Category: 1st Marine Division

Scrounging In Vietnam

During my Tour in Vietnam there were many things that we modified to help us with our missions. I wish I could remember this Marines name, he was with Alpha Company 1st Recon. Top Barker ran "A" Co. and the sign painted was one of his works of Art. 1st Recon's motto was "Swift, Silent, Deadly", Top Barker added Surrounded to the motto as you can see. read more

A Battle Won By Handshakes

My name is Lucas Dyer (SSgt USMC) and I have recently had my book, A Battle Won By Handshakes, published. This is about my combat experience as a small unit leader and platoon commander and how my company, ACo 1/5 achieved great success in Afghanistan by utilizing Counter Insurgency Operations (COIN) and doing the right thing. There are not that many success stories from Afghanistan, but my unit was one of the few. I take a doctrinal approach to explaining how the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of war where utilized as we changed a village and their people. Since it's release it has become the number 1 best seller on my publishers website. read more

Newest Marine Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

On 19 June 2014, Cpl William Kyle Carpenter, USMC (Ret.) was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on 21 November 2010 while serving as an Automatic Rifleman with F Co, 2d Bn, 9th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st MarDiv (fwd), I MEF (fwd), in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. read more

USS Texas

I'm always up for military history in my travels. Several years ago on vacation with the family we found the USS Texas, now a museum ship.

Attached are a couple of photos about the formation of the 1st MarDiv. The 1st MarDiv. guys probably already know this and have been there but for the rest of us… a little more history. read more

11th Marines

Thought I would dazzle you with some of my Nam pics. Here is an aerial view of HQ, 11th Marine Regiment, near DaNang. The Comm Plt is the small group of about 8 hooches kinda by themselves to the left of the compound. We always felt kinda lonely down the hill by ourselves. Then again it did have some advantages, nobody bothered us. If memory serves me correctly, 11th Motors was across the road on the right. At the bottom of our compound we had an Army search light detachment, attached to 11th Marines. Apparently Marines did not have search lights so we borrowed from the Army. read more

1865 Marine Emblem Buckle

I just read my Sgt. Grit email and saw the story on the hardcharger who had just got an 1865 Marine emblem buckle. A friend of mine gifted me with the exact same buckle from the same company and unfortunately found out later that it isn't a Marine buckle. It is a U.S. Revenue Cutter Service buckle. Don't really know what that is but it looks too much like something a Marine would wear and so it's staying with me. read more

Prosthetic Artwork

After reading this story: "Marine comes in for brace and wants to know if he can have T-Shirt art work put on the brace." I wanted to share this.

I asked the guys at The James A. Haley VA Hospital Prosthetic Dept. in Tampa, FL., if they could take my black T-Shirt with The Marine Corps Emblem and The "Walking Dead" 1st BN. 9th Marines logo, and put it on my new left leg. I was in Vietnam in early '69 with the 1/9. read more