Sgt Grit is a place where Marines can come and meet other Marines, share tattoos and stories, keep up with Marine Corps news, or shop for USMC gear.
HOLYOKE, Mass. — An estimated 500 family, friends, public officials, including the lieutenant governor, fellow Marines, and veteran’s Saturday afternoon cheered at a rally at the former Anne H. McHugh School parking lot ast U.S. Marine Sergeant Joshua J. (Josh) Bouchard was given a hero’s welcome on his return home after suffering life threatening wounds in Afghanistan a year ago.
We go places where Navy and Marines fought during the Civil War. We educate people on the C.S. Marines and try to describe what it was like for Marines and sailors during the Civil War. We set up displays with the weapons that Marines used during the war and we also show them the leather neck strap that the name Leathernecks came from. We also do living histories for schools and we also do what Marines do best Fight, we can provide sniper cover for advancing troops or we level any one on the quarterdeck of a warship,we also man artillery pieces on aboard ship and land. Amphibious landings deploy as skirmishers and boarding parties we are also the ship’s Captain’s personal guard and escort while aboard ship. We basically do the same thing that Marines do today. Here are some of the pictures that I do have already downloaded to my computer.
Dear Sgt Grit,
I received the most dreaded phone call a family member of a serving Marine can get, this past Wednesday night.
I got the call from my friend Ed(SgtMaj USMCR Ret) that our boy Josh, Sgt Josh Desforges USMC had been killed in action earlier that day! Anyways, one of his most prized possessions was his USMC K-Bar knife I had gotten from Sgt Grit, and was given to him before he left for Boot Camp! Anyways, I wanted to share these photo’s of him with those so if they see his name online, or on TV, they know who he is. He was a good kid, and was a very good Young Marine and U S Marine NCO.
December 7, 2009
Just this past October 24th members of India Co, 1st Platoon, 3Rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Mar. Div. got together (again) in Pennslyvania for our annual platoon reunion. This group is mostly comprised of Marines and many of our Navy Corpsman who served in India Co. 1st PLT. between 1967 and 1968 in our battalion base near Danang. Some also served aboard the USS Valley Forge during our Battalion Landing Team days when we were performing combat missions in the Province of Quang Tri. (near the DMZ) Our platoon has been getting since the late 90?s and it we do include our spouses. We have gotten together in places like Niagra Falls, NY – Columbus, OH – Tennessee and Virginia. This year?s reunion was held at Lt. Richard Anderson?s and his wife Lee?s place on the lake near Dubois. PA. Next year we are planning the reunion for Cape Cod, MA.
I have been collecting old toys for over 30 years and I thought I would start sharing some of my favorites with everyone. During the 1950s and early 1960s there were tons of cool military toys many of them were made by the REMCO toy company. Here is an example a Marine Communications system. You basically send morse code messages by means of either a click through the handsets or vial a light on top of the control unit. Supposedly you could actually talk through the handsets. As a former 2841 Ground Radio Repairman I can appreciate this device. Oddly enough the equipment I worked on in the Corps was not much more sophisticated.
Thank you Sgt. Grit. Your newsletter put me in touch with my Drill Instructor Sgt. Dickerson. I had not seen him since the day after graduation in March of 1970. We met last week while I was on a business trip to Texas. We had a great reunion and a wonderful dinner. Again thank your for your good work. Now get busy and find my other two Drill Instructors, SSGT Fredricks and Sgt Wrin. If there are any other Marines out there that I served with I would love to hear from you especially anyone from Plt. 1229
Sgt. Grit,
Concerning the article about “Scheit-on-a-shingle” in the 31 December news letter.
I lost an old friend two years ago,Marty Norman, who was a cook in our beloved corps and served from 1939-the mid 1960’s
He gave me a copy of the official USMC recipe for SOS a few years ago that I would be happy to share with you for publication in your newsletter if you would like it.
