I arrived at Lindbergh Field San Diego on Sunday 27 December 1972. No one was there to meet or greet me so I found a SD policeman and asked him how to get to MCRD. He told me to wait out front of the terminal and he made a call to MCRD. I waited for about an hour and had several of the long haired types drive by and try to get me to “get the h_ll out of there” before it was too late. After waiting and wondering for the hour or so, a green Dodge van pulled up and the driver was the finest looking female (WM Sgt) I had ever seen and would ever see in my career. She told me in a very nice manner to get in the van and I did. While driving over to the base we talked about all types of things I would soon experience. She let me “burn a couple” (Marlboro) , but as we approached the gate to MCRD she told me how to field strip the butts and get rid of them. She dropped me off at Receiving Barracks and I saw my first YELLOW foot prints. I was directed to by the Sgt. to go inside and wait and someone would be with me in a little while. I proceeded to lean against a wall, and soon had a short and very angry SSGT jump up in my chest and proceeded to tell me to get the (deleted) off his bulkhead!!! Well I wasn’t too dumb and I figured real fast what a bulkhead was and stood at what I thought was attention. And I learned I wasn’t doing that correctly either. To cut to the chase now, I and a whole bunch of young men that had arrived on Saturday (I was the ONLY arrival on Sunday) were moved to a barracks and assigned a bed that I soon learned was a rack. We didn’t pick up or get picked up by our Drill Instructors until 2 January 1973 so we did a lot of swabbing and cleaning of the barracks. We were issued our sea bags and clothing, told to box up our personal clothes, got a haircut, etc., during that time. If memory serves me correctly, Our DI’s, Sgt. Schweigler, Sgt. Van Bibber, and Sgt. Jamieson picked us up very early on the 2nd and all h_ll broke loose. I don’t have any horror stories to tell about our 12 weeks in their care, but I was jacked up a few times for failing to do EXACTLY as told. All my DI’s were VN vets and they taught us well. They said they didn’t know if we would go to VN but they were going to teach us to survive if we did. I didn’t go to VN as I was a reservist (about half of our platoon was I think) but they made me a better person anyway. I do know that Sgt. Jamieson was a “short” American Indian and I had never seen any one his height jump straight up in my face and give me “love-tap” like he could. When we went up the road to Edson Range we were issued M-14’s and I learned to love that weapon. In fact I have the M1A now cause I loved it so much. I shot expert every pre-qual string but on qual day I blew it and got a toilet seat. I still insist that it does snow in Southern California cause I froze my young butt off that day. Shivvering doesn’t help in qualification with a rifle!! Anyway, I could go on for a while and I suppose I will close this out by asking anyone out there that was in Platoon 3156 to holler back. Oh yeah, Plt. 3156 took final drill comp and we were herded over to the mess hall and told by our senior DI to “drink the soda machines dry!!!”, and we did………then paid for it by doing bends and thrusts until the DI’s got tired.
Hey Jarhead: I wasn’t a damned bit different at MCRD, San Diego in Feb. 1954. I had a MSgt that I worshiped, a MSgt Abercrombie, now here was the Ideal Marine. Stood about 6’1″ and 180 and carried that swagger stick like it was his dearest and closest friend. He damned well how to use it too. Like you I bomb on qual. day using am M-1 from about 1945 or so. I learned how so police the cigarette butts, paste targets and all those wonderful creative jobs at Camp Matthews. Loved the hike, with full pack, helmet and rifle from MCRD.
God love the CORPS! Hoo Rah.
Gunny Hicks 1954 to 1974
i was in plt 2001
I was in plt 3156,in 1970,I did not sleep for three days.they ran our tails off,we did not take final drill,the junior DI gave us a command we had never heard,the ass chewing br SSGT RO Ward was epic. OOOrah
OOOORAH!! GET SOME! SEMPER FI BROTHERS!
Great memories from boot camp. I was also in Third Battalion, in 1968. I was in Platoon 3081, India Company from 16 September 1968 till November 1968. That was MCRD, San Diego. Those were nine weeks of my personal Near Death Experience! I was one of those “skinny Marines.” However, I was able to do everything expected of me. My favorite was our near-daily three-mile runs. I was a camp counselor for the entire previous summer at a Boys’ Club camp not too far from Big Bear Lake, Calif. The camp was at an elevation of 7,000 feet. I spent my free time at camp running—and running. The three-mile runs at sea level were a breeze. It so happened that my Senior Drill Instructor, Gunny Ray Fitzhugh, not only was twelve years older than I was, but also attended the same high school I did–the same high school that famed baseball player Jackie Robinson attended! And he held four track records there. That was John Muir High in Pasadena, CA. I did not fight in Vietnam. I was an Admin Man, and stationed back at MCRD, processing new recruits into boot camp. I picked up meritorious sergeant in 18 months, and only spent two years in my beloved Corps. My other Drill Instructors were SSgt R.D. Stride, and Sgt Kenny Joy. Semper Fi, my fellow Marine Corps buddies, and…..All glory and honor to our Savior Jesus Christ!
David “Nitro” Nyerges Escondido, CA libertykid@juno.com