One of my fathers favorite stories to share was about being a DI at MCRD in 1966. The story goes that the new recruits were brought to an assembly area close to the fence facing the San Diego Airport. All the new recruits had their ill-fitting utilities on and shaved heads so everybody looked the same on day one. Mixed in with the recruits was another DI wearing utilities. One of the DI’s was telling the new recruits that going AWOL would get them shot for desertion during a time of War (Viet Nam was going hot and heavy at the time). Well the fake recruit gets up, says he can’t take it anymore and runs for the airport fence. One of the DI’s happens to have an M14 locked and loaded (with blanks) during the desertion speech. The fake recruit starts climbing the fence. The DI with the M14 yells a warning and then Bang Bang, that was the end of that recruit because he falls to the ground and a life changing impression was made on all of these future Marines. S/Sgt Roger D. Marsh (Ret) is now guarding the gates of Heaven. God Bless America and the US Marine Corps.
Category: Marine Corps Stories
Bushido Warrior Mentality
Sgt. Grit,
I was USMCR ’57 to ’63, a Cold War Marine, later I served as a Los Angeles Co. Sheriff’s Deputy with my last 24 years assigned to SEB/ESD, Special Weapons Team and Paramedic Air Rescue.
My youngest son, Mike, told me when he was 15 y/o, that he wanted what I had, the camaraderie and the brotherhood. (That’s pretty much what he grew up with, the Marine Corps and a SWAT Team). He joined the Marines right out of high school and made it into 3rd ANGLICO, spending six weeks with the SEALs in Coronado to get his MOS and then LASD when he was 19. He went to Iraq with 150 other deputies from the department in January 2003.
Amtracs and Ontos
I arrived in K-Bay in January 1961, and after a month on mess duty I reported to the “tractor park” for training in Amtracs. Across the main road from the tractor park was an area used for our driver training, the brush was around 15 feet high with roads running through it. Coming rapidly around a corner one day I was stopped short by a strange vehicle that also came to a sudden stop about 20 feet away facing me. I was looking down the muzzles of six giant (106mm) recoilless rifles.
Cease Fire, Cease Fire
I arrived in the RVN on July 24, 1965. I was assigned to work in the 3rd MAF Comm Center on the night watch, 1800 to 0600. After returning to the billeting area after noon chow, in the first week of August, I heard a hand cranked siren start wailing. This was followed by several gunshots. Then a voice came over the PA system and shouted “Cease Fire, Cease Fire”
Almost a Squat
Charley was from Oklahoma, and though he didn’t look it, had some American Indian ancestry, or so he claimed… sure didn’t have the high cheekbones of an Elizabeth Warren, for sure, but was rather round-faced. It had fallen his lot to spend 18 months with Marine Barracks, Naha (Okinawa… before we gave it back to Japan), where we were guarding special weapons for the Navy (or so they told us… never saw one of the things). This duty was terminally boring… I mean Boooring! Four on, eight off, day on, day off. Posts were manned by Pvts and PFCs, Lance Corporals and E-3 Corporals stood Corporal of the Guard, and Corporals were section leaders and stood Sgt of the Guard watches.
The Most Decorated Marine Officer in World War II
How many Marines remember this Marine who had the Courage to challenge the Enemy in his own town of Occupation?
Peter Ortiz (1913-1988) Colonel Ortiz spoke 5 languages fluently and was the most decorated Marine officer in World War II. He served in the O.S.S. and, before that, was the youngest Sergeant in the French Foreign Legion. In 1940, he was wounded and captured by the German invading army, he escaped and joined the U.S. Marines. Parachuting into France, he became a Maquis (French underground) leader in 1944. He frequented a Lyons nightclub to gain information from the German officers who also frequented the popular club.
GySgt Frank Rousseau
It is my sad duty to inform the many readers of his stories over the years, that GySgt Frank Rousseau has passed away. He was a 3-war Marine, but I knew him as a Bermuda marine. We all enjoyed his stories and recollections over the years. He was
a weapons expert, and what most people don’t know is that after retiring from the Corps, Frank started a very successful
business supplying Hollywood with weapons, many of which he designed and built himself, including the rifle that Chuck Norris used in his “Braddock” movies. Also, in “Rambo 2”, he designed the machine gun used in the helicopter scene where Rambo and
the POW’s he rescued are abandoned by the rescue helicopter. Frank told me that nobody in the cast could handle the gun, so he fired it himself. He can be seen in the door of the helicopter firing the gun. His business was carried on by his son Chuck. If you take the time to watch all the credits at the end of “Rambo”, “Missing in Action”, and other films, you will see his name listed as
“weapons consultant”. If there are ever any weapons required behind the Pearly Gates, you can be sure Frank will handle it.
Cpl. Paul W. Lindner 1959-1963
In This Issue
FNG stories, we all have one, what is yours. Here’s mine.
I got to Nam March 3, 1969 along with Goog, Hunts and Kelly. (now Ret. SgtMaj Kelly) The four of us remained the FNG’s past June ’69. Towards the end of June we got a “new guy”. I go running down to the hootch area yelling something about FNG’s, I slash open the hootch door with much bravado and what do I see? I see grizzled 13 months in country with 5th Comm. Cpl “Dirty Dick” Leyden. I don’t say a word to him. I just turn and leave the hootch leaving some explicatives behind knowing the four of us are still the FNG’s of the Comm Plt. Towards the end of June the 3rd MarDiv was pulling out and going back to Okinawa. Some of them extended and got reassigned to 1st MarDiv units. Dick is the reason I am a Sgt and a good friend to this day.
Spamwiches
L/Cpl R. W. Hoffman, and all of Charlie 1/13 who missed their hot turkey Christmas dinner,
As one of those tasked with bringing your hot chow to the field, I apologize for missing you. It’s a pretty good bet that we were diverted to pick up med-evacs in hot LZs or extract recon teams in contact. I putted around in a Huey covering -34s and -46s, and know that every time we were promised a holiday meal, most if not all the helicopter crews who were tasked with missions to deliver food made did as many as we could, and at the end of our day – after we’d post-flighted, serviced, and repaired our battle damaged aircraft, – we went to late chow (if the mess hall was still open) and ate cold spamwiches. Since we had a mess hall we didn’t have much access to C rats, so most of us hoarded a can or two when we did get rations for those many late nights when the mess hall closed before we could make it.
Frost Bite?
I got to Korea Christmas day 1950, No Christmas dinner there, peanut butter sand, cold coffee
3rd bat 7th Just got out of Kotare and moved to nesaun we landed at Pusan from a Japanese ship, Christmas eve spent from Sasabo to Pusan, we stacked rifles put cig. pks on for decorations and they played white xmas over and over again. I went out on deck and there coming in to Sasabo was the prinston, My best friend was on the prinston hadn’t seen him for a couple of years, That really made me home sick, my first Christmas away from home.