I made a gun case with the following items. $50.00 in hardware, $20.00 scrap leather, $5.00 silver buttons, $6.00 wood for sides, the rest was garbage picked. Semper Fidelis to all of my Brothers.
Category: Proud to be a Marine
My Interpretation of USMC Boot Camp
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California. My journey began on December 16 and as I sat in the white bus I heard the words that forever frightened me…..and then it began…
“Now without killing yourselves, GET OFF MY BUS!” These are the last four words you will hear prior to your life changing forever. The change begins immediately when you first mirror the yellow footprints. Whatever doubts you had if this is real are quickly gone as yelling is heard from all directions and your heart attempts to escape your frightened body. The night is young and so are you, but you will quickly learn that you have everything to learn once again. We have come from all points throughout the USA. From the big cities, to the rural farms. Different social backgrounds, Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian to name a few. We begin our journey into an elite brotherhood very different, but we will emerge as one, a United States Marine.
Not a Swamp Rat
When I enlisted in the Corps pretty much everyone west of the Mississippi went to MCRD San Diego and everyone east went to MCRD Parris Island. I don't remember there being a choice. While I would love to perpetuate the myth that those of us who attended the prestigious west coast institution of higher learning wore sunglasses all day while tanning in our free time, this was not the case. In 1969 we had more sand than PI. In fact ALL sand. Sand to do pushups in , sand to get in our boots, pants , socks and everything else. Unfortunately we couldn't really see any beach, unless you consider a mop bucket with a dripping mop, the beach. As for a tan, I only remember my ears turning to bacon from marching on the tarmac, not a tree in sight. All you swamp rats can put the myth of us Hollywood Marines to rest, and those of us from Diego will surely rest easier after all that water from PI runs out of your ears and allows you to think more clearly. Semper Fi and we still love you even if the sweat and fleas did mess up your sleep patterns.
Mom’s Cookies Almost Took Out the Tail Rotor
I have a U.S. Mail story that is a bit unique. I was assigned to HMX-1 which is the Marine Corps squadron that supports “Marine One” the helicopter that transports the President of the United States.
My mother use to ship me cookies about once a month. Since the hangar where I worked was a high security area you had to open up any box so the guards could inspect the contents before you could take it into the hangar.
Gummed Up!
I joined the Corps after my Brothers return from service with the Army from VN. My Mom decided to cheer me up by sending chewing gum hidden in a letter. If you were in the Marines you know what happened next Mail Call, my DI calls my name, I run up to get my mail and he is feeling it, smelling it. He said open the letter so we can all see what you got. Mom taped 5 pieces of juicy fruit to the 3 page letter. Since there is only 5 pieces you can't share with the rest of us. So eat the letter and don't forget the gum, no need to remove the wrapper. Don't swallow it until I tell you to. Well training continued and for 3 days I had this ball of paper and gum and foil in my cheek. On day 3 we are having a PT contest with other companies. Myself and another recruit were told by our DI to cheat on the rope climb by climbing for the fat bodies. Gunny who was the referee caught us and pulled us out of line. He said something like What in Chesty Pullers name happened to your Face? What? I can't understand you recruit. The private got a letter Sir ! He said which DI told you to do this? I told him it was my own idea. He told me to get rid of it before I choke to death.
My Son Survived Boot Camp!
My son signed up to become a Marine in May of his high school year. I was so nervous and sick to my stomach over it. He was told he would be leaving the following March, so this gave me time to deal with and accept it. Well when I got a phone call from him at the end of August, asking me if I was sitting down, I knew something was up. He then told me that his date had gotten moved and he was leaving in a week! My heart dropped but when I heard the excitement in his voice I put my worries and fears away and planned him the biggest going away party. He is my first and oldest son so this was very hard for me to do, but being a mom, I did it anyway. While he was in boot camp I wrote to him everyday letting him know how proud of him I was and I am very proud to say that he is now a PFC United States Marine! I love my son very much and I will be supporting him every step of the way!
Ain’t No Hollywood Marine
Sgt Grit,
This is my friend GySgt A. L. Goddard. Twenty years in the Crotch, a Bronze Star with V for Valor, and 3 Purple Hearts. He was also a Senior DI at PI and as you can tell, he ain't no Hollywood Marine.
You might also enjoy seeing his shed.
All Done By My Hands
This Ka-Bar holder I made for retired Major Larry Carmon. Who was a DI in Diego when I was in, which was back in '78. The two of us went
to high school together, and we were also in ROTC in school. The EGA is hand carved… well it is all done by my hands, down to the tree I cut down.
Reunited After 48 Years
Sgt Grit,
Seven members of MCRD San Diego's Platoon 142 (known as the W-tBack Platoon) from the summer of 1960 Reunited after 48 years on the summer of 2008.
Respectfully,
Celestino Mora Jr.
Honor Man of Plt. 142
Cpl. 1960 – 1964
Monkey Mountain Moments 69-70 MACS-4 “Vice Squad ch-77, mode-3 code 23, Echo-Charlie 214 your pigeon
I got to DaNang via staging in Pendleton and through Okinawa. With a history of pneumonia already from the tear gas chamber at ITR in '67, my '69 arrival in Vietnam after the staging area training's own tear gas choral emsemble had my lungs blowing dark green chunkies. The Corpsman at the 2 day transition/gear storage shenanigans on Okinawa shrugged, handed me two 1000 mg Bayer aspirin, and quipped, "Can't help you here, kiddo. Go die in Danang… NEXT Marine!" I actually laughed. You had to be there to see the insanity and chaos… revisited on the way home 2 tours later. The Navy really is way-cool. My uncle was a Sailor in WWII. Besides, they're actually our mom. We're fed, clothed, taken to "after school games" and church. "She" also pimp-slaps our butts when naughty. If you were REALLY crazy, you were "grounded" in your room… at Portsmouth Naval Prison, NH. When I got to my unit after a day in the Danang runway transit barracks, with the self-cleaning and debugging screens from insects compliments to the chameleons skittering about all night, the MACS-4 "Doc" up on Monkey Mountain (Son Tra) scowled at the minute flecks of blood in my green chunked sputum sample, and hissed, "He said WHAT?" Our unit "limo," a '48 canvas topped weapons carrier, tossed me into the DaNang Navy Hospital down by Marble Mountain.