The night before graduation, we were getting ready, spit shining shoes, cleaning M-14’s, getting the last of the speeches from our senior Drill Instructor. He looked at all of us with a look we had never seen on his face before. “You’re all going to Vietnam. Do you think you’re tough after what we put you through here? You’ll know how tough you are if and when you hear these five words-“Gentleman, prepare to defend yourselves”. When it actually happened to me,my blood ran cold. Tell that to some 21 year old kid today-they don’t have a fucking clue! I can’t believe that in 3 months it will be 50 years ago-half a century!
I was at P.I. in August ’65. One of our junior Drill Instructors told us that in a year half of our platoon would probably be dead. That had the same affect on us. It has been 50 years for me.
Looking at the above photo everyone is in step except for the drill instructors.
I noticed that also. The DI’s in front are out of step, at least that is what it looks like.
Semper Fi, In two years, July 27, 1969, it wii be 50 years as well for me. I also went to Nam ( 1970 ) as an 18 year old ( 0331 ) machine gunner. I now live in SC and I swore once I graduated from boot camp in P.I. I would never step a foot back into this state. I was kind of happy to hear I was going to Nam because that was the only way to get off this God forsaken island. lol However, I’d do it all over again if my country needs me. One a Marine, always a Marine. God Bless all my brothers & sisters and be safe. Semper Fi
You and I both. Plt 369 1970. Semper Fi. Pvt. Animal Dennis King
Forgot to mention Echo 2/1 Viet Nam Bravo 1st squad. Pvt Animal
When we graduated our DI’s Took all the 03’s Behind the Barn and formed us up. They came to attention and saluted us and said, ” We salute you now because in 6 months 1 in 3 of you will be dead .” They dropped the salute did an about face and walked away. BAD AZZ TO THE VERY END. SEMPER FI..Sgt/0311/67-71/PI
Fresh out of High School one day in May 1964. San Diego the next. Off on rotation to Oki in Jan 65 from there in June 16th landed DaNang beach spent a year at all the vacation spots around DaNang AFB for a year on what was to be a 6 month rotation. Glad to be back home it has been 53 years. It seems like yesterday. Godbless all who served there in country. SemperFi 1-9 and 2-9
God ! Please bless and take care of all our service men and woman…give them strength and endurance. Leo Ruiz 151 Farragut Avenue San Francisco , California 94112…sempet fi…
Not having any news for awhile, our Drill Instructors brought a newspaper to Edson Range just before qual day. They looked at us and laughed. Then one said China had just crossed over into N. Vietnam. They also said immediately after qualifying we were to head back to MCRD and report to the Fleet for immediate embarkation to S. Vietnam. Needless to say scores were about 10 points higher then our pre-qual scores.
It will be 48 years this 0ctober, as a 19 year old squad leader with Hotel 2/7, I was ordered to take my squad and assault a dug-in enemy position. By the grace of God we prevailed. Semper Fi Marines!
I’m wondering why, on the day before graduation, would you still have your M-14. We turned ours in about a week before we graduated MCRD San Diego. It will 50 years this Wednesday that we left Chicago for boot camp.
I found that kind of odd too.
I was just 17 by 3 days when I decided that i should do something with my life then go to college. In less then a week, I was at Parris Island in the summer of 68′. I made it through Boot Training with one thought put in my head by the Drill Instructors—I’m going to die in Viet Nam and almost did. But I volunteered to go just to prove them wrong—and did! I guess I already mention that fact. Now I look at my 18 year old grandson and wonder if he’ll march off to a war just to prove something to someone. Semper Fi my brothers and sisters Bliss,R.H., 0341,G Co. 2/5. 1970
50 years here, as well. platoon 3052, honor platoon. no streamers.
Bob I was also in Plt 3052 at Parris Island still have my graduation book and could not find your name in my book. Out of the 86 men in our platoon I believe 84 of us had orders to WestPac Vietnam. Don’t know how many of our fellow Marines did not make it back. 50 years here also as of September this year.
Joined February 11, 1967, platoon 237 in Parris Island and arrived in-country – Danang – July 26. Drill Instructor gave us our MOS, mostly all were 0311s. Never told we wouldn’t make it. I knew I would be going to Vietnam. By the grace of God I made it back on July 16, 1967, a casualty. I never stop thinking of the Marines that didn’t come home. 3rd plt, F Co, 2/3/3.
Correction: I joined February 11, 1966.
John….it sounds like we were at P.I. at the same time. I was in Platoon 215 and graduated 9 March 1966. We probably passed each other on the battalion street at one time or another. When our Drill Instructor gave us our MOS he also told us the average time a Marine with each MOS lived when hitting a beach. At that point it sounded like none of us had much chance at coming home alive. I made it home 16 August 1967. Although I was up north, mostly at Hue, Camp Evans and Dong Ha areas, we were in Vietnam at the same time……Semper Fi and welcome home to all my fellow Vietnam Veterans.
C.R. Cool; Was also @ P.I. in 1965! What Platoon & Battalion were you in? Contact me @ Vietvet1968@comcast.net if you will. Roger D. Stewart.
Scariest words I ever heard was a whisper one evenimg at Con Thien May 1967 “…fix bayonet’s”. That sound is still in my mind like is was yesterday. Semper Fi
It’s 51 years for me in less than 2 mths. I was 19 when I went to Nam. Still a teenager but a full blown Marine. No regrets. Except with the VA.
When I was in boot the Santo Dominguez incident took place and Marines were sent. We thought that would be where we would go after ITR. When it ended a week later, we wondered what we would go now. Nam wasn’t a place we had heard of. When we got our orders the night before graduating from ITR, almost all of us got orders to 3rd Marine Rear, Okinawa. We went as basic 0300s, spent 2 months there at Hansen and Schwab, then spent a week training for Machine Gunners, Mortar Men or 106 Recoiless Rifle. Then we found out where Nam was!
In 1969 in the last week or two of boot camp we received a new D.I. that was filling in for another one of our Drill Instructors that was being assigned a platoon of his own. One day this new D.I. told us how lucky many of us were being here. “If this were peacetime, a third of you wouldn’t have made it through here”. I might have been one of them. But later I thought, many of these “borderline Marines” that come in during wartime contribute to adding to the glorious history of the Corps.
I was wounded 50 years ago today (operation cimmeron) God allowed me to live.Thank you Lord.Thank you all that were there to carry me to the med-evac chopper.God bless All that served then and now,F/2/9 3rd MarDiv. July 5th 1967.
50 years here also, boot camp in PI , 2nd battalion, plt 294 old wooden barracks. We had to wash the squad bay every day in order so it wouldn’t burn up. After testing and training I became a 1371 combat engineer skilled in carpentry, field fortifications, demolitions and airstrip assembling, similar to the Navy seebees. Went to Vietnam in June 1966, landed in DaNang, Vietnam to the sound of Phantom jet engines. Then we were loaded onto 6-bys and traveled to ChuLai , where we heard different engines , CH-34, CH-46 and UHI-E helicoptures. This changed my whole life. We lived in wooden framed hootches covered with tents and the 8 AM temperature was already 110 deg. We were attached to MABS-36 doing all sorts of work around the base during the day ,but at night had the luxury of manning our bunkers when the sirens went off. The village of KyHa was about 1 mile away , so we employed some civilian day labors not knowing that some of them could be NVA sympathizers. I was in country for 12 months and 22 days both in ChuLai and later moving to Phubai. All in all I was in some scary situations but GOD saw fit to keep and protect me. I am proud to have served my country when called upon, not like some who fled to Canada. I resented all those who called us baby killers. GOD bless America and Semper Fi. L/CPL L.DArrigo