I would like to share an experience I had during my career as a Firefighter/Paramedic. I was on duty and our Medic unit was dispatched to a Nursing Home concerning an unresponsive patient. As I entered the room I noticed that it was filled with Marine Corps items, pictures, etc. After checking out the patient who was in the advance stages of Alzheimer's, vital signs were as good as could be expected but he did not respond to any verbal commands or pain stimmulation. I asked the nurses if this was normal for him and they stated it was and that he had been in this state for years. I then ask them what was with all the Marine Corp posters and pictures and they said that the patient had been in the Marine Corps. I then lean down and said Semper Fi into his ear. The patient broke out a grin that surprised the nurses. They said they had never seen him react to anything or anybody, even his family before and they wanted to know what I had said to him. I told them it was the Marine Corps Motto and only a Marine would understand. It is a strong bond that we have as Marines.
Category: Marine Corps Stories
“You silly shxt!”
I went through P.I. with platoon 446 (November 1954-January 1955). A lot of funny things happened during those 13 weeks but of course we weren't allowed to laugh if there was a D.I. present. I swore that after graduation I would spend the first several days of boot leave laughing about things that happened in our platoon. One event stands out in my memory.
Patches
Dear Sgt Grit,
I just wanted to share a gift from my father Jim Daneker for my retirement from the Marines last summer. He purchased all the patches he could find from Sgt Grit and had the plaque made in our hometown. It displays patches representing my 30-year career and a wonderful display it is! I have it proudly displayed in the “patriotic room” in our home here in Swansboro, North Carolina just up the road from Camp Lejeune.
Push Ball
In the Sgt Grit Newsletter – 26 JUL 2012 there was an article about "Push Ball" fun and games. While at K-Bay in the early 60's the sport was played in the large field behind 3/4. As I remember it was about platoon size teams that played, but that is a little fuzzy after 50 years. I do have a picture of the event though it's hard to really get a good feel for the size of the ball. I seem to remember that it was about 7 to 8 feet tall, something like a huge soccer ball. As the article indicated, there were few rules short of murder and 1st aid was generally really close by.
Prelude to Korea
Sgt. Grit,
Just a fast shout-out to a great bunch of guys who attended Supply School with me at Camp Lejuene in 1949. Are any of you still alive, and do you member Capt. King, our instructor? If so, email me and we'll compare sea stories. Semper Fi!
LST 1157
Sgt. Grit,
In the last newsletter on a post by D.Dick he mentioned the LST Terrell County 1157…I'm sending some pictures taken in 1961 of 1157 and 1167 which I was aboard during SEATO Joint exercise in and around the Taiwan Straits called Operation Blue Star. I was serving with the 12th marines (M-4-12). The flat bottom tubs where not fun to be on in rough water.
The Navy always got a kick when the ramp was dropped coming into the beach it scoured out a hole, it seems the ship always backed off a bit and the vehicles dropped in the hole…so you better have fording gear in place, because you were going to get wet..fond memories.
IOD Units
This is a picture I took in Vietnam and the following is a dicussion with a Marine I crossed paths with.
Sgt. Grit: If you recognize this photo I would love to hear from you. As we used to say, "Tis a thing or raw and savage beauty". At our peak (mid-1970) we had five operational and deployed IOD units. I remember LZ Ross, LZ Baldy, Hill 65 and Recon Outpost Hill 250 (my location). For the life of me I can't remember the 5th placement. From January through October 1970 my team was credited with 108 confirmed (Recon patrols w/pictures and recovered documents) KIAs. Nothing moved in the Arizona between Hill 65 and Hill 250 that we couldn't observe and hit. Interestingly, I've never heard any chatter from the 25 or 30 of us who were fortunate enough to be a part of the first ever, ground combat deployment of laser technology. To say it was a "game changer" is a gross understatement. Former Sgt. L. M. Hinton S-2, IOD Hq. Btry., 11th Marines, RVN NCOIC, IOD Team, Hill 250, RVNDirty Dick
This is a picture of Sgt “Dirty Dick” Leyden (yes he got the name for the reason you’re thinking) and me eating a very good spicy noodle dish at a road side stand not far from the gate of 11th Marines.
Dick got to know some of the villagers near 11th Marines and would take me with him to socialize and eat. The first time he invited me to go he told me to NOT ask what was in the meal. Especially if there was protein/meat in it. He said these people might get protein a couple a times a week in a meal. If they put it in a meal for us, it is a sign of respect. We will not disrespect them by asking what it is.
Beirut 83-84
Not much of a story. Just remembering all my buddies that we had trained with from 1/8 and 2/8 during the months leading up to the police action (what they called it) in 82. The word had gone out that 2nd MAR DIV needed Marines to come back to the FMF. So with that call – I gladly gave up my barracks duty (time was up anyway) and headed back down to 3/8 Weapons Co – Old Camp Geiger… Lejeune, home of the tainted water – been there drank that ! The only thing I really missed about Lejeune was Court Street – had a few Asian girlfriends back in the day. But as a SGT I had to stop all that extra activities and train. I loved the ranges because you could drive right on them from the highway and that made it great for when you had to be on the range for more than a week – I'd fill my old 1970 LTD trunk with ice-beer-soda and bring along the bar-b-Q to cook. Yes we got those MRE's but some were good – hotdogs and beans – eggs and ham – bar-b-q pork —- if you cooked them just right (with lots of hot sauce) – they didn't taste that bad… Wash them down with some PBR and you had a treat !
RE: newsletter of 2, Aug, 2012
Just finished the 2, Aug, 2012 newsletter, great as always.
Thought I would address two posts, 1 – from G. Cagle Sgt.79-83, and 2 – from Bruce Bender 1962 – 1967 Cpl.
Sgt. Cagle mentions combination locks with the same exact numbers. Never saw this, but can relate to the miracle of the comb lock, in the dark. Personally did this and witnessed this. After closing down the EM, and later, NCO clubs you get back to the barracks long after the lights have been turned out. So how are you able to unlock your lock in the dark?? A lighter helps, but when someone doesn't have one, and they are staggering 'El Blottoed', working the combination wheel with a cigarette held in your lips could be accomplished in about the same amount of time as someone who is as 'Preacher' as can be sober. Truely a miracle!!