Mom and I attended the 237th with our son and his family. The young guy is our son, the CO of VMFA-112 the old guy in the skirt is me.
J. M. "Mike" Jeffries Capt. USMC Ret.
Category: Marine Corps Stories
Every Year
Here's my birthday cake. I have ordered one every year since I got out in 1980. Semper Fi Always!
Randy Mabbit
Wife Went For Coffee
Pictures taken at Rock Island Arsenal. Pictures taken this past fall on a weekend getaway to Davenport Iowa of Marine Corps. Ontos and assorted tanks and artillery pcs. Later toured the museum and it was awesome. Spent 2 hours looking at the display of weapons (wife went for coffee). Semper Fi, 237 Years of serving are country.
The Next Best Cake Cutter
So up here in the Northern part of A'stan (Jalalabad), the Veteran Marines outnumbered all eight of the uniformed, but we celebrated anyway, graciously arranged by MAJ Copeland and the local USO. The oldest CPL on hand was born in 1956, to the youngest LCPL born in 1992 (I have socks older than that!)
We had a great time, and blew the 'soldiers' out of the DFAC with our rendering of the HYMN.
DaNang 2012
Happy Marine Corps Birthday and Veterans Day.
It was a perfect, warm day with a cloudless blue sky in Da Nang,
Vietnam. The Marine Vietnam Vets now living in Da Nang celebrated the 237th birthday of the Corps today on China Beach.
We had a good turnout of Marines, Navy and Army as well as
a number of civilian friends.
After WWII
The anniversary of Tarawa is coming up on 11/20 and I thought I'd send some info and photos of my Father, Hawk Rader Jr., D/1/8 2DIV ('Canal and Tarawa) then A/1/8 (Saipan, Tinian). He went to help St. Peter guard the gates of Heaven on 7/12/11 and I still miss him very much. I was lucky enough to hear in great detail of his experiences in all of his battles, including Tarawa. I attended the 2nd Marines' annual Tarawa Day services with him at Lejeune in 2003 and '04 and saw how much the memories of that battle affected him until the day he passed on.
Dad was in 4 major battles before he was 20 and talked about them, he said, to help get over his experiences rather than keeping WWII inside him.
Kidnapped Fire Watch
I had a DI that would kidnap the fire watch in the middle of the night and tie him up and put duct tape over his mouth and put him in the showers. it was pretty crazy when lights came on and the DI was screaming WHERES THE FIRE WATCH!!!! WHO GOT FIRE WATCH!!! You woke up quite fast trying to figure out if it was you that missed your watch. then we would find 'em in the head tied up. I still chuckle thinking about that,
Our Shared Heritage
In August of this year twenty-one Marines from Platoon 2085, Parris Island 1966, gathered in Washington, DC as guests of The Khe Sanh Vets at their 2012 Reunion. We were honored by the presence of our SDI, First Sergeant Ben Leith (USMC Retired) and his lovely wife Jackie who mustered with us from their home in Arizona.
Looking For…
Platoon 1096 from 1968 is looking for, at that time Sgt Vernon R. Smith, our drill instructor. We were his first platoon. We have a reunion every year and we would like to invite him. He lived in Spokane, Washington until he joined the Marines. Semper Fi Marines, Whiskey 3/11 1969 and part of '70.
China duty with Gen Puller
Sgt Grit,
Would like to let you know, as a career Marine.
18 years old when enlisted, 1939. I am now 91
After graduating in 1939 (Apr), I was transferred
to China assigned to the Old Fourth Reg. At that
time Gen Puller was a Captain. I had many runs