After reading all the stories in your great newsletter, I have come to believe my time must have been very boring. I came to look at it as a job like any other to be done to the best of my ability. Two tours in Nam and being a courier for the rest of my hitch seems lame when compared to a lot I’ve read, but I guess it takes a lot of us ordinary Marines to keep law and order in the ranks.
Love the newsletter and all of the merchandise. Keep up the good work.
Semper Fi
Ted Davis
USMC ’66 to ’68 and ’70 to ’72
SSgt
Sgt Grit wants to hear from you! Leave your comments below or Submit your own Story !
Hi Ted, Some years ago I had the opportunity to meet and talk with a Medal Of Honor recipient (7th Cav Battle of The Ia-Drang) To try and make a long story short, I was praising him for his action and kinda down playing mine. He looked me square in the eye.pointed his finger at me and said,”Never Eveer sell yourself short! We all had a job to do and, it sounds to me like you did yours,and did it well.” So yes did some of us do more and see more action ? Of course,but just like he said to me.Never Sell yourself short We all had a job to do and it sounds like YOU did yours well.SEMPER FI Ted. Harry USMC 10 Oct 67- 14 Aug 70 Vietnam 4 Apr 68-22 Apr 69
It’s NOT what you do in the Marine Corps, as important as that may be, it’s what your ARE in the Marine Corps. Everybody from the Commandant on down to the brig rat; shitbird privates ARE Marines, as they ARE first and foremost rifle shooting men and women. I learned this at my old Daddy’s knee when I was a kid growing up on Parris Island. I have the pain scars to prove it.
Hey Jesse. How did you earn a CIB? Were you also in the Army? Harry
You sound like a guy I worked with. He spent 2 1/2 years with 5th Marines and earned 2 purple hearts and talked the same way. He said ALL the time he was just doing his job, Went in the Corp at 17 and that’s all he knew.I asked why he kept extending and he said IT SEEMED LIKE THE THING TO DO.
Just remember you were a UNITED STATES MARINE! THE THE PROUD.
Regardless of where or how long you served in the Marine Corps .We are all Marines and our job was to serve honorably in what ever MOS , clime or place the Marine Corps assigned us.No one should ever disparage a Marine’s honorable service to the CORPS
Mr. Davis, Two things to remember #1 The difference between a “Sea story” and a “Fairy Tale”, Fairy tales start “Once upon a time” and “Sea stories” start “This is no S–T”. #2 It wasn’t a job it was an adventure.
First off I AM A MARINE, and proud of my service. my love me room shows that. 24 years two combat wars, Vietnam 70-71 Desert Storm 90-91. My job was classified but the title is Signal Intelligence Communications. I did my job to the best of my ability. The adventure was the Marine Corps. It was a job and a life style that was heaven to this old salt. I’m no different than any other Marine. Just proud of my service and I let everyone know it. I wear Marine T-shirts, ball caps and my vehicle has many Marine Corps decals and other things on it. NEVER ever say your time was just mediorcure remember your time you made history, every Marine makes hisotry no matter what they did in the Corps. SEMPER FI MARINES.
Hey ted, like you stated in your note. I was also feeling a bit down when I read some stories. I was a 6412 aircraft mechanic from 58 -62 stationed in El Toro air station. We trained a lot pilots how to fly the great A4D’s that I am sure saved a lot of marines in NAM when they called for air support. So yeah, I felt good about my job in the background.still do.
We all have a job to do. It takes at least 8 people and support for every grunt. Semper Fi Marine
PS There’s no such thing as a Ordinary Marine. The fact that you went through Parris Island or SanDiego makes you special.
Ordinary may be in some of the tasks you performed, but it takes extraordinary people during (extra)ordinary times to be prepared for extraordinary events; and “those” people are known as Marines! Whether you earn your EGA and the title Marine in P.I. or Dego, you are one of the elite warriors of the world, and it never goes away – in any “clime or place.” All our MOS’s link together to make us the fighting machine that we are, and we all should be proud of that no matter what or when.
Semper Fi, brothers all, and keep the faith!
Gresham, C. E. SSgt 80-89