Category: Marine Corps Stories

Two Historic Pics

Check out two historic pics.

Cpl. Lou ALbert w/Ontos taken South of Marble Mountain – DaNang while coming off an Operation with Kilo Co 3rd Bn 1st Marines during 1966.

Pic with 106 mounted on an Amtrac while Kilo Company 3rd Bn 1st Marines conducted an Operation on Snaggletooth Is during 1966. Legendary Captain 'Speedy G' Lee Gonzales was CO of Kilo Company. Never before had a 106 been chained and sandbagged on the top of an Amtrac. This pic was taken by Cpl. Lou Albert and has been given to the Marine Corps Museum at MCRD San Diego, CA. read more

Helicopter Pilots

Funny cartoon about Helicopter Pilots posted in the July 1977

"The thing is, helicopters are different from airplanes.  An airplane by its nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by a deliberate incompetent pilot, it will fly.  A helicopter does not want to fly.  It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying, immediately and disastrously. "There is no such thing as gliding helicopter!"   "This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why, in general, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts, and helicopter pilots are brooders, introspective anticipators of trouble.  They know if something bad has not happened, it is about to."   – Harry Reasoner July 1977 

After An Extract

Hi Dave, thought you might like to see the attached pictures of Bob, taken in or near DaNang sometime in 1971.

The first one was taken after an extract from a SOG mission and the second (in uniform) in front of our billet at Camp Fay, DaNang. These forty-year-old pictures are a little worse for wear – but then so am I. Notice the old summer service 'charley' uniforms – they don't even use them anymore. I have to thank you – and Sgt. Grit – for letting me reminisce once again over old friends and adventures, guts and glory, from long ago. read more

Combat to combo master

So after the long grueling trip back from Kuwait, my platoon arrived back onboard KMCAS Hawaii and we were shown to our respective barracks.  It was zero dark thirty and nobody was around as we observed that our rooms had combo locks on the doors.  Every single one of us Marines had a room awaiting us with an unknown combo lock keeping us from the comfort of a bed.  Something long dreamed of.  We had just spent several months in the desert mostly sleeping in the pits of sand we dug for foxholes.  Dreaming of bowls of milk and cereal, the comfort of a bed and a cold beer among other things.  read more

Recon Marine and Patriot Rider

Two of the pics are of a Recon Marine, that lost both legs and one arm, in Afghanistan. His Name is Todd Love from Dallas, Ga.  This is a picture of my Marine inspired bike. The bikes name is the Patriot Raider. It has 24 50.cal rounds and 8 M16 rounds and 2 grenades mounted thru out the bike and barbed wire as well.  MGySgt, Eugene Wooldridge  (Retired) Marietta, Ga

105 amtracks

Sirs,   I have just read your latest newsletter with one of the captions about the amtrack with a 105 mm. mounted on top. While waiting our turn to use a trail in Vietnam back in 1966, I took pictures of amtracks leaving the trail from my tank that have 150's mounted on them. Just thought I would pass these two pictures along if written about in future newsletters.   Bob Haller, B.Co,  1st Plt,  Third tanks – 65 – 66

Amtracs

Sgt Grit,

Great to see the Sgt Walker's photo of the AmTrac near Cua Viet. To supplement his I have attached a couple of photos of amtracs with the 105 Howitzer, which were part of the 1st Armored Amphibian Company, 11th Mar/1st Mar Div.  One tractor is set up along the perimeter of our base camp just southwest of Danang. (On the other side of the mountain in the background is Freedom Hill.) We also had a platoon near the Cua Viet, another in Hoi An, and a couple of tractors on Hill 47. read more