Sgt Grit is a place where Marines can come and meet other Marines, share tattoos and stories, keep up with Marine Corps news, or shop for USMC gear.
This is how you do it. On August 8th, the US Marine Corps Uniform Board released a survey seeking input about three proposed uniform changes for active duty and reserve Marines. The three changes are:
Altering the color of enlisted rank insignia from black to brushed brass for Woodland MARPAT utilities.
(Article by Patrick Whitehurst of The Daily Courier)
There are those who believe everything happens for a reason. If true, U.S. Marine Corps veterans Lee Paul, 88, and Lee Dortsch, 91, were destined to meet. But, while both served in World War II, both landed on Iwo Jima on the same day, and both had the same commanding officer, they never met at the time. That changed last week, however, when the two met at the Prescott campus of Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs.
You can tell Gunny Rousseau that the Marine in the picture with his article on 'Scrounging in Vietnam' is (was?) Sgt. Lucas, a team leader with Alpha Co. 1st ReconBn. I don't remember all the details but he was wounded being extracted from a hot LZ sometime in late '68. He 'nodded off' when the Doc had to cut out part of the wound – took him months to live that down.
After 2/11 left An Hoa to the ARVN'S in Aug 70
we did 2 months at HQ. All we did was play cards, party, and do guard duty. Very safe but boring as hell. We got a chance to go on Operation Casaba just to get out of their, although being near Freedom Hill was great.
A book written for my children and grandchildren that I was planning to put on disk or flash, but decided to publish due to renewed interest in the Vietnam War and donate all royalties to the Wounded Warrior Project.
A Jarhead's Journey takes the reader through Marine Corps officers' boot camp in Quantico, Virginia, the Fleet Marine Force where a young lieutenant led the first platoon off the USS Guadalcanal during the Panama riots of 1964, the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam, and back to Quantico as an instructor before returning to civilian life. An epilogue chapter relates the treatment of Vietnam veterans after honorably discharged from military service and frustrations experienced in dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs today.
During my Tour in Vietnam there were many things that we modified to help us with our missions. I wish I could remember this Marines name, he was with Alpha Company 1st Recon. Top Barker ran "A" Co. and the sign painted was one of his works of Art. 1st Recon's motto was "Swift, Silent, Deadly", Top Barker added Surrounded to the motto as you can see.
I was in country about the same time you were. Sent you a scan from 1st Engineer Bn yearbook. If I remember this is Liberty Bridge. If you got oil on your feet it was probably my fault. I drove a 5000 gal. tanker and oiled the roads all over I Corps. This was to hold dust down and be able to see if anyone had planted mines. Most of the time I was alone, but sometimes had a shotgun riding with me.
About the UWSS reunion in the 14 August Sgt. Grit Newsletter, I went through underwater swimmers school in Key West in August 1964, then served in Force Recon '67-'68 and Recon Bn. '68-'69 and various Force billets after that. I can't make it to the reunion but I just wanted to brag a little.
My name is Lucas Dyer (SSgt USMC) and I have recently had my book, A Battle Won By Handshakes, published. This is about my combat experience as a small unit leader and platoon commander and how my company, ACo 1/5 achieved great success in Afghanistan by utilizing Counter Insurgency Operations (COIN) and doing the right thing. There are not that many success stories from Afghanistan, but my unit was one of the few. I take a doctrinal approach to explaining how the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of war where utilized as we changed a village and their people. Since it's release it has become the number 1 best seller on my publishers website.
It took over 4 years and thousands of hour digging through old files on Vietnam to write the book called "To Hear Silence". Although it's the day to day and often minute to minute account if one Marine battery's experience in support of an infantry unit, everyone who ever served in Vietnam will be able to identify with it. This book traces Charlie Battery 1/13 and the 3rd Battalion 26 Marines from the time they formed up at Camp Horno, CA until the original members left Khe Sanh and returned home in October 1967.
