hand). The young lady in a couple of the pictures is my bride of 60 years. Semper Fi. read more

Boot Camp

Two boot camp stories : (1) Around the first or second week of boot camp I learned not to let the D.I.finish chow before any recruit. There were about half dozen of us that that were late to formation after chow. the plt.was ready to march back to the barracks when the DI shouted “well well well there are our lost sheep ! Sheep fall in behind the platoon on all four just like sheep and make that sound that sheep make BAAA..BAAAAA.We marched back on hands and knees saying BAAA BAAA just like sheep all the way to the barracks and down the middle of the squad bay until the DI got his fill.Lesson learned!! (2) To many dirty rifles so the DI had us bury our rifles in the sand behind the barracks ,run a few laps and then go find your rifle and clean clean clean.If the DI found one grain of sand we would have to do it all over Parris Island PLT.3056 Oct -Dec 1967 read more

My Marine Corps experience

The Marine Corps was the greatest decision of my life. I signed up in my Senior year of High School in 1980 and was put on the Delayed Entry Program and left for Parris island in October of that year. I had a little bit of culture shock, but I was determined to make something of myself. After Basic, I shipped out to 29 Palms for Comm. School and graduated in June of 1981. I was sent to MCAS El Toro to my permanent duty station. Was with the Third Marine Airwing, MACG-38, MWCS-38. I enjoyed my years in the Corps and would do it again. read more

My first time at sea!

I sailed to Hawaii from San Francisco, in 1959, aboard the “Mitchell,'” which, I was told, had been a “Liberty Ship” during War Two. To say the ship was overloaded is a gross understatement. There were several thousand troops, all services, jammed aboard. As we departed Treasure Island, approaching the Golden Gate Bridge, there were a lot of troops alongside, port and starboard, and I guessed the views from those points must be spectacular. As i headed toward starboard, a Chief told me, “Don’t go over there, Marine, all those people alongside are puking!” OMG, the sea was calm, the weather clear, and those people, Army and Air Force I was told, were already sick! We were packed so tightly that sack time was in shifts. Hammocks were stacked six high, and despite my head being directly under very hot pipes, I took the same Chief’s advice and selected a top berth. I would generally get some sleep after those under me stopped puking. Lines for chow, any meal, were endless. Generally, one entered the chow line an hour or two prior to the meal; once served the meal, all eating was don standing—there were no seats, we were encouraged to eat quickly and get out! Happily, I was stationed at Kaneohe for nearly two years. (And, my outfit, VMF-232, saw Nam LONG before anyone in the States knew Nam existed), read more