Picture taken on graduation day for platoon 374 in back of the barracks on the third battalion drill field with the mess hall in the background. Left is SDI Gunnery Sergeant Kearney. Purple Heart from a shot in the stomach on Saipan. A model for R Lee Ermey. To his right is Staff Sgt. Wright JDI, Purple Heart in Korea, heavy weight boxing champ for the Marines in 1956. Missing in the shot is Sgt. Murphy the other JDI. Never forget them or platoon 374.
Category: Marine Corps Stories
Big And Little Agony
Digging around through my ‘artifacts’, I found another jewel from boot camp – my U.S. Marine Corps Rifle Marksmanship And Data Book (For U.S. Rifle 7.62-MM, M-14). Memories of Camp Matthews [1964] just roared back – living in those tents, running up and down ‘Big and Little Agony’, burying our rifles (with bolts open) in the sand and pouring water on them (rifle inspection hadn’t turned out very well, I guess), showering in less then warm water. Awe, yes… those were truly very informative days!
Upon Learning He Had Qualified
September 1955 I reported to Boot Camp MCRDSD. First one on the left next to the Senior Drill Instructor. 3 years later I was in DI school, selected as the youngest DI to attend DI school for that time. Many NCO’s were much senior to me, but I made it through DI school. This is a picture of me with one of my platoons. I am on the right. We were the only two sergeants that were DI’s of a platoon, usually there was a senior NCO assigned with us.
So You Think You Want To Become A Marine
So you think you want to become a United States Marine.
If just anybody could become a Marine, it wouldn’t be the Marine Corps as we know it now and for the almost 241 years since its beginning on November 10, 1775.
What the Marine Corps will promise you in the beginning are 12 weeks of intense training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California, or Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina.
TAPS For SgtMaj Pacheco
Just received a text from SgtMaj Pacheco’s daughter. The SgtMaj reported in to his next duty station on Thursday, 14 April 2016 at 1813. Members of Platoon 145, MCRD San Diego 1962 mourn his passing plus I know there are others who read this newsletter who served with the SgtMaj.
The Brute
This may not be as interesting as most news letters, but I thought that I would share my fascination of the biography of Gen. Krulak and his adventures in our Corps. It was written by Robert Coram, copyright 2010. It is the story of his life and the foresighted developments of the amphibious and helicopter methods of landing troops that
Lost Mine On Hill 37
My dad passed in 2004 and I was cleaning out his gun cabinet when I came across the Zippo lighter I had given him after returning home from boot camp and ITR in 1969. I had forgotten about it. I’m sure I bought it and one other identical one at the PX at MCRD in San Diego. He obviously never used it as it is new in the box. I had mine engraved at
Tamales And Point Arguello
To Cpl Sadowski’s recent post on Dave Schual passing. Sorry to hear that our numbers are slowly reporting in for their last duty station. The good Lord will take care of him standing post similar to Surf Gate on a foggy lonely post no bigger than a phone booth.
Tough Guy Pose
So I thought about it and decided to send the picture in along with a few questions for my brother Jarheads, but I won’t dare ask this of my sister Jarheads. Does your uniform still fit you? The other night the wife and I were going through some clothes in the attic for AM Vets and I came across this blouse. Not sure why now but I did not keep a lot of my dress uniforms. Stupid, I know but it’s too late
2nd Battalion Barracks
In regards to the posting in the newsletter of April 6th. The writer that stated that in 1959 that 2nd Battalion barracks were brick. I went through Parris Island recruit training in January, February, and March of 1966 (Platoon 215). The picture of my wife and myself was taken in from of my barracks on the windy graduation day of 9 March 1966. As you can see from the picture, the barracks of 2nd Battalion were wood with what appeared to be either wood or asbestos siding.