Greetings Sgt. Grit
While serving with the 12th marines in 1958 during ” Operation Strongback ” there were Pygmy’s living in the jungles of the Philippines…They were a tiny people called Nigaritos who lived a very simple and secretive life style….I remember the first time I saw one of them several of us guys were bathing in this small fast flowing river, all of a sudden we look up and here comes this tiny dark skinned little man straddling a log and riding it down the rapids with only a loin cloth covering him….He didn’t acknowledge us or even glance our way as he passed by….In our C Rations we had small bars of soap and anytime we’d find a river or stream we’d strip off and jump in for a good bath, it was much better than bathing out of our helmets….When we finished we’d just leave the small pieces of soap lying on the bank….We soon realized the Pygmy’s were slipping down out of the jungle at night and gathering up all the small pieces we left….We always felt like they were watching us, but they were very seldom seen…..I just found out recently some of them were working underground with the Military forces helping to defend their country…..Being an 18 year old kid from Indiana it was quite a culture shock to see these things……It was a great education.
Please see comment on previous story. As I continued to research on-line articles about Operation Strongback, I soon began to find information relating to Lee Harvey Oswald, and couldn’t help wondering why. It didn’t take long to learn that as a radar operator with MACS-1, 1st MAW in 1958 he was deployed with Operation Stongback and received NJP: From Wikipedia – “Oswald was later punished for a third incident: while he was on a night-time sentry duty in the Philippines, he inexplicably fired his rifle into the jungle.[41]” Now I know why they call internet searches “going down the rabbit hole.” Semper Fi!!! Top Pro