To Cpl Sadowski’s recent post on Dave Schual passing. Sorry to hear that our numbers are slowly reporting in for their last duty station. The good Lord will take care of him standing post similar to Surf Gate on a foggy lonely post no bigger than a phone booth.
Category: Proud to be a Marine
Tough Guy Pose
So I thought about it and decided to send the picture in along with a few questions for my brother Jarheads, but I won’t dare ask this of my sister Jarheads. Does your uniform still fit you? The other night the wife and I were going through some clothes in the attic for AM Vets and I came across this blouse. Not sure why now but I did not keep a lot of my dress uniforms. Stupid, I know but it’s too late
2nd Battalion Barracks
In regards to the posting in the newsletter of April 6th. The writer that stated that in 1959 that 2nd Battalion barracks were brick. I went through Parris Island recruit training in January, February, and March of 1966 (Platoon 215). The picture of my wife and myself was taken in from of my barracks on the windy graduation day of 9 March 1966. As you can see from the picture, the barracks of 2nd Battalion were wood with what appeared to be either wood or asbestos siding.
Endless Bends And Thrust
Following up on comments/pic from Sgt. Whipple and Cpl. Griffin, I’ve attached additional current pictures of the 3rd Bn. barracks at P.I. My wife and I visited in early March of this year and were sad to see the ongoing demolition of my home during July-October of 1964 as member of platoon 366. Can’t help but remember our junior drill instructor, Cpl. Odachowski, who frequently shared such critical wisdom as “If the Marine Corps wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one”, when he wasn’t overseeing endless bends and thrusts… a special man and I hope he is alive and well today.
War Pets
The mongoose and pet puppies stories made me go back and look for this pic that my uncle Sgt. Major A. M. Solis sent home to my grandparents in 1965. He had written a note on the back saying it was his little horse he had gotten to save a lot of walking. He never told me what happened to the pony. He was also there later with VMCJ 3 and on a later tour with VMO 2 before retiring. We served at the same time frame but not in Viet Nam. I was assigned to F4 Phantom squadron VMFAT 101 after radar school at Millington NAS in 1969. Supposed to have been a 6 month OJT assignment before orders to Nam. Well after I was on the job trained as radar tech I stayed on at El Toro MCAS training F4 pilots and rios to go to Nam but us avionics snuffies couldn’t buy a ticket over there, too many people already coming back.
Capt E H Walker
Anybody remember E.H. Walker & the Hq. Regimental school he ran at Pendleton between ’64 & ’66? What a riot that man was. We all respected him. I liked him.
Cpl R.E. allen
Smart Azs In Trouble
I arrived in the United States in January of 1968 from Scotland and enlisted in the Marine Corps in May of 1968. I arrived at MCRD San Diego on 9 June 1968, and after being up all of the night before embarking and all of the day, too, arrived at the base at about 2100 hours. As we came off of the bus, we were met by Marines in Campaign Hats who all seemed to be yelling at us at the top of their lungs. We finally got the idea and proceeded to get on the yellow footprints. I was on the line closest to the yelling Marines as the line surged back and forth, all of us trying to get our own set of footprints. The lad in front of me stepped on my foot and caused me to stumble into
Royal Marines Museum
Hi it has taken us 2 years to get our small Royal Museum to how it is today. We collect money for our Wounded Royal Marines and also for the Widows and the children whose Husbands and Dads never made it back home. The 1st year, 2014, we collected £1,450, last year we collected £2,489. Every cent goes directly to the charity. I have attached a photo of our museum that we call G10, it’s in Landguard Fort. Felixstowe, where in 1667 the 2000 strong Dutch tried to overcome 400 Marines and lost, this was the last time England was invaded. We celebrate Darells day every year in July as he was the Officer in charge. Pere Mare Per Terram & Semper Fi!
Blood, Sweat And Honor
If you have not checked out my new book titled “Blood, Sweat and Honor” Memoirs of a Walking Dead Marine in Vietnam, you can view and even order from my web site. I was with Bravo 1/9 3rd Marine Division 1967-68.
Reached The Rank Of Sergeant
Boot Camp San Diego ’69, trained as a jet engine mechanic, arrived in country Sept. ’70 assigned to the HMM-364 Purple Foxes, never got to work on one engine… assigned as a door gunner, and crew chief in training, reassigned to HMM-165 at Futema MCAS and qualified as crew chief, after an overseas tour I was assigned to HMX-1 from ’71 to ’73, served 4 years, and reached the rank of SGT E5.