Category: Marine Corps Stories

MARINE OF THE WEEK // Single-handedly repelled an ISIS ambush

Staff Sgt. Patrick Maloney
2d Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Corps Raiders
August 27, 2016
Operation Inherent Resolve, Kirkuk, Iraq
Award: Bronze Star W/ Combat “V”

Staff Sergeant Maloney’s team was conducting partnered reconnaissance operations on a prominent ridge along the Kurdish Defensive Line from an observation post exposed to a 280-degree fan of enemy-held territory. As the team established security, three team members were ambushed and pinned down under heavy and accurate enemy fire from positions 500 meters to the west. Enemy machine gun rounds impacted the vehicle his teammates were using for cover. Taking decisive action, he immediately crossed open ground, retrieved ammunition, and took charge of a Peshmerga heavy machine gun in an exposed and open truck bed. Remaining deliberately exposed to withering fire, he laid deadly suppressive fire on the enemy fighting positions. The Peshmerga heavy machine gun malfunctioned twice, requiring him to perform immediate and remedial action while exposed to rounds impacting within feet of his position. His fearless actions and fierce suppression gained fire superiority and enabled his teammates to return safely to covered positions. His bold actions further contributed to the immediate withdrawal of the enemy forces. By his extraordinary courage, zealous initiative, and total dedication to duty, Staff Sergeant Maloney reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. read more

Rock Apes

I know what he means about ” Rock Apes” They were massive and had a human face. We were always happy to see a mongoose. They kept Cobras and 2 Step Vipers in check. I detested going through a swamp. Leeches. What a nightmare. Insects as large as 6 inches long. You were never dry. I completed 2 tours. 1968 and 1969. We saw things I never knew existed. It’s Great to be home. I was wounded by a punji trap. Corpsman Stone pulled it off. He cleaned it up, gave me morphine and a lot of antibiotics. Was sent back to base camp. I had to soak my foot in this pink powder with water. This was for 3 weeks. My entire foot scabbed over and I took it off like a boot. Captain Richenbach wrote me up for a Purple Heart. It’s on my hutch. I can see it from here. God Bless Corpsman Stone. He saved my life. I’m 74 now. Still in pretty good shape.
Semper Fi. Marines. Sgt. E-5 Paul A. Fleming 0311. Ser.No. 2410636 read more

Smart Azs In Trouble

I arrived in the United States in January of 1968 from Scotland and enlisted in the Marine Corps in May of 1968. I arrived at MCRD San Diego on 9 June 1968, and after being up all of the night before embarking and all of the day, too, arrived at the base at about 2100 hours. As we came off of the bus, we were met by Marines in Campaign Hats who all seemed to be yelling at us at the top of their lungs. We finally got the idea and proceeded to get on the yellow footprints. I was on the line closest to the yelling Marines as the line surged back and forth, all of us trying to get our own set of footprints. The lad in front of me stepped on my foot and caused me to stumble into read more

MCRD SD Plt 3156

I arrived at Lindbergh Field San Diego on Sunday 27 December 1972. No one was there to meet or greet me so I found a SD policeman and asked him how to get to MCRD. He told me to wait out front of the terminal and he made a call to MCRD. I waited for about an hour and had several of the long haired types drive by and try to get me to “get the h_ll out of there” before it was too late. After waiting and wondering for the hour or so, a green Dodge van pulled up and the driver was the finest looking female (WM Sgt) I had ever seen and would ever see in my career. She told me in a very nice manner to get in the van and I did. While driving over to the base we talked about all types of things I would soon experience. She let me “burn a couple” (Marlboro) , but as we approached the gate to MCRD she told me how to field strip the butts and get rid of them. She dropped me off at Receiving Barracks and I saw my first YELLOW foot prints. I was directed to by the Sgt. to go inside and wait and someone would be with me in a little while. I proceeded to lean against a wall, and soon had a short and very angry SSGT jump up in my chest and proceeded to tell me to get the (deleted) off his bulkhead!!! Well I wasn’t too dumb and I figured real fast what a bulkhead was and stood at what I thought was attention. And I learned I wasn’t doing that correctly either. To cut to the chase now, I and a whole bunch of young men that had arrived on Saturday (I was the ONLY arrival on Sunday) were moved to a barracks and assigned a bed that I soon learned was a rack. We didn’t pick up or get picked up by our Drill Instructors until 2 January 1973 so we did a lot of swabbing and cleaning of the barracks. We were issued our sea bags and clothing, told to box up our personal clothes, got a haircut, etc., during that time. If memory serves me correctly, Our DI’s, Sgt. Schweigler, Sgt. Van Bibber, and Sgt. Jamieson picked us up very early on the 2nd and all h_ll broke loose. I don’t have any horror stories to tell about our 12 weeks in their care, but I was jacked up a few times for failing to do EXACTLY as told. All my DI’s were VN vets and they taught us well. They said they didn’t know if we would go to VN but they were going to teach us to survive if we did. I didn’t go to VN as I was a reservist (about half of our platoon was I think) but they made me a better person anyway. I do know that Sgt. Jamieson was a “short” American Indian and I had never seen any one his height jump straight up in my face and give me “love-tap” like he could. When we went up the road to Edson Range we were issued M-14’s and I learned to love that weapon. In fact I have the M1A now cause I loved it so much. I shot expert every pre-qual string but on qual day I blew it and got a toilet seat. I still insist that it does snow in Southern California cause I froze my young butt off that day. Shivvering doesn’t help in qualification with a rifle!! Anyway, I could go on for a while and I suppose I will close this out by asking anyone out there that was in Platoon 3156 to holler back. Oh yeah, Plt. 3156 took final drill comp and we were herded over to the mess hall and told by our senior DI to “drink the soda machines dry!!!”, and we did………then paid for it by doing bends and thrusts until the DI’s got tired. read more

MARINE OF THE WEEK // He refused to leave a fallen Marine behind…

Sgt. Eubaldo Lovato
1st Battalion, 8th marines
November 11, 2004
Operation Phantom Fury, Fallujah, Iraq
Award: Silver Star (upgraded from Bronze Star)

During the second battle for Fallujah, then-Corporal Lovato and his squad was ordered to clear a house. What the Marines did not know is that insurgents had barricaded themselves behind sandbags in one room.
When a fire team entered the room, Cpl. Travis Desiato was killed ­immediately by a barrage of AK-47 fire and fell to the floor. The insurgents put up such a volume of fire that the other Marines could not retrieve their comrade. The Marines fired ­blindly, unable to see the enemy fighters behind their barricade.
Lovato and the others in his squad could see Desiato on the ground. They tried calling out to him but he didn’t answer. A group of five Marines including Lovato made several attempts to reach Desiato ’s body. They threw C4 plastic explosives into the room, but it ­generated so much smoke that the Marines could not see anything. Then one Marine attached part of a shattered mirror to a stick, which allowed him to see where the insurgents were.
Pinned by enemy fire, Lovato manuvered to retrieve more grenades, with bullets passing through his pants pockets and sling.
Eventually Lovato was able to crawl to reach his Marines and asked a tank to blast the back of the building. The Marines stormed the building and killed the enemy inside. Lovato retrieved Desiato’s body. read more

OP-6

It is around 1800 and I’m still at battalion CP, got to get moving up the hill to OP-6. Just made a PX run and now making my way up passed OP-5 and getting crap from by platoon mate Poole. The sun would usually set around 1830. Still had plenty of time to get there before dark. Did not want to get caught between 5&6. Here I am with a .45 w/3 mags, and a sack full of cigarettes and pogeybait, hope none of those nasty rock apes come out. Huey just flew right over me ,looks like he’s heading through Elephant Valley. Starting to get dark and have about a quarter klic to go . I hear something in the grass, hope it’s just one of those mongoose. Almost there. Someone popped a flare! Are you kidding me! Crouch down until the flare goes out. Got about 50 meters to go. Ah, made it, without getting shot at from friend or foe. Tonight I’ll get the first watch on one of two LP’s. I can still hear the mix of music drifting up from the compound below. A couple flares go up near the the wire , the guards at the bunker open fire on something ,or nothing. Just another day in the neighborhood read more

MARINE OF THE WEEK // “When you inflict that number of casualties on the enemy and none of us were killed, that’s a pretty successful fight”

Gunnery Sgt Brian Blonder
Force Reconnaissance Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines
Shewan, Afghanistan
August 8, 2008
Award: Navy Cross

Gunnery Sergeant Blonder was leading a dismounted patrol through the city of Shewan when his platoon came under intense rocket propelled grenade, mortar and machinegun fire that destroyed a vehicle and trapped several Marines in the kill zone 150 meters away from the enemy. Gunnery Sergeant Blonder exposed himself time and again to heavy fire as he coordinated the suppression of the enemy so that the Marines could be recovered. Later in the battle, Gunnery Sergeant Blonder personally led a flanking attack on the enemy trench system through countless volleys of machinegun and rocket propelled grenade fire. He continued to press the attack as the platoon penetrated further into the trenches in order to defeat the enemy. Gunnery Sergeant Blonder’s tactical ability, superior marksmanship and aggressive fighting spirit inspired the platoon to continually advance on the enemy despite being highly outnumbered. He was a driving force during the eight hour battle and pushed the platoon to gain and maintain the momentum against the enemy until they were destroyed. Gunnery Sergeant Blonder’s valorous actions helped reduce a major enemy stronghold as his platoon killed over fifty enemy fighters, destroying several Taliban cells and opening the highway in Shewan to coalition convoys. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and complete dedication to duty, Gunnery Sergeant Blonder reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. read more

Disney characters at MCB Camp Pendleton

In 1980 I re-enlisted after being out of the Corps for 13 years.  As a police officer, during most of the 13 years, I took a lot of surveillance and suspect photos.  Some Disney characters toured the housing areas aboard Camp Pendleton, promoting Military Night at Disneyland.  An MP SNCO escorted them and he asked me, an MP Pfc, to go along and take photos.  We had lunch at the San Luis Rey Officer’s Club and this is where I took the photo of Mickey & Goofy assuming “the position”. read more

Military Police

We all came from different places and all kinds of walks of life, then We all stood on the yellow foot prints at MCRD San Diego, California. The worst thing that happened to all of us Newbies, was after boot camp We had to purchase our BDU’s because they issued Us “Satines” (the olive drab colored uniforms, which were out dated,) so We Marines, had to purchase our BDU’s, Welcome to the Marine Corps. I now know what it means to be Old School, but, back in’78, We were looking for something, and We got it, but it wasn’t what anyone was expecting. Running all all over the place in our 3059 t-shirts, and combat boots. When firing our M-16’s doing figure 8’s with the barrel to get the best shot. I wouldn’t change those days for nothing. Semper Fidelis read more