Category: Old Corps

Operation Silver Lance

Sgt. Grit,

This is my Zippo, I bought it while aboard the USS Cabildo LSD 16 in early 1965. I was a tank driver with B Company, 1st. Tank Battalion. We were participating in Operation Silver Lance, which involved a 7-day cruise off the coast of Mexico, and a surf landing from a Mike Boat at Camp Pendleton. Hopefully you can read what is engraved on it, my name, serial #, and the places I had been when I had the engraving done in the Philippines later in 1965. read more

Johnson M1941

I have heard that the USMC attempted to adopt an automatic rifle during WWII called the Johnson M1941 and also a machine gun, but got no support.

I also heard that Germany may have used this weapon as a prototype for its German Sturmgewehr and the Russian AK 47. I've read the reviews online, but do we have anyone left out there who handled one of these weapons. read more

Khe Sanh ,Tet 1968

My name Sgt. Glenn A. Gray while serving with HQ. CO. 3RD. MarDiv. Quang Tri, I had a conversation with L/Cpl. George Marshall. He gave me a picture of  him featured in Life Magazine of him playing a guitar in a bunker. The picture was taken by David Duncan Douglas. I have just finished the Book about the 26th Marine Regiment's gallant survival during the Tet Offensive called I Protest. I have the origional picture given to me in Vietnam of LCpl. George Marshall. I wonder if any Vietnam Vets know what happened to L/Cpl Marshall? read more

HQ Company, 9th Marine Regt, 3rd Marine Division Reunion

Our Headquarters Company, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division held our 5th reunion the last weekend of April in Washington DC. We have been "gathering" every other year to renew old friendships, and enjoy a few days of awesome fellowship. We have found that using your reunion posting board has actually been helpful with locating men from our company's "tour of duty" in Vietnam. Each time we have gathered your company has shipped us many items from your shop to present to our men, and we wanted to say a special "thank you" for you and your staff's continued service to Marines. See attached photo taken at Iwo Jima Memorial. read more

Editing

Your comments about "PC" and filters much appreciated. Filters are often silliness on stilts. Some military websites have monitors who do what they are supposed to… but there are a few who leave it all to the filters. The results? Writing about an Australian with whom I served with… his first name, "Mick"… the filter censored it to "XXXX"… writing about Vietnam, the name "Ho Chi Minh" was censored to "XX Chi Minh…" read more

Sgt DT Lang

Just finished reading the latest newsletter and found a few things that pertained to some of my service, IE: the pinning of stripes, and the field landing at (sp) Aranchi Bay, Spain named Operation Steel Pike??? not sure…….  

I was promoted  to CPL by The Commandant of the USMC during an formal Evening Parade at the 8th & I Barracks along with a few other members of the 2nd. place GOLD SQUAD or Combat Squad Competition unit in 1963. Since the 3rd battalion had already boarded ships to the Med and embarked, we got to fly to Rota, Spain, and then on to Malta where we finally caught up to our shipmates. So, no one ever 'pinned' on anyone of us who made CPL. read more

Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipient

Here is a picture of myself and the last surviving Battle of Iwo Jima Medal of Honor recipient, Cpl. Hershel W. Williams. I had the great honor of meeting Mr. Williams at the Tulsa Medal of Honor Day ceremony, Saturday, April 27th 2013. He is 89 years young and still sharp as a tack. As I was standing next to him some guy had said he had spent 13 years in the Army. Mr. Williams said, "you know what the Army stands for?" "It means Ain't Ready for the Marines Yet!" We all chuckled and the Army guy even said he had never heard that one before. It was really a great day.  read more