My son graduated boot camp on 10/28/11. It was one of the proudest moments in my life next to him being born.I went to his gratuation and when we got to do the first hug tear of happiness started flowing. Well he got to come home for a week before the next stage of SOI. I have just recieved the year book and dvd that came with it, like any mother I couldn't wait to watch the dvd so everything got put on hold so I could watch it. here we go again with the water works seeing all the young men working so hard and to me taking more in than any one person should have to. I come to the crucible. They were wore out, dirty,hungry, and still doing there job. I can apon this pic of my son and thought to my self " Hell ya! Thats my boy OOHRAH!" So proud of you son! tears of a mom flowing again!
Category: Marine Corps Stories
WOMEN MARINES/USMC MOUNTED COLOR GUARD
I was perusing the newsletter tonight and ran across a pix of the Mounted Color Guard at Camp Pendleton. I was married to a career Marine who was on the Color Guard and participated in the Rose Parade back in the mid 60's. We went to many parades and camped out with the horses – including making a "pit" toilet for ourselves and the girls.Our daughter Terri, who was barely 13 months old in 1965, walked beneath the stomachs of the horses … and we held our breaths, but they behaved perfectly; including the one who danced down the street when he believed that the line in the middle was going to get up and bite him! Not so for our doxie Lil- Bit, for she ran out to bark at the horses and he kicked her in the head! She didn't do that again! Our daughter Melodye had a horse that she raced in the barrel races at Camp Pendleton. I have a picture of her that was in the Pendleton Scout.
“HORSE MARINES” @ CAMP PENDLETON
27 JAN 2012:
JUST RECEIVED AN E-MAIL FROM A COMBAT BUDDY THIS DATE, TO HAVE ME LOOK AT "GRIT'S MARINE CORPS STORIES IN WHICH HE KNEW THAT I HAD BEEN A PART OF WHILE IN THE CORPS. I WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE YET ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE MARINE CORPS MOUNTED COLOR GUARD @ "STEPP STABLES" MCB CAMP PENDLETON. I WAS ALSO "TAD" WITH THE MOUNTED GUARD UNIT, THE YEAR(S) WERE FROM 1967 THRU 1969. AT THAT TIME, GEN. ROBERTSON WAS IN CHARGE OF MCB PENDLETON, COL. ASA BOWEN, SGT/MAJ. STEPP, SGT/MAJ. McCALLISTER AND GY/SGT W.E. POWELL WAS THE CHAIN OF COMMAND. I RECOGNIZED TWO OF THE MOUNTS IN THE PHOTO SUBMITTED, "EL NOCHE & "BLACK BYRD". DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE PHOTO SUBMITTED BY "SAM REED" WAS, BUT, IT SHOWS THAT THE VERY SAME "TACK" AND ALL DRESSINGS LOOK TO BE THE VERY SAME AS WHEN I WAS THERE AT "STEPP STABLES" CAM.PEN., 67-69…,
beirut marine
went there twice 81 83 with fox co. 2/8 camp geiger miss u guys semper fi holla at me in va.
Soggy Welcome
I arrived at Danang on the Marine Corps birthday in 1968. There was a steady rain falling. We FNG's made our way to the Transit Barracks, and passed by a table, with a half eaten cake, covered by a wind blown canopy. Once inside we chose our bunks and waited to be assigned to our Units. An E5 approached me and asked that I get three buddies for a "detail". He then told the four of us to grab our ponchos and he handed us two broom handles. He then walked us out to the back side of the "shitters", lifted the hinged hatch and told us to thread the broom handles through the holes which had been cut near the top of the 55 gallon drums (cut in 1/2 for depository purposes). We proceeded to slosh our way' to the distant "burn area" and ignited the fuel & feces. We made several trips. What a warm welcome it was.
Memories of Vietnam and Labels of ARVN cigs and rum
Sgt. Grit,
Just wanted to check in and say how much I enjoy the Thursday letter; (it makes my week) and also the pictures. The personal stories and pictures bring back so many memories. I was with 3rd MAR.DIV., Hqs. Bn., Comm. Co., Rad. Rel. Plt. Which meant I was T.A.D. most of the time, so I was located from Quang Tri to Vandergrif ,with the 4th Mar., and 3rd Mar. Regt’s. Back at Dong Ha we were close to the ARVN unit that I think, if I remember right, was called I.T.T., they were the ones that “extracted” info. From the POW’s.
Vietnam Memorabilia
Sarge
Here are three cover page only scans of some humorous books
I got while in Vietnam back in 1970.
Later time permitting will send some photos of the area and of some
Marines I served with. maybe they will see themselves, and remember when!
also you can forward email to me.
Okinawa – The Rock (The Early Days)
Sgt Grit….
Enjoy the newsletter every week, great stories and memories.
For those that endured Okinawa some time during their enlistment here’s a Marines first tour!
1950-1955 our family was based on The ROCK. Dad, Major Douglas J Ash, Sr. was an operator with THE COMPANY. Before joining that outfit he severed in the Corps during WWII as 105 Howitzer training officer at Camp Pendleton, then landed on Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa as a 105/155 Battery CO, served as the Provost Marshall of Nagasaki and then brought home the 1st Japanese Army from Manchuria.
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego – 1946
In recent Sgt. Grit Newsletters many subjects have been
addressed, some of which I would like to give my personal
accounts as a Marine. I enlisted August 6, 1946 in Houston and
graduated boot camp at MCRD San Diego October 12.
1. We never used or heard the expression "OORAHH". It was
always "Semper Fi" or "Gung Ho".
Friday by Boat
The way I left MCAS Kaneohe in JANUARY 1963 was, I rescued a
tourist surfer in Waikiki. He got hit in the head by another
novice surfer, a blond, who just took off. I pulled his head out
of the water and asked him his name.
No response, outta of it. I put him on his board and toe towed
him to the beach yelling for help.