My father in-law passed away 10 April 2015. He was a good honest man who was always there when you needed him. He was proud of many things; his family, building his house and a few other things that came with the years. But most of all he was proud to be a United States Marine. I will miss him.
Category: Proud to be a Marine
It’s The Norm
Before I get to the gist of my tale, I would like to say that, prior to 9-11, I was never thanked for my service. Since then, quite often. Usually by other veterans. Not always, but usually. If it's a veteran, I return the salutation. If not, I just say thank you and you're welcome.
1922… Now This Is Old Corps
I served with VMFA-314 from Nov. '67 to Dec. '68 in Chu Lai. In a past posting, I had mentioned Operation Military Embrace, and the Watermelon Run For The Fallen in Hempstead, TX, where I had reunited with some of my Vietnam brothers last August. This time, I'm sending some pictures of my father, Harry W. Kiehnle, who enlisted in 1922. He was a seagoing Marine and a bugler, who was stationed on the Battleship Utah for the Friendship tour of South America that sent General John J. Pershing to meet with South American heads of state, as he was still highly respected after having served as General of the Armies in WW I.
Once A Marine, Always A Marine
The other day I was talking with a friend from our church at the lab where we get our blood test done and he asked me why I wear so many t shirt with Marines on them ( I get them all from Sgt Grit). He spent two years in the Army. I said because Once a Marine, Always I Marine. He just laughed. He didn't get it. I went to Parris Island in June 1960 with a platoon of all South Jersey guys, sponored by the Camden Courier-Post newspaper. Platoon 358. I spent three years at Camp Lejeune and one year at Newport Naval Base in R.I. I am proud to be called a Marine and my last duty station will be Guarding the Streets of Heaven like in our song.
Camp Fuji 1960
Paul,
I was in Mike battery on that Dec. in Fuji . We used a duece and a half to hall the guys to Gotimba. Were you at the beach when we unloaded the powder and rounds for the 05 and 55? The crane on deck started to slide sideways right into the powder bags and all the old war vets on the beach hit the sand before the thing stopped sliding. I had no idea at that time, but it was a instinct reaction on their part as I stood there with my hands in my pocket.
Proud Grandfather
It's been awhile since I submitted anything. I just celebrated my 78th birthday and 61st anniversary of my enlistment in the Marine Corps. Last January my grandson Dylan Hattox graduated from MCRD San Diego and is currently stationed at Pensacola learning how to be and air crewman hoping to make Crew Chief one day. Ive enclosed a pic of him and me at his graduation doesn't he look squared away?
My Sgt Grit Hat And Golfing With 35th Commandant
Here I am proudly wearing my Sgt. Grit hat and meeting the recently retired Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Jim Amos. We played in the annual Semper Fi Fund Tournament at Boca Royale Country Club in Venice, Florida.
Great hat!
Steven Dobbs
Khe Sanh 1964
Here is a picture of myself taken during the period of April-May 1964 while doing my first (6 month at the time) TAD tour in Vietnam. I was with a small 30-man detachment of Marines under the leadership of, then Major Al Gray (future CMC). The picture was taken in the ville of Khe Sanh about four years before Tet of '68.
40 Round Magazine
I saw an AK-47 while in Vietnam and it had a 30 round magazine. So I cut the top and bottom off of a couple of M-14 Magazines and welded them together and made a "40" Round magazine for my M-14. It really didn't work very well when test firing it, several of the last rounds would not chamber with only two springs. So I put "three" springs into the magazine, but then I could only load a little over 30 rounds. There just wasn't enough room for three springs and 40 Full Metal Jacket rounds in that magazine. I sure received some strange looks while walking around with my 40 round magazine.
1st Marine Air Wing
I was assigned to the 1st Marine Air Wing as an Air Traffic Controller (6711 MOS) at Iwakuni Japan in the Spring of 1962 when I was deployed to Southeast Asia. As an E4 Corporal I knew how to prepare and implement controlled airspace charts. My small detachment of men were sent into Soc Trang, South Vietnam to set up controlled air space charts that were subsequently approved and implemented by Saigon for use in controlling the air space around our very primitive air strip outside Soc Trang. We were at an old bombed out air field that was one used by the French, and there were no facilities. 1-2-3 trenches, chow tent, water buffaloes for showers and 26-man tents. The air facility was completely field built and we ferried the South Vietnamese regular army into and back from the front lines nearby. At that time in the war between the South and the Viet-Cong our unit was the very first U.S. Marine presence in that war. This fact is supported by a plaque at the Marine Corp Museum in Quantico, VA.