I joined the Marine Corps in May, 1954 on my 17th birthday..I went thru boot camp in San Diego
The Korean war had ended just 10 months prior…we were told it would start again”any minute”
I ended up in Camp Fuji Japan and was assigned to G Co. 3rd Btn, 3rd Reg.,3rd Div…I Loved
the infantry & was an Expert Rifleman…I rose to the rank of Sgt. & was a squad leader.We were
ready to go, anywhere, anytime…nothing happened during my 4yr enlistment.
I was discharged in May,’58 & had a career in Law Enforcement.
I loved the Marine Corps & still stay in touch with an old boot camp buddy
The highlight of my Enlistment was a landing exercise on Iwo Jima in 1956. We were the
first Marines to set foot on the island since the invasion..You wouldn’t believe the things
we found .
I had a buddy take my picture on the monument where the flag was raised..It was nothing
fancy then…just a simple monument…But as for Iwo…believe it or not…you could still
smell the battle after only 11yrs….Thank You
Category: Marine Corps Stories
Funny – but accurate
One of the things I had noticed about my older brother when he came home on leave after boot camp was that his vocabulary had changed. Four letter words seemed to dominate his speech when mom wasn’t around. This transformation seems to be fairly common. After 13 weeks of boot camp, during which about half of all communication coming down from your DIs is expletives, the most common verb, pronoun and adjective in your vocabulary becomes the crude, four letter word most commonly used to describe a most beautiful and natural function of mankind. All Marines have heard the story of the young Marine home fresh from boot camp. Previously quite outgoing, he is strangely quiet during the first, special, homecoming dinner – attended by favorite aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings, all beaming with pride at their young Marine. Mom, sensing some tenseness, asks “Johnny, you are being very quiet. Is there something wrong?” Johnny responds “No, Mom. I’m just afraid if I talk too much, I’ll f**k up!”
Excerpt from “SH*TIBIRD! How I Learned To Love The Corps”
Smoking when Lamp was out
I too went through Boot Camp at Parris Island, but in 1961. My platoon, 144, had excelled in all phases on the island. A marine in our platoon chose to light up and smoked a cigarette while on fire watch during the night. He was caught by our senior drill instructor who had him arrested and thrown into the brig. I was a squad leader and my drill instructor spoke to me as an equal for the first time asking if I felt his action was too harsh for the violation. I was aware his intent was to impress the marine his unapproved action could get him and his fellow marines killed in a combat zone. I was stunned by his request and honored at the same time treating me as an equal as your senior drill instructor at Parris Island had held a rank just beneath your Lord and Savior.
Different boot camp times
MCRD 1956
Having gone through boot in 1956 it’s apparent that things have changed today. We were’nt asked to vote on anything, we were just ordered what to do and replied “Sir, yes sir”. I was a smoker and as I recall hearing “The smoking lamp is lit” was the signal for the only time to relax for 10 minutes away from the constant grind. The platoon was comprised of both smokers and non smokers and when the lamp was lit the smokers smoked and the non smokers did’nt. Of course that was long ago before some people thought that they had the right to impose their views on everyone else. I’m 81 today and thank God for when I was born and for the times I was blessed to live in. Semper Fi.
Smoke Conversion
I arrived in Parris Island August of ’67, a non-smoker, had never even tried cigarettes. In our initial issue of uniforms/toiletries and such we also received two cartons of Marlboro cigarettes. The cigarettes went into my foot locker.
That first week was mostly drilling to different warehouses to draw 782 gear and the like. There was no need of the entire platoon in the warehouse so the DI called for all non-smokers to fallout for detail, smokers the smoking lamp was lit.
As I remember, it was 12 of us who went into the warehouse to draw and organize the gear as directed. Mid-August, the warehouse was very hot and dusty. The work was not all that hard but the warehouse crew were DI wan-a-bes and made things as difficult as possible.
At the next warehouse we ended up, when the DI called for all non-smokers to fall out for detail, I nudged the recruit next to me and bumbed a cigarette.
I became a smoker.
Now Enter The Marines
Most of your readers are like me, a Viet Nam vet. I’d like to share some memories of Iraq. My goal is to let my fellow Viet Nam vets know that Iraq was like a Viet Nam in the desert. Those who served there, and in Afghanistan, don’t always get the respect they deserve (in my opinion). I think the same happened to the Viet Nam vet from Korea vets and they in turn from WWII vets.
Joke…..oldie but goodie
You may have heard this before. However, a couple of decades later while in the San Diego airport, waiting for my flight, I can’t believe I actually had the presence of mind to remember it when a young, just graduated from Navy Boot Camp, seaman saw me leaving the urinal straighaway to the exit, I’m sure, noticing my 3rd Marine Division ball cap, and made the remark… it was priceless, and I still wonder at my ability to recall and use it.
Marine of the Week | Matias Ferreira | First Double Amputee Patrolman in the Country
Matias Ferreira served in the United States Marine Corps as a Machine Gunner with 1st Battalion 8th Marines 2nd Marine Division, stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
During a combat tour (Operation Enduring Freedom) to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2010, Matias stepped on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) causing him to lose both legs below the knees, amongst other injuries. Matias was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and Navy Unit Citation amongst other military awards.
My story about jumping into foxholes
The date was Feb 67. I was on my way back after a 30 day free leave for extending 6 months. Flew in to DaNang with a E-7 sitting next to me asking a billion questions. Now at that time transit was in hardbacks near the airfield, no Hilton yet. It is night and I am BSing with a team from 26 Marines. They there for rabies shots. All the sudden we hear a “freight trains” going over our heads. Then loud explosions on other side of airfield. Well this same E-7 runs in yelling about getting into the trenches. So being good Marines we get up go out and proceed to watch the FNG’s jump into a trench 1/2 full of water and mudd. We did not say a thing, just walked back to the hootch a went to sleep. Funny, never saw that Gunny agian. Semper Fi
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.