Favorite Marine SNCO Story

Another inspection at Marine Barracks, Naha… the inspecting officer is Lt.Gen Alan Shapely, at the time the CG, FMF PAC. On December 7th, 1941, he was aboard the USS Arizona, as a Major, and had just been relieved the previous day as the CO of Arizona’s Marine Detachment. He had stayed aboard, as his Marines were scheduled to play in a championship baseball game that Sunday. He was aloft, with a cup of coffee, when the Japanese struck. He was blown, naked, into the water… and helped others swim ashore on Ford Island. Note, if you can see the detail, that those are brass claws, just above my left hand… meaning that we had leather slings… field marching pack, one canteen… read more

Aye Aye Sergeant Major

In 1975, I was a Weapons Platoon Sergeant with Fox 2/7 at San Mateo, Camp Pendelton. All of the Battalion NCO’s including myself were attending our monthly NCO meeting. Sgt.Maj. Yanachi was an Eskimo Indian, but to hear him tell it he was Born at Tun Tavern. The Sgt.Maj. when answering a question would always start out with “Well I remember in the Old Corps when all you young kids wer just a twinkle in your daddy’s eye,” and we would all give a little laugh. Being the Smart-Ass Comedian Sgt. that I was… I raised my hand and Sgt.Maj. pointed at me and said “Yes SGT. HAMMER.” I stood up and asked him if he had any pictures of himself polishing his Sword and Shield in the Old Corps? Some NCO’s were laughing and most were wide eyed going OOOOOH! He turned around to the podium (I thought he was ignoring me) and picked up the Battalion NCO Duty Roster, turning back to face me he said “NO, I’m sorry to say I don’t Sgt. Hammer, but I promise I’ll be here every weekend this month to take your picture at the battalion guard duty desk.” He then ripped the schedule in half and threw it over his shoulder and looking around the room at all the other NCO’s said “Is there any other questions?” “NO. Alright then, I want everybody here to thank Sgt. Hammer for volunteering for duty NCO this month so that his fellow Marine NCO’s can enjoy their weekends this month… Isn’t that right Sgt. Hammer?” I snapped to attention and yelled “Aye aye Sergeant Major!” Everybody snapped to attention and Sgt.Maj. yelled “DISMISSED” everybody was laughing so loud you wouldn’t have heard a grenade go off. Every NCO patting me on the back saying “Way to go Hammer, Thanks!”. I Loved the then and still do, I didn’t mind at all. My Wife and Kids all lived on Base at 633-A Puller Place a five bedroom 2-1/2 bath NEW home. And I Respected the Sgt.Maj. more than any man on the Base. I read Sgt.Maj. Yanachi’s Presidential Citation that on a mountain top in South Vietnam went outside the wire one night with no weapon other than his “Razor Sharp” E-tool to dig a “Cat-Hole” (out of Respect for his fellow Company Marines). On the way back to his position The Marines came under Attack. The Sgt.Maj. surrounded by Combat Armed NVA’s who not wanting to fire their weapons at one “Lone Marine” and alert the Company of Marines inside the wire attempted to bayonet the (then) 1st.Sgt. Yanachi, He just started swinging that E-tool in all Directions. It was later determined (after the battle) that THIRTEEN (13) Enemy Soldiers had been killed by an E-tool. Sergeant Major Yanachi told me he had to dig a second Cat-Hole inside the wire to clean out his shorts. I TREASURE the memories of every day I served in the Corps from 1972 to 1978 even the bad ones. read more

Gun Totting In Frisco

In the early 1970 I was on Recruiting duty in the San Jose area south of San Francisco. We had several small offices there. About once or twice a week I’d make a trip to HQ 12 the Marine Corps Dist at 100 Harrison St downtown Frisco to pick up supplies and what not, deliver case files, police checks, and what nots. The Gunny who was in charge of supplies knew I was starting to collect WWl and WWll firearms. He told me about a gun store just up a few blocks from HQ where they had a Remington 03A3 for sale (cheap). So I’m thinking, I’m here so I better take a look. Now parking was a real problem in this area so I figured I’d just walk over as it was only a couple of blocks. This area that HQ was in was also noted for being home to a bunch of panhandlers, winos, and all sorts of odd balls. If you were in uniform, you could and would get a bunch of cat calls and B.S. from this bunch. Even though you wanted to drop kick a few of ’em we were instructed to ignore they’re BS. So I go to the store, looked at the firearms and figured I was here, had money in pocket. The kids would have to live on peanut butter and jam for a week but what the hell, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, right. So I paid for the piece and walked out the door. As I stood on the sidewalk, rifle in hand, I think how do I carry this thing back to HQ. Port arms, trail arms or right shoulder arms or what? So I take it by the forearm, butt stock over my shoulder and took off. I hadn’t gone 10 feet and I knew I’d made a bad decision about not driving. The first people walking on the street who saw me ducked in the nearest store or they crossed the street and the further I went more of ’em vanished. I passed a SFPD car with two cops sitting it, they looked at me nodded, I nodded and kept walking. I think I know how Moses felt at the Red sea. When I got to 100 Harrison St, no cat calls this time. Nobody said anything. As I was telling the gunny what I did, the Major came out of his office, looked the rifle over, handed it back and as he walked away I remember his words like it was yesterday ”Top, hope you were smart enough to put it in a gun case.” read more

1922… Now This Is Old Corps

I served with VMFA-314 from Nov. ’67 to Dec. ’68 in Chu Lai. In a past posting, I had mentioned Operation Military Embrace, and the Watermelon Run For The Fallen in Hempstead, TX, where I had reunited with some of my Vietnam brothers last August. This time, I’m sending some pictures of my father, Harry W. Kiehnle, who enlisted in 1922. He was a seagoing Marine and a bugler, who was stationed on the Battleship Utah for the Friendship tour of South America that sent General John J. Pershing to meet with South American heads of state, as he was still highly respected after having served as General of the Armies in WW I. read more

Dear John

The ultimate response to a Dear John letter…

You gotta love a man like this, Humor in the face of defeat.
A Marine was deployed to Afghanistan. While he was there he received a letter from his girlfriend. In the letter, she explained that she had slept with two guys while he had been gone and she wanted to break up with him. AND, she wanted pictures of herself back.
So the Marine did what any squared-away Marine would do. He went around to his buddies and collected all the unwanted photos of women he could find. He then mailed about 25 pictures of women (with clothes and without) to his girlfriend with the following note:
“I don’t remember which one you are. Please remove your picture and send the rest back.” read more

Marine Corps Vasectomy – It Takes Some Visualization

A Staff Sergeant walks into sick bay and asks the navy doctor for a vasectomy. “I been married for ten years. I got twelve kids. I think its time I got a vasectomy.” The doctor raises his eyebrows and says, “yeah. I’d say its time. How about next week, Tuesday at 1400.” The Marine nods. Now the Marine has been on leave for three weeks and he is from the Air Det., so his hair is long and he was wearing civvies. The doctor says, “All I need is your name, Petty Officer…?”  The Marine is taken-aback. “Petty Officer?! Petty Officer?!!!  I’m a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, OoRaw! I deserve the respect owed to a Marine!”  The navy doctor looks shocked and a little paniced.  “You are a Marine?! Shoot. I’m sorry.”  The Marine says, “No problem Sir. Just don’t make the same mistake twice.”  But the doctor says, “No. You don’t understand.”  He closes the door and lowers his voice.  “You aren’t supposed to know about this, but navy doctors only perform vasectomies on sailors.  Marines perform vasectomies on themselves.”  The Marine takes a step back, “Uh…that’s Ok Sir. I’m hard Corps but I’d appreciate if you do all the cutting.”  The Doctor responds, “there is no ‘cutting’.”  The doctor opens the desk drawer and pulls out a canteen cup and a firecracker.  He instructs the Marine, “All you have to do is light this fire cracker, drop it into the cup, hold it to your right ear and count to ten. That’s your Marine Corps vasectomy.”  The Marine looks puzzled. “Doc, I don’t get the connection.”  The doctor reassures him that there is a connection.  The Marine takes the cup and firecracker and gives the doc a wary, “Aye, aye”.  He goes home and tells his wife. She doesn’t believe it.  “Navy doctors aren’t enough. You need a civilian doctor’s second opinion.”  So remembering the confusion from the first encounter with the doctor, he goes out and gets a high and tight. He gets into his Dress Blues and walks into the civilian doctor’s office. “I’m a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant.  I need my self a vasectomy, OORAW!”  The civilian doctor says, “No problem.”  He pulls open a drawer and pulls out a cup and firecracker and gives the Marine the same instructions, “Light this firecracker, hold it to your right ear and count to ten.”  The Marine salutes and says, “Second opinion”.  He goes home and tells his wife.  In disbelief she says, “Are you SURE the directions are right?”  He says “yes”.  She asks, “Well. Are you ready?”  He thinks for a second, “Yep”.  The wife hands him the cup and lights the firecracker.  She drops it into the cup.  He holds it to his right ear and he begins to count off with his left hand, “one, two, three, four, five…”  A paniced look crosses his face but he quickly solves the problem by transferring the cup to be held between his legs and continues to count with the right hand, “six, seven, eight,….” read more

2 of a Kind

While serving in Vietnam with 3/1/1 in 1968, I acquired a little friend. My last name being Mongar, I was given the nickname, “Mongoose”. Seems that the kids in a local ville that we tromped through occasionally, heard me being called, “Mongoose”, and next time through, they presented my with this very young mongoose. After my first day of carrying this little critter around, it never left my side. The little thing met it’s Waterloo during a mortar and rocket attack in Elephant Valley, in June or July of 1968. It was an experience I will never forget, one of those things that happened in Vietnam that can never be repeated. read more

Well Son Of A Gun

Corporal, 1981. Had received a Navy Achievement Medal for performance as a member of 6th Marines Rifle Squad. Did not have a Good Conduct Medal yet. 1982, Did a lat move to 0231 Intelligence Specialist, got assigned to 1/6. Spent a year busting my b-tt for that Bn under the direction of LtCol Fox. When I got my orders to go to Oki, the S-2 wrote me up for another NAM. Deploy to 1st MAW HQ on Okinawa. Working in the G-2 as the daily briefer for the CG, MGen Peterson. I get called out one day to go receive my award. Well, son of a gun if it was for a Navy Commendation Medal. He pinned it on proudly, and I was just as proud that it was him doing it. read more

Thanksgiving 1962

For Thanksgiving the cooks were able to obtain some frozen turkeys from the Army. The cooks put the turkeys on steel tables, the cooks then sat on the other tables. We gave them all the heavy scrub brush heads we could find. The cooks spent two nights throwing the scrub brushes at the rats to keep them fom getting the turkeys. Worked.  We had a good Thaksgiving… Anyone who was on Okinawa at that time can tell you the size of the rats, like medium sized dogs… No cats on the rock, I guess the rats got them… read more