Category: Marine Corps Stories

Dirty Laundry

Sgt. Grit,

Remember in boot camp the scrub brush and the soapy water and the tables we scrubbed our clothes on. Some guys did this in Camp Geiger too! I went home after Camp Geiger on a bus from North Carolina with my sea bag and dirty laundry.

My mom went apesh-t when I emptied my sea bag on the Persian Living room carpet! She made me take it to the Chinese Laundry around the corner. Major cities had these Chinese hand laundry’s – that did predominately linens – table clothes – and shirts. The old Chinese gentleman spoke little English and gave you a receipt with Chinese characters on it for a stub. He weighed the sea bag – and bowed to me. Two days later I went to pick it up – and my mom paid back then like $20.00 (which was very expensive for those days – when a regular laundry would cost less than $5.00.) The Chinese guy went berserk yelling and screaming and pointing at me – the guy’s wife came out of the back to quiet him down – and calmly explained to me that my skivvies and utilities were so dirty I clogged the pipes when they cleaned the dirty clothes. My utilities were now sparkling – and my skivvies were bright white – rough socks were smooth to my skin. A rare treat for a Marine after boot camp. read more

Marine Joke | Recruit Gone AWOL

Recruit gone AWOL

As the sun rose over Paris Island, the senior drill instructor realized that one of his recruits had gone AWOL. A search party was dispatched immediately. After a few hours the recruit was discovered hiding in some bushes. He was sent back to the base and promptly escorted to the drill instructor’s office. The instructor asked the young recruit, “Why did you go AWOL?” read more

New era vet.

Dear Sgt. Grit,

After reading the latest newsletter calling for new stories from new veterans I decided to share one of my own.

It was 2010 and I was assigned to 1st Battalion 6th Marines Alpha company 2nd platoon. I was a team leader with 1st squad.  February 13 found us assaulting the City of Marjah as the assault force for Operation Moshtarak. read more

Artillery Tale

Hey Grit,

July, 1969, An Hoa Combat Base, I CORP, 3rd 8 inch How. Btry (SP) Capt. Hudiberg was our CO……I’m a FNG 0811 learning the A gunner job on gun 1. During a fire mission one night, after loading a round and powder charge, I had closed and locked the breechblock, was leaning down and inserting a primer when we had a rocket hit just outside the gun pit (charles was returning fire). Not sure if the concussion from the explosion or him just ducking down, but the gunner accidently depressed the hydraulic lever that operated the ramming chain at the precise moment that my hand was down in front of the breech block. Result: squashed hand…several broken bones and a puncture wound.(no purple heart, heh). Medivaced to 1st MED in Danang and got it wrapped and set, to return a week later with a NO DUTY CHIT. In typical Marine Corps fashion, the powers that be decided that I was of no use to the gun platoon, so I was transferred back to the Northern Artillery Contonement (HQ Btry) to be the S-3 Admin. as a typist…..go figger. Hunt and Peck for 3 months before the wrapping and cast removed from left hand. All my whining to no avail….never did get sent back to the guns. Ended up on the Battery REACT squad. read more

Eisenhower Jacket

I became a Marine in 1963. I served in NAM with HMM-163, a UH34D Helicopter Squadron.
Of course we did not have the “Eisenhower Jacket” then. But I did own one when I was a child of 12, and on until I enlisted in ’63. The only name I new it to be was the “Eisenhower Jacket”, as told to me by the WWII Veteran of the Army who gave it to me.
Semper Fi read more

MARINE OF THE WEEK:

Capt. Ademola Fabayo
Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8
Kunar, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2009
Award: Navy Cross

In late 2009, then-1stLt. Fabayo was serving as a member of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8 in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. 1stLt. Fabayo and other members of his team led two platoons of Afghan National Security Forces into Ganjgal Village for a pre-dawn meeting with village elders when the dismounted patrol was ambushed by roughly 50 enemy fighters in fortified positions. With four fellow team members cut off, he pushed forward on foot into the kill zone in an attempt to regain contact, effectively engaging the enemy at close range with his M-4 rifle. When a U.S. Army Advisor was severely wounded, he moved from a covered position under heavy fire to assist in his recovery, helping carry him across several hundred meters of fire-swept ground. He drove back into the kill zone with another U.S. Army Advisor in an unarmored truck, despite enemy rounds impacting the vehicle, in an attempt to reach the separated team members. After treating and evacuating several wounded Afghan Forces, he took the gunner’s position on a gun-truck with three other U.S. personnel as they again drove into the kill zone to recover the bodies of the four fallen team members, providing effective suppressive fires with the vehicle mounted machine guns. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Christopher Zahn) read more

Almost Always Had Good Chow

In my Marine Corps I almost always had good Chow. Now here’s the facts, There’s Officers Mess, Staff NCO Mess, NCO Mess, and the Mess Hall where we went to eat CHOW, call it what you want, it was Chow. I have to admit I grew up during the Depression and my Mother couldn’t afford great lunches, but going into the Corps didn’t enlightened my life by finally getting better food. read more

Clutching An Ammo Can

Comment on Amphibious Landing Problems.

Ken Schweim’s comments on going down the nets for an amphibious landing are pretty much the way I remember it. It looked easy in the movies, but very tricky in rough seas. I am surprised more Marines did not get hurt just getting off the ship. But those who suffered from sea sickness did not care… they just wanted to get off the ship and on dry land. I will also add that going from the landing craft to board ship was just as bad. Grab the net when the landing craft was high… then before you could get your feet in the net you were dangling in the air. Grab the net when it was low… the net is bunched at your feet. Climbing up the net with all your gear was a bit harder than going down. read more

Christmas 1970

Viet Nam, 1970

I was assigned to MASS-3 towards the end of 1970, specifically at FSB Birmingham. We were a small detachment (13 men) operating a radar system in support of the US Army 101st Airborne. On Dec 22, we received a radio message that I was to pack my seabag and prepare for transport to our squadron headquarters in DaNang. A CH-46 was already enroute to pick me up.  I reported to the 1st Sgt when I got back, and asked what I was there for. He told me not to get too comfortable, as I was scheduled on the next C-130 departing for Okinawa. read more

A Marine Christmas Song

JUNGLE BELLS, MORTAR SHELLS VC IN THE GRASS TAKE YOUR LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE AND SHOVE IT UP

AS YOU WERE. DARN, I CAN’T SAY THE NEXT PART IN AN EMAIL, THE PC FILTER POLICE WILL TAG ME. ANYWAY, YOU GET THE DRIFT. YOU WILL HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS OR YOU CAN DROP AND KISS THE DECK GIVING ME 25 BIG ONES!

Dear Grit:Thanks for all you and the staff do there at Sgt. Grit. Your support for our Marines overseas as well as all past, present, and future Marines is greatly appreciated more than you will ever know. May you and yours receive continued blessings from God. read more