Category: Old Corps

The Salute And Marine Corps Policy

After reading Cpl Bill Reed and LCpl Art Monterari's failed salute stories, I wanted to share mine. While stationed at Camp LeJune I was a warehouse supply clerk. There was a LT that worked in the office in my warehouse. Every morning when she would get to work, I would see her drive up and go over to the dock to wait for her to walk by. One morning my OIC was walking in with her, and I said the same thing I did every day, Good Morning Lieutenant. My OIC said how about Good Morning Sir? I then said one of the dumbest things I ever said on active duty, She outranks you so I was not talking to you. I actually stated the Marine Corps policy states when addressing a group of officers, you only address the senior officer, but I could see on his face he heard the first way. To which she said he is correct. Needless to say I was on his sh-t list after that until I left to go to Desert Shield with CSSD-40. I never once in the 2-1/2 years that I worked with her called her ma'am, always Lieutenant. That was one of the most beautiful women I ever met in the Corps. read more

The History Behind These Flags

My name is Gene Crabtree. Retired GySgt (pictured on left). Recently I was asked by Jimmy Dupuy (pictured on right), if I could assist him with folding these two flags. I told him it would be an honor and I would be proud to assist him. He began to tell me the history of these flags. He found these flags in a box that he received after his mother passed away, they were not folded and he wanted to put them in Shadow Boxes. The flag I am holding is his Great-Grandfather's William Curry Chisolm's flag. He served in WWI. This flag has 48 stars, his Great-Grandfather passed away in 1926. The flag that Jimmy is holding is for his Father, Joseph Steven Dupuy. Mr. Jimmy served in the U.S. Marine Corps from '65-'69. I can't tell you the honor that this gave me and the sense of pride to assist in this Flag Folding. read more

Honors My Dad

My dad was born 8/11/1933. He served in the Korean war. He passed away 8/12/13 and is buried at Indiantown Gap, PA. Till the day he died, he never forgot he was a Marine. My mom, who is 79 and will be 80 in January, honors my dad and the Marines when she wears a Marine Corps shirt/sweatshirt when she goes walking two, three or four times a week. She walks 6 miles each time. read more

WWII Marines Don’t Get Old… They Get Gritty

The Greatest Generation just keeps amazing…

I have an update for you and your readers about my Uncle Marvin, the WWII Pacific grunt. He celebrated his 90th birthday in June… his son and sister-in-law planned a surprise party for him. Had to make it 3 days after his actual birthday though, it was the first opening in his social calendar! He still works full time too… has to have "play money" for all that socializing! read more

World War I Cartridge

Of all the World War I items in my small collection is a W. R. A. Cartridge dated 1917. The primer has the necessary dent from the firing pin striking it but the cartridge is complete with bullet. However the shoulder of the case (when fired) left a double shoulder effect. The bullet comes out easy enough and mounted inside the base of the projectile is two strong wires that are formed to make tweezer like affair. Knowledge of World War I and the "COOTIES" that flooded the trenches. Upon relief from front line duty and movement to the rear area, a man removed his clothes tor a bath and usually in his underwear he worked to removed the cooties from his clothing after being boiled. The eggs and the dead cooties still hung on in the seams of the clothing. If there was no way to boil your clothes you had to remove the "COOTIES" by hand, some men heated wires and ran them carefully along the seams to kill the "COOTIES" which sometimes resulted in seams opening or easily tearing and in Europe winters this wasn't desirable. So with the homemade tweezers he could pick out the cooties. I got this years ago from the man who got it from the original owner. For the readers information when the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) was formed it originally had a "COOTIE" Club which was quickly absorbed, however for a few years after the VFW was formed you could find cootie club items like patches, paper work, and other memoribilia from the "COOTIE CLUB", and I have no doubt there is still some stuff laying about from the "COOTIE CLUB". My "Cootie" Catcher is a long forgotten part of that War and the VFW. read more

Tough Old Marine – GySgt Paul Moore

I live on the Big Island of Hawaii and have met a truly Tough Old Marine. I am a retired CW4 (ARMY) please do not hold this against me. I have enjoyed helping this Veteran and Patriot (WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. I am forwarding a picture of him in his uniform. He writes for numerous Marine periodicals and is truly remarkable.He is 90 years young and the first time I met him he was doing crunches and leg lifts on a weight bench. Enjoy his picture. If you Google GySgt Paul Moore TWS. Remarkable career. read more