On October 23, 2013, I'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of my arrival at MCRD San Diego. In October 1963 I walked from my home in Hillsdale, MI, to City Hall with an idea to enlist in either the Air Force or the Navy. Those two recruiters had taken a late lunch, but the Marine recruiter, a Corporal, invited me to wait for them in his office and have a cup of coffee. While waiting I noticed all the brochures, posters, etc., and asked him about the Marines. I remember him telling me, "Oh no. You came here to see the Air Force and Navy. I'm not going to steal you away from them." I responded that I wasn't under any obligation to those guys and just wondered what the Marines had to offer. To make a long story short, I enlisted in the Marine Corps and it was, by far, one of the best decisions I've made during my life.
Category: 1st Marine Division
Disney characters at MCB Camp Pendleton
In 1980 I re-enlisted after being out of the Corps for 13 years. As a police officer, during most of the 13 years, I took a lot of surveillance and suspect photos. Some Disney characters toured the housing areas aboard Camp Pendleton, promoting Military Night at Disneyland. An MP SNCO escorted them and he asked me, an MP Pfc, to go along and take photos. We had lunch at the San Luis Rey Officer's Club and this is where I took the photo of Mickey & Goofy assuming "the position".
My Dad Edward S. Garza
Found this picture of my dad with Martha Raye in Vietnam.
We Want Men Not Married Men
It was on Sept. 4th about 25 or 30 of us were waiting to be sworn in to the Navy when the Chief said he needed to smoke cigarette and go to the head. When he walked out a Marine Staff Sergeant walked in and said they did not have enough going in to the Corps. Then he started to ask who was married. Those that who were married, when they said no, he would say "you're in" and if they said yes he would say, "we want men not married men."
When he had picked 13, he said, "you all just volunteered for the Corps. Of those 13, we all finished and there were only 32 that finished out of the whole platoon.
Top Sherry
TET 1968
Heading over to 3-gun detached L 4/11 from Hill 148. Just off Phi Bai airstrip
1st Lt. Richard Braley
KING RAT
Speaking of RATS as big as CATS…
Our Counter-Mortar Radar (CMR-11th Marines) was deployed with 2nd
Battalion, 1st Marines at a firebase near Monkey Mountain north of
DaNang, South Viet Nam during January of 1969. I was a Corporal of
Marines, MOS 5931, Ground Radar Technician. The tent I was in
housed eight Marines. We slept on canvas folding cots above hollow
wood pallet flooring. Our few amenities included a small
refrigerator. We had a generator to power the radar so we snaked a
couple of cables over to our tent for lights and to keep the adult
beverages cold.
Oldest Living Marine In United States
Oak Crest Celebrates the 237th Anniversary of the United States Marine Corps
Resident Acknowledged as Oldest Former Marine in United States
Participates in Cake Cutting Tradition
Baltimore, MD – In 2010, former Marines who live and work at Oak Crest retirement community in Baltimore, Maryland, decided to celebrate the 235th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps. They did it by carrying forth the tradition of the cake-cutting ceremony in which the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present. The custom symbolizes the experienced Marines passing their knowledge to a new generation.
Memory Rush
Dear Sgt. Grit,
Found these in the pocket of one of my old uniforms and thought all the old timers might get a memory rush from them. Back in my Marine Corps days (1960-64) the PX and slop chutes all had free matches by the cash register. Although I'm not sure, I would be willing to bet that in todays' politically correct, anti-smoking Corps, there are no matches, much less free ones.
FMDA
Members of the California Delta Chapter, FMDA gathered with
friends, wives and fellow Marines on September 8, 2012 at
the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery to dedicate a
memorial to members of the First Marine Division who gave
their lives in battle.
5th Battalion, 11th Marines
Sgt. Grit,
Here is a pic from the Ceremony Program where "Q" Battery,
5/11 was activated and the new Unit Insignia for the
Battalion was displayed for the first time (3 Oct. 12). The
change is basically that two crossed HIMARS rockets were
added to the right upper quarter of the shield.