Category: Proud to be a Marine

Proudest Marine Moment

It's been 31 years since I first stepped onto the yellow footprints. My 4 years in the Corps were great. My greateset moment actually came 20 years after I earned the title. I am a 2nd generation Marine. My father, my hero growing up, was a career Marine. The grandson of one of my dad's friends had a grandson in boot camp. He didn't live to see his grandson graduate, so my dad decided to go in his place. He asked if I'd like to go. I jumped at the chance to road trip with my dad and visit the shrine of Parris Island. read more

Letters From Home

After reading some of the stories about letters boots received in boot camp it brought back some memories for me, the dad of my best friend had a sick since of humor, the first time he sent me a letter, on the back he put please DI have TONY do 10 extra push ups before he gets to watch TV tonight. On another he put Sarg, make sure Tony gets his exercise today. On a few others he had written things that actually gave my drill instructor a chuckle but not me as you can guess I did a fair amount of extra push ups during mail call, I think after the first two letters the DI's looked for a letter to me first just so I could do push ups the whole time mail call was going on. I also had an uncle who earned me some extra push ups because he put his rank on the letters he sent (CAPT, USN) and I was accused of having political influence. I look back and laugh now at all the games and the imagination DI's have. My friends dad always put a $20.00 in his letters but that did not stop me from getting back at him in the years that followed. He was even with my mom and girlfriend at the airport when I went home on boot leave, the first thing he did was touch my brass, I told him to keep his d-ck strokers to himself and not to finger f-ck my brass, he laughed his azz off.  read more

Marine Football Program

I bought this program at an antique store a few months ago. It is a very professionally done 88 page program. In addition to rosters of both teams it also includes photos of the players, coaches, base commanders as well as the Commandant and others. This looks like it is from the hayday of Marine football. If anyone wants more information let me know. read more

Whiskey 2/12 Four Deuce Mortars Vietnam 67,68 & 69 Reunion

This was our first reunion held in Woodbridge Virginia visted the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico Virginia and The Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC and the the Other War Memorials. 15 Marines came to our first reunion and some of the wives joined the reunion. Planned 2015 reunion in Las Vegas/Henderson, NV October 18th 2015. read more

Vision 2 Victory

Sgt Grit and Staff were recently honored with a visit by Marine Veteran Derek Hendershot. Derek is on the Board of Directors for the Vision 2 Victory program. This program is led and operated by military veterans. Following the completion of the Wall of Remembrance by Marine Veteran David Brown, which bares the names of all servicemen and women that have been KIA since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism, Derek was tasked with touring the 2nd generation Wall all over the country. read more

Clever NVA Devils

Those of us of certain ages, and who were mostly, somewhat, or just occasionally 'in the rear with the gear and the beer and the Generals in Viet Nam' may recall, along with the Stars and Stripes, and Navy Times, a freebie 'newspaper' entitled 'The Sea Tiger'… didn't think about it at the time, but the 'Sea' may have been some PAO's cutesy idea for 'South East Asia'. (Marine Corps Times, as a separate entity, didn't come along until later… I'm guessing in the 1980's or later…) This publication was of the same size and format as the others, and covered mostly items for and about IIIMAF (Third Marine Amphibious Force). In any field of endeavor, there are those who 'know'… and those who THINK they know… To the point, in July of '66, we (K/3/5) along with a whole bunch of otherunits, were involved in Operation Hastings. History buffs will recognize the tie to the (English) Battle of Hastings… some 900 years earlier… and either from unintentional irony, or cleverness on some G-3's part, the name was chosen… maybe because the Commanding General of the forces involved was General English… read more

Reunited With Three Of My Vietnam Marine Brothers

Last month on August 14th I had the honor and privilege to reunite with three of my Vietnam Marine brothers in Tomball, Texas. We had not seen each other in 46 years! We traveled from Connecticut, Michigan, California, and Texas. After a few tears and mighty bear hugs we started jowl jacking like it had only been a week since we last met. We laughed and told stories about the funny stuff and practical jokes we did to each other in Chu Lai in 1967 and 1968. read more