Category: Divisions

Another day in War

Peekaboo, We See You!: After finding a suitable "harbor site", the team hunkers down for the night. I set out trip wires/claymores and slithered back to my position within the site. This particular site was located in a elevated position making it difficult to overrun in case the enemy (instructors) decided to come at us tonite. As a general rule, our team is meant purely for reconnaissance, not C…OMBAT, therefore initiating contact by small arms is very risky, considering the small amount of firepower. The mission may be compromised and once located, a team can be overrun by a determined and competent enemy. With that being said, noise discipline, camo/concealment and using terrain to our advantage is very critical when working in the enemies backyard. The enemy base camp was about 1,100 meters to the north of us and that kept us on high alert all nite. Although we were allowed to sleep, no one really slept that second nite. The early morning sunlight began peeking thru the jungle's canopy, bringing in the new day. We were about a half days travel from our OP (observation post) and it was time to move out. I crawled down to gather my claymores/trip wires and scurried back to eat chow with my team mates before we got going. Mascara was re-applied, weapons cleaned, a brief radio check was conducted and off we went. Moving uphill slowly, the heat, lack of rest and the weight of our ALICE packs were now putting a strain on our bodies. Physical fatigue was common on ALL patrols but mental fatigue is what makes or breaks you. Any slip up now and we are in deep shit! Once arriving at the OP, a security element (2ppl) was placed to the rear of our position and we began our observation on a suspected base camp. This camp was comprised of several bldgs including a field hospital, a communications hut and a large chow tent which lead us to believe it housed at least a company sized element. Troops scurried back and forth carrying on with their daily routines, having no idea that they were being watched. The afternoon passed slowly as usual but was routinely interrupted by the playful sounds of the native monkeys and birds perched high above us. This indicated that no other humans were near us and the PL decided to use the OP as our "harbor site" for the third night ………in the jungle on an island in the South Pacific! read more

50th Birthday Anniversary

This 10Nov marks my 50th Marine Corps Birthday, my 1st was in MCRD Parris Island, Platoon 386 GySgt. A.P. Mauricio.  I had the watch and around 1 AM the "Gunny" and a few of his buddies were slightly blistered and attempted to cross the grinder when I shouted "Halt, advance to be recognized!".  GySgt. Mauricio drew his sword and I'm sure was going to run me thru when the other DI's stopped him.  I spent the reat of my watch in a dumpster. My most memorable birthday. read more

Repro Unit Okinawa 1971

Attached is a picture of our Unit party on Okinawa 1971. A rare occurrence for a variety of reasons. Could you print it in the Magazine.

Repro Unit, Service Co, Hq Bn, 3rd Marine Division, Camp Courtney Okinawa 1971. Some of us went down south, and some of us did not. But, we were all on the main staging base for Vietnam, in direct support of the war. read more

Marines NEVER drink

The attached three photos were taken by a Canadian citizen who came south in 1967 and joined the USMC (Uncle Sam's Misguided Children) so that he could go to Vietnam and fight. Boy! Did he get his wish. He became a machine gunner with 1 / 5 and found himself in the middle of the Tet "celebration" of 1968 smack in the middle of Hue City. By the way, it is my understanding that between 10,000 and 15,000 Canadian citizens joined the American military for service in Vietnam. That's a good neighbor for sure. read more

The Good Ole Days

After two years in Dong Ha, I can't get the place out of my mind. Crazy or not, I would do it over again in a heart beat. Even though the place almost cost me my life. It was one hell of an adrenaline rush. I remember being recruited to do some of those truck runs. I was crazy enough to do them. I was a 3516. We must not forget the BIG bucks we made for being over there. If I remember correctly, we got an extra $65.00 a month. read more

3rd Marine Regiment Camp

Sgt Grit, Enclosed are pictures of what the 3rd Marine Regiment Camp looked like in 1965. We were at the base of Hill 327. Life there was pretty primitive, but we didn't know any better so it was fine. Note the shower facilities — one 5 gallon can of water per shower. The 55 gallon drums were at the edge of a gully the bottom of which were wooden pallets. read more