Category: Marine Corps Stories

Christmas 1964

Sgt Grit   Here is a copy of our 1964 Christmas Menu. The U.S.S. Lenawee was off Vietnam at the time.   Speaking of Bob Hope.  On Christmas Eve, 1964, Bob Hope and his USO troupe were en route to the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, Vietnam. Cue card man Barney McNulty was late getting the cue cards off the plane. That delay ultimately saved all of their lives when a Viet Cong truck loaded with 300 pounds of TNT exploded at their hotel. Investigation revealed a Viet Cong document indicating that Bob Hope was the target of the attack.   Dale Landon

DaNang Golf Club

In reference to Bill Pakinkis' comment about the DaNang Golf Club, I'd like to confirm that the course is being constructed just a few clix south of Marble Mountain complex off the old beach highway on the way to Hoi An…I had a chance to play the first 18 holes of what will be a 36 hole course and resort, about a year and a half ago…But I have a preference for Montgomerie Links Golf Course, which is the other course just south of DGC, and is a better developed and more challenging golf course (see attached pix)…These are the only two courses in the DaNang are for the moment, but there is another one under construction out in the western mountains near BaNa (just north of the old Happy Valley)…BaNa was once a French mountain resort during the old French Indo-China days, and was part of one of my old unit's (2/3) TAOR (c. 65-66). read more

Both Weapons

I/3/12; First Marine Brigade, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. This picture 

was taken during a FFEX at Schofield Barracks, June 1961. The battery had 8 M101 105 mm Howitzers and 8 M30 4.2 " Mortars;  cannoneers of those days were proficient on both weapons without  the benefit of attending courses at Fort Sill, OK.   Semper Fi   Luis Lozada CWO-5  USMC (Retired)

Chosin Christmas

Sgt. Grit; Here are two photos that I have in my computer. I think the  grenade photo came from the Chosin web site. The MCRD was in  with some postcards that was offered on e-bay. The MCRD is about  the way I remembered it in Winter of1958. I didn't remember our  Quonset hut being as far from the auditorium as it shows here.  We were to the right from the auditorium. You can barely make  out the Quonset huts in the photo. The fields right of the  grinder was for  grab azs.   Myers 2nd Lnd. Spt. 1st Serv. Bn. 1st MARDIV