I work as a maintenance manager been with this company for quit some time. Myself and the other maintenance managers built a new bigger office so we all have our own space. I have never been able to get over the "Yellow Footprints". So one day I had one of my mechanics in the office (and he is also a Marine) and I decided I wanted some yellow footprints by my desk so I traced his boots and had one of our painters fill them in with yellow paint. Every Marine that comes up to my desk knows what the footprints are about, but the funniest thing is that everyone else that comes in to see me they all look at the yellow footprints and stand on them to talk to me. I can't help but laugh. Then they all ask "What does it mean"? You have to be a Marine to understand.
My Office
Very good. Although I am not a Marine, I have several good friends that are. I am retired Army and when we get together, our language transends to a dialect that only vets can understand. Two tours in Vietnam still resonates in my head to this day. As to those yellow footsteps, I can remember we had them in boot camp as well. And only a vet would understand. Thanks for allowing me to place my remarks.
My DH was in the 2nd. marine division and sent to Nam. (Of course, I know they weren’t there! 😉 I was very proud of him. He was trained in explosives and a “wonderful” time training the Vietnamese soldiers. He was very fortunate because he was a POW for about 36 hr. and the cong just left them. He also was wounded. I wonder if any of you out there knew Jimmie L Kelly. He told me he was a cpl.
Maybe Grunt will have a rug made with yellow foot prints and eagle, globe and anchor.
Vincwent, what a great idea.
A Marine Mom would know too!!! LOL
A welcome mat would be great as well with Semper Fi.
A GREAT IDEA! Let’s do some footprint items as some others have mentioned…they are one element of every Marine’s experience’s , from Private to General, that will always be remembered. SF
Those yellow foot prints I remember a DI coming on the bus, at 2am better know now as o-dark thirty, telling us all to put out cigarettes get rid of your gum get out off the bus get on the yellow foot prints, you have five seconds and four of them are already gone that’s when all hell broke loose running to those yellow foot prints DI’s coming out of the wood work screaming at us all kinds of nice remarks. The best was welcome to Paris Island this is my island there are two ways off my island on a Gray Hound bus or a pine box you bunch of maggots! LOL that was 1969 graduated Plt 2081. I would do it all over again Semper Fi MARINES.
Getting ready to retire after a 40+ year career that started at PI on 12 July 1976. Will never forget the looks from the Marines at the Main Gate as we rode by, and the “Bad Axxes” on the bus talking trash about the DIs…until that door opened and a short Hispanic DI got on board and set us all straight! What he lacked in height he made up for in every other way – had more energy than a Tazmainian Devil and scared the crap out of all of us! Will never forget those yellow footprints and that life-changing night. First Battalion, Bravo Company, Platoon 173
April, 1983. also 0 dark thirty. San Diego. Our bus was deadly quiet. We had a DI riding with us from the airport. We could feel his eyes burning in the back of our skulls the whole way. We came to a stop, and i just happen to catch the bus drivers look. It was that look of I feel sorry for you guys but yet admiration. They told us to get off the bus, some DI didn’t like the way we gaggled off the bus, of course I was midst stride on the steps of the bus, and they started yelling to get back on the bus. I found myself hanging on for dear life trying to back peddle to find a seat before I was killed by a DI. We finally found ourselves on the yellow boot prints. The DI’s were in stero the whole time in your ears. I think they didn’t brush their teeth on purpose. Good times. Semper FI always.
Most of the posts and stories I read on GRUNT.COM are from Marines that lived through Vietnam, but I did not graduate from PI until January 22, 1992 (PLT 1006). I have all the respect in the world for those who came before me and went through the hell that was boot camp, Vietnam, and the crap they came back to! Even though we all come from different times, different eras, and different wars, the yellow footprints are where we ALL started. One night I will surely never forget!
DECEMBER 1958, TRAIN LOAD FROM NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY GOT INTO SWEET PARRIS ISLAND.0 DARK SOMETHING. I THINK THAT IS THE ONLY TIME YOU CAN ARRIVE THERE. LOL.WE THOUGHT WE WERE STREET TOUGH.YEAH, WE LEFT ALL THAT BULLSHIT WITH THE BUS DRIVER. WHEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE, THERE WAS GUY’S WHO WET THERE PANT’S RIGHT ON THE YELLOW FOOTPRINTS.BEFORE YOU ASK,, NO WE DIDN’T LAUGH FOR SURE.THAT TRAINING HAS STAYED WITH ME THRU ALL MY LIFE, NOW I AM 75 & STILL SAY SEMPER FI PROUDLY TO ANY FELLOW MARINE’S. PLATOON 109
To, John Doc Engel, Will never forget that that train ride, (Boston and every major city to the south). Have to agree with You minus the date, One year later, 1959, There were two questions we asked ourselves ,,,, after we made to The University of Parris Island ,,,, 1) How the —– did we get here, & 2) How the —- do we get out of here ?????????????????? Platoon 112, Charlie Co. Senior Drill Instructor was G. Sgt Wondolowski , Junior Drill Instructers were Sgt Hatchell and Sgt Fear. (Had to check the Red Book for spelling). The Senior Drill Instructor was from New Joisey ,,,, so we were all “TOIDS” …. All of Our Drill Instructers were Veterans from Korea ….. I get a kick out of “PLANE RIDES” to P.I. The only way to get there was by Train ,,, and Bus to Yamasee ,, and Then To The University. There were 60 men to a platoon (I think), but I remember I was # 62 ,,, so I had to wait for enough to make up another platoon, Three days at receiving waiting for more maggots. Boy ,,did we smell !!!!! I do remember though ,, The Commanding General of Parris Island was General Shoup (sp) who later became C.M.C
Sgt grit, i loved your story about the foot prints. so funny, yes a marine would know like you said some people would just look at them and talk to you with out standing in them. Sgt Grit, i like to be able to reply to you as well thanks. Semper Fi.
40 years ago today Aug. 26, 1976, I stepped on the yellow footprints at PI,SC.. After 3 forming days joined Platoon 286, F Co. 2nd Btl. RTR. My laundry # was 62. Senior DI was SSgt. Offet, asst. DI was SSGT. Duffy, the 2 others were Sgt’s Sweeny and Garner.I scored the highest on the final PFT test out of the whole series. Got promoted to PFC out of boot camp. Finished my 6 years as a SSGT. Was stationed down the road at MCAS Beaufort with VMFA-333, MAG-31. Was a radar tech on the F-4J. Packed my seabag 15 times in 4.5 years to go places with the “Gun Squadron”. Any body out there from platoon 286, give me a call, 918-289-6505. SEMPER FI.
We arrived at Yamasee from Boston on 31 January, 1957. We left Boston in a snowstorm, and it was rather warm in SC. We rode a bus to PI, and what I was seeing out there on the grinder wasn’t Marines in Dress Blues proudly marching? Instead it was recruits in their new green utilities with the trouser legs rolled up to the knees, collars buttoned, and all were bent over at the waist and mooing! I knew I was in the wrong place! We arrived at Receiving, no Yellow Footprints! Just these guys screaming like banshees. It was then that I came to the realization that those that I knew that had been here before me were handing me a line of BS and were probably laughing their A**’s off back in Boston! As we all know it ended up being the best thing that could of happened to probably most of us. It took me off the street corner and more than likely saved me from the alternative! Semper Fi… “C” Co. 2nd Bn, Plt. 36 Out Posted 5 May ’57