Category: Marine Corps Stories

Sniping Us

Sgt. Grit,

In answer to Kenneth Coffey's message in this week's edition of your news publication, regarding the 19 Japanese soldiers that were found on Guam in 1951, in the process of being returned to Japan.

I was also on Guam in the later part of 1950, and evidently in the same Guard Detachment as Sgt. Coffey, prior to my assignment in Korea, and in fact, was sent out on several patrols in attempt to locate these holdouts. We knew they were there, as we had found caves with evidence of the survivors, and suspected them to be sniping us, on various guard positions throughout the island. I have attached an article posted in the Guam News from Sept. of 1951. This article was given to me in later years from another personal friend (1st Sgt. Richard Wilhelm) who was my Top Sergeant during that period of duty. I read in the Stars and Stripes, while in Korea ('51), that they had found these 5 known survivors, but felt there were more. And as Sgt. Coffey has indicated, there were several more. read more

Tiger 33

Tnx, Grit !!

I read your story this week about the club waitresses at 11th Marines while you were in Da Nang, and you mentioned the Da Son ville…Funny, because 11th Marine Regt took over the CP from 12th Marines when we all departed Da Nang to move up north to the DMZ areas in the summer of '66…I had been a Corporal with 3rd Marine Regt – Comm back then, and our CP was just down the road, after you made the left at "3 Corners" on the back way out to Red Beach…When we re-deployed up to Artillery Plateau (re-named Camp Carroll later that year on the Marine Corps birthday) there was an Army infantry unit that had moved into our CP, but when I went back again in '69, 11th MT Bn was there… read more

Four WWII Marines

This is a picture of Four World War II Marines, it is obvious they just got out of Boot Camp and they could be anywhere because Quonset huts were everywhere at that time. I say it is obvious they are boots because they have no ribbons, They have the leather belts and two have the Sharpshooters medal and two have the Marksman medal. Sharpshooters got $3.00 a month BUT Experts got $5.00 a month. Don't sound like much today but when you were getting $50.00 a month and they took out $5.35 National Service Life Insurance, it added to the Beer fund. In San Francisco on 3rd Street was a Bar where you got a glass of beer for a dime at that time. If you were broke you could go to the Pepsi Cola Center on Market Street and get a free glass of Pepsi, a free Record of your voice to send home and you could even take a shower and press your clothes free. Around the corner and up the road a piece was the Stage Door Canteen a USO set up that Movie Stars and others came there, I saw the Three Stooges there (When I would have rather seen Alice Faye or Linda Darnell) But that was then and this is now.  read more

Another Vehicle

Sgt. Grit,

In keeping with the vehicle stories in your recent newsletters, attached find a photo of the PC we used at 9th Engineer Battalion to haul our survey gear during the work week and our bodies to the beach in Chu Lai on Sundays. S-3 Section building is behind the PC (passenger carrier).   I drove and serviced this vehicle many times during 1967.   Jim Harris, former Lance Corporal, always a Marine Semper Fidelis to God, Family, Country and Corps

In Memory

Blue Angle Crash in 2007

Does anyone remember hearing about the Blue Angle Crash in 2007 of April I do. I just turned 21 the month before nothing could keep me down. I was apart of the greatest force in the world and just had my 21st birthday. Anyways back to the story, a month later on April 23 the last day of a two day air show in Beaufort SC on the Air Station the a Blue Angle Pilot fainted. On his final turn before landing the fist 4 planes turned and while the 5 was turning he started falling on a slant to the left and then he was out of sight. Two days later we were called in to find the remains of the plane. As a heavy equipment operator this was one of the first times I actually got to do my job on something bigger than off loading a truck. I pulled one of the engines and a few other parts that were'nt in a thousand peices. On the way out of the woods. I saw a man pick up on of the soul's to his boots. We were their for days stacking boxes of thousands of peices of the plane and the big parts of the plane. Its sad that it took this man dying for me to do my job but thats how life is. for a couple of weeks the new's and CNN kept saying that a bird got cought in the engine, but anyone who knows of have been around Aviation that this was not true. Weeks later they blamed it on the fact he drank the night before. They didnt take into fact that he hadnt drank in over 12 hours when the standard rule is that you cant drink less than 8 hours before your duty. This Pilot had trained for hundreds of hours before that day. It was his 1st air show and his family and wife were their. does anyone think that the reason the plane went down was because they dont wear g suits. Or that the plane went down because their planes are to old. If anyone has seen these men fly you will know that he had no time even if he had awakened to bail out because of how low they fly to the ground. These men are about 14 feet above the tree line. I watched CNN and looked in the Marine Corps Times for months to hear the report when they peiced the plane back together but never heard nothing. I think of this alot and how it would hurt my family to watch me die. I am not afraid of dying but my worst fear is that i will die in front of my loved one.  Since I watched this happen I have always had nightmares that a senario similar to this would happen to my loved ones. Does anyone have any Ideas. read more

Last Known Picture

In respones, to last known picture.VMA 332.THIS PICTURE OF PLANES aboard  USS Point Cruz CVE 119 1953. I snap this Picture when planes inline on deck in Harbor of Hong Komg.China. Not long after squardon was disband and personal were sent to K- bases in Korea. I nyself was sent K-6 to VMA 21 2, This  turn out to be the last Corsair squardon in Korea. We then went to AD's. I hope info can get response from old squadron member 332 & 212  if still around? read more