Category: Marine Corps Stories

Fainting Vapors

"Pickle grass"?… never heard it called that, even when covered
with doughnut puke… more commonly known as 'ice plant'… low-growing, creeping succulent plant, with triangular 'leaves',
probably related to cactus of some kind… widely used by the California DOT on freeway banks as erosion control, comes in a couple of colors when in bloom, makes sure that the entire bank will 'slide' as one mat, when the soil gets wet enough. Long a favorite of DI's, and Company Gunnys at MCRD and Pendleton. Good for collecting butts and trash, eventually looks pretty mangy (well, not at MCRD, now that there are very few Quonset huts to plant it around). read more

The Pride Begins at Conception! Proof Positive!

My Daughter and Son-In-Law announced they were pregnant about 6 yeras ago and were to give birth to my 1st Grandson on 3, Nov. 2006. My response was "He will be born on the 11th. He won't have my last name but he will be born on the Marine Corps Birthday" Months went by teasing my daughter about that and sure as Marines follow orders, Jake was born on 11-11-06. I was in the delivery room with the rest of the family when the statistician Nurse was writing down length, weight etc. She called across the room and said "Doctor, what time was he born?" Doc's reply was "533", which just happened to be the A6A Squadron I was in, in Viet Nam.  (VMA-533, Chu Lai,'67-68) Sgt.Merl "Goodie" Goodmanson" Proud Marine, Proud Grampa. "Semper Fi" read more

Which would you prefer Doc… Us or the Navy

On a bus in the fields at Camp Pendleton and on the road back to Garrison, the LT was sitting up front behind the driver. I sat across the isle. In idle conversation, LT asks, "Did you ever serve aboard a ship doc? "Yes Sir, a destroyer and a troop carrier". His inevitable question, "Which would you prefer Doc, Us or the Navy". I am on a bus loaded with 2nd Platoon Marines who weren't tired and it was a long drive ahead of us. All marines were listening to the conversation. My response to him came from my gut instinct… "Marines". The LT looked doubtful. What else was I likely to say in my situation. Then I offered my explanation "why". I began to speak from my heart. "The Marines are the most self-sacrificing, dedicated, resourceful, motivated, deadly and patriotic branch of service. If I had the choice to save the life of a Marine or a Sailor, I would automatically choose to save the Marine, over the fellow Sailor (assuming that doing so would not endanger the mission.) The LT said I had grabbed his attention with that statement. He said, "you are going to have to do some pretty good explaining. I told him that Sailors are too attached to their specialty systems. If their system fails, they are done, The Marine IS a weapon. I am proud to be counted among the Marines on the bus. At the start of the ride, the Gunny asks, "Sergeant! How many we got?" Sergeant responds,"We got 57 men and a Doc". Just once I'd like to hear him say, we got 58 men. One of them a Doc. read more