Category: Proud to be a Marine

The FLIGHT LINE

Submitted by: MARINE Jim McCallum (the ole gunny)
(Spec. Issue #2), (23 Feb., 2014)

Iwo Jima Flag Raising Commemoration

Not many of you will remember this date, but you'll remember hearing about this event from your fellow MARINES and also from your Drill Instructors. Plus, it was normally discussed during some of the history lessons that used to be taught in school. It is the image of six (6) men raising raising the American Flag during the battle for the island of Iwo Jima in the South Pacific during the Second World War. The actual date of the Flag Raising on the Island was 23 February 1945, four day's after the actual battle began. Now, Iwo Jima is a volcanic Island shaped like a trapezoid with Mt. Suribachi, being the only mountain on the Island. At 546 ft. high, it is at it's southernmost tip, thereby over looking the rest of the Island to the North. At the time of the Island's invasion it was a part of the prefecture of Japan and was heavily fortified, hence the high causality count sustained by the MARINES that landed there. In 1945. read more

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are men recorded in the book of Daniel, Chapters 1–3, Who faced the fiery furnace.

This story is about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Reese. Three brothers, born in Wales and immigrated to the U.S. They too faced a firey furnace, known as the American Civil War. Abednego is my Great-Great Grandfather. Abednego and Shadrach enlisted in the Union Army and served honorably. Meshach is a United States Marine, called to a Higher Duty Station in 1871. His service was brief, about 10 months. Attached are some documents found in the National Archives in Washington D.C. read more

Honeymooners

Being too d-mn old to cut my toe nails any more I have a pedicure whenever needed. The gal that does the Pedicure is Vietnamese, I asked where she was from and she told me DaNang and I mentioned I had been in 1st Recon. She told me about going home again for the first time some years ago and going home again just a few months ago. She told me to go to, DaNang on Vietnam.com and take a look at how it is now. I mentioned BaNa and she said go to BaNa, DaNang, Vietnam.com and see how it turned out, China Beach, DaNang, Vietnam.com. I went home and was swept away with what I saw. Now I ain't one to go visiting places I had been where I had to carry a weapon even to the head, and in all the years since I left the Marine Corps the only place I happened to visit since I retired was Guam. I was returning to the states after a visit to Japan for business reasons and the plane stopped in Guam and I had a couple hours to look about. Christ what had been a barren beach with all the palms reduced to splinters was now a spot for Japanese Honeymooners and the hotel was fabulous looking. The pictures show Guam during WWII and the sad looking beaches, the other picture shows me, Top and the Lieutenant having a beer at a hootch on Vietnamese side of China Beach in 1968 or so. The mama-san tried to give us her baby to bring back to the states, I guess she already knew how the d-mn war would end. read more

1865 Marine Emblem Buckle

I just read my Sgt. Grit email and saw the story on the hardcharger who had just got an 1865 Marine emblem buckle. A friend of mine gifted me with the exact same buckle from the same company and unfortunately found out later that it isn't a Marine buckle. It is a U.S. Revenue Cutter Service buckle. Don't really know what that is but it looks too much like something a Marine would wear and so it's staying with me. read more

“Momma BAM”, Chesty, and Me

My Mother was a WWII "BAM", that's Beautiful American Marine as she always said.  She and my Father both served in ABG-2 overhauling F4Us.  I served '73-'77.  Took her to 8th & I to fullfill a bucket-list wish and we had to good fortune to run into Chesty and his escort.  Once in a lifetime photo opportunity.  Semper Fi, Mom. read more

Camp Hauge

Was on the rock from April '61 to April '62 with as short time in the Philippines, Hong Kong and the East China Sea. B/1/12 105mm Howitizers.  It's amazing how unusual things can happen I far-a-way places.  My second month at Camp Hauge, I ran into an old high school friend that I hadn't seen in about 3 years and about a month later came across one of my D. I.'s.  The DI was a completely different person away from boot camp.  You would have thought that we were lifelong friends. read more