Category: Other USMC

Monkey Mountain Moments 69-70 MACS-4 “Vice Squad ch-77, mode-3 code 23, Echo-Charlie 214 your pigeon

I got to DaNang via staging in Pendleton and through Okinawa.  With a history of pneumonia already from the tear gas chamber at ITR in '67, my '69 arrival in Vietnam after the staging area training's own tear gas choral emsemble had my lungs blowing dark green chunkies.  The Corpsman at the 2 day transition/gear storage shenanigans on Okinawa shrugged, handed me two 1000 mg Bayer aspirin, and quipped, "Can't help you here, kiddo.  Go die in Danang… NEXT Marine!"  I actually laughed.  You had to be there to see the insanity and chaos… revisited on the way home 2 tours later.  The Navy really is way-cool.  My uncle was a Sailor in WWII.  Besides, they're actually our mom.  We're fed, clothed, taken to "after school games" and church.  "She" also pimp-slaps our butts when naughty.  If you were REALLY crazy, you were "grounded" in your room… at Portsmouth Naval Prison, NH.  When I got to my unit after a day in the Danang runway transit barracks, with the self-cleaning and debugging screens from insects compliments to the chameleons skittering about all night, the MACS-4 "Doc" up on Monkey Mountain (Son Tra)  scowled at the minute flecks of blood in my green chunked sputum sample, and hissed, "He said WHAT?" Our unit "limo," a '48 canvas topped weapons carrier, tossed me into the DaNang Navy Hospital down by Marble Mountain.  read more

A-Frame

A-Frame

Sgt. C.S. Martin

3068 M Company

1995

 

While in boot camp I was no stud, but I wasn’t a slouch either. Every challenge I faced came to me with relative ease and I was succeeding with high marks on everything that was thrown my way until the day came when I had to face the A-frame. Now, growing up, I was athletic and relatively fearless but I had what my mother called “a healthy fear of heights”. If I didn’t have to jump off of it, I wasn’t going to.  So, I attacked the A-frame like I had everything else that had been thrown at me and was cruising until I reached the top. I reached out to grab that rope and it hit me, I have to swing off of this thing with one hand and then grab the rope with the other to slide down. Confidence lost!! read more

Looking for Sgt Clinton from the story about “BABE” the dog

I read the story about Babe on this site. I remember "BABE" & Sgt Clinton. I am Cpl. Clarence Mann who in Vietnam I served with Sgt. Clinton who saved my life during an attack on Dong Ha. I was the Marine that drove Sgt Clinton in to town one night where he jumped off the back of the truck. If you read this please contact me at email: read more

Should Be With A Marine

SGT. Grit,

Can someone identify the following coin?

1-1/2" diameter, 1/8" thick, smooth thin edge, rope type fluting on
both flat edges.

Top Side has a Gold Eagle, Globe, and Anchor on a red background,
1-1/8", surrounded by a black ring with United States (from 10 to 2
positions), Marine Corps (from 8 to 4 positions) with a star at 3
and 9 positions in gold. read more

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. read more

Sgt. “what-cadence?”

Being a boot, 1st/squad leader in Plt. 320/Lima Co./3rd RTB/MCRD in
Jan. of '68, my vivid recollections are of Plt. Cmdr. (now called
SDIs) GySgt. R.D. Gallihugh. NOBODY EVER sang cadence like him! One
of our assistant DIs (JDI) was so pathetic in his cadence that we
sqd. leaders requested the Gunny take us out on the grinder rather
trying to keep step with Sgt. "what-cadence?". read more