Category: Marine Corps Stories

I went through Parris Island, S.C. Marine boot camp and graduated in November 1961. Fired very well on the Rifle Range as Expert. Called to the Weapons Training Office and was asked to come back to P.I. as my first duty station. As a Rifle Marksman Instructor MOS 8531 as a Rifle Coach. I bunked in a cubicle with a David Russell, we became very good friends during the two and half years as Rifle Coaches on the Ranges. Russ his nickname decided to change duty stations and picked Morroco Naval base at a Marine Barracks. I eventually got a transfer to Yokouska, Japan home of the Navy’s Sixth Fleet. Later transferred to Okinawa at Camp Courtney which was home of the 3rd. Marine Division Headquarters. In the meantime Russ had be stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. in a combat unit. I got discharged in San Diego, Calif. in June 1965 and headed home to York, Pa. Russ reinlisted for four more years. His unit/company was deployed to Vietnam and ended up at Khe Sanh. We exchanged letters and pictures of cars, girls, and bases. ON March 12, 1968 he was KIA at Khe Sanh during the Tet Offensive by mortar/shelling fire. I went to his church viewing in Jacksonville, N.C. and met his wife, mother and 8 month old daughter. The next day we traveled to Washington, D.C. for his funeral at Arlington Cemetery. I visited his grave site a few times. His wife remarried another Marine and they were transferred to a base in California. I lost track of her and his daughter Sabrina. And after 50 years of searching on the internet left a message on a Vietnam Wall website. One day when I came home from work at I checked my emails and one was his daughter Sabrina. I contacted her right away and we finally got together for a reunion. I lived in York, Pa. and she actually lived in Greenbelt, Md. 90 miles from me. What a joyus miracle that happened.
I gave her all the letters, pictures, everything Russ I did together to her. What a experience in life !! She read his letters and one that really affected her when she read it was what he said to me in a letter: ” Joe you should see my beautiful daughter Sabrina whom I love dearly “. And this filled her heart with joy. We have met many times and discussed all the history of Russ and my friendship… I have been down to the WALL many times and I spend my visitation at Panel 43E Row 69 his name is that last one on that panel…… Leave no man behind. Semper Fi. read more

b1/13 , flew in on c 130 oct 1966 was special forces base on mars matting. they went to lang ve and the sea bees put in aluminum runway. we stayed through monsoon season. A 1/3 provided security. along with 6 105 howitsers they gave us 2 155 howitsers and 2 4.2 morters for illumination. The hill battles started after we left to go to con tien for the dmz sweep. in the 13 month tour we fired over 40,ooo rounds. one of the guns had a stamp of 1945. cpl. rich bottari radio operator. read more

In 1979 I was an E-1 waiting to be picked up for electronic school at 29 Palms. Each morning after roll call we’d be released to the barracks to be picked up by working parties. I figured out that nobody cared about whether we made it back to the barracks or not, and the small base library was just a few streets down. SO I’d make my way down there and plunk myself in the comfortable seats and read. Books, magazines, and I really enjoyed the LA Times. It was a nice few weeks. I remember I got through Steven King’s “The Stand” which was a bible sized book. I’d read all morning, have chow, then back to the library until later on in the day when it was safe to return without being noticed and asked questions. In the library it was easy to nod off whether one was escaping the desert heat, or the winter cold which was biting there. So I did. With my reading material in my lap. When I felt a tapping on my shoulder I looked up and saw a silver eagle (or two) on the collars of a very big full colonel. “What are you doing?” he asked and all I could stammer was the truth. “I nodded off while reading sir.” “What unit are you with?” B Company Sir.” He then made his way to the marine (who had learned my routine somehow) and asked him the same questions. B Company again. And then he left without a word. read more