27 JAN 2012:
JUST RECEIVED AN E-MAIL FROM A COMBAT BUDDY THIS DATE, TO HAVE ME LOOK AT "GRIT'S MARINE CORPS STORIES IN WHICH HE KNEW THAT I HAD BEEN A PART OF WHILE IN THE CORPS. I WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE YET ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE MARINE CORPS MOUNTED COLOR GUARD @ "STEPP STABLES" MCB CAMP PENDLETON. I WAS ALSO "TAD" WITH THE MOUNTED GUARD UNIT, THE YEAR(S) WERE FROM 1967 THRU 1969. AT THAT TIME, GEN. ROBERTSON WAS IN CHARGE OF MCB PENDLETON, COL. ASA BOWEN, SGT/MAJ. STEPP, SGT/MAJ. McCALLISTER AND GY/SGT W.E. POWELL WAS THE CHAIN OF COMMAND. I RECOGNIZED TWO OF THE MOUNTS IN THE PHOTO SUBMITTED, "EL NOCHE & "BLACK BYRD". DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE PHOTO SUBMITTED BY "SAM REED" WAS, BUT, IT SHOWS THAT THE VERY SAME "TACK" AND ALL DRESSINGS LOOK TO BE THE VERY SAME AS WHEN I WAS THERE AT "STEPP STABLES" CAM.PEN., 67-69…,
DURING MY TIME, "EL NOCHE" WAS THERE, I BELIEVE "BLACK BYRD" CAME ALONG LATER. OUR HORSES WERE, "SMARTY" "TINKER-TOM" "MISS MUFFETT" AND "DOUGLAS". RIDERS WERE: MYSELF, GY/SGT.POWELL,S/SGT PATTY & SGT. WM. BELL, {L-R} IN DOWN LOADED PHOTO. THAT TIME RIDING WAS THE "ULTIMATE" IN REPRESENTING THE MARINE CORPS AND THE "POLISHED IMAGE". AFTER BEING TRANSFERED IN 1969 AFTER ALL THESE YEARS I STILL REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH M/SGT POWELL (RETIRED) WHO RESIDES IN ROANOKE, VA. JUST RECENTLY I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH "STEPP STABLES' , THERE IS A HORSE, WHEN STATIONED THERE, HER NAME WAS SGT. RECKLESS, SHE WAS A WAR HORSE USED DURING KOREA, THERE IS A WEB SITE IN WHICH HAS BEEN POSTED IN HER BEHALF, (A MUST READ ARTICLE), DURING MY TIME THERE SHE HAD PASSED AWAY IN THE EARLY SPRING-68, NOW THEY WANT TO DO A STORY AND A FUND HAS BEEN SAT UP FOR A MEMORIAL FOR HER.
I WOULD LIKE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH SAM REED AND HIS EXPERIENCES WITH THE MOUNTED GUARD, PERHAPS WE CAN SHARE SOME "OLD CORPS" STORIES WITH THE GUARD. HOPEFULLY MY PHOTO WAS DOWN LOADED RIGHT. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
KEN "BUZZ" RILEY USMC/RET.
401-8470894 (H) OR E-MAIL @ kenneth.riley11@cox.net