M14

This isn't as much a story as a request. Why don't y'all have more merchandise with the M14 on it? A t-shirt or something. I know that today everyone loves the M16. I trained with the M14 at Parris Island, carried it on a Med Cruise, fired it in the Dominican Republic, and staked my life on it in Nam. When I was in Nam you couldn't give me an M16. Far as I was concerned, back then they were a p.o.s. My 14 never failed to fire and would punch through almost anything. I know that they were, and are, being used in the "sand box", or at least the firing mechanism. The barrel and gas plug profile is unmistakeable. At five hundred yards, with iron sights I could put one in your chest 9 out of 10 times. And I 'm not the best shooter around.  It never seemed too heavy while I was shooting at the Cong or the rebels in Dominican Republic. read more

Sgt. “what-cadence?”

Being a boot, 1st/squad leader in Plt. 320/Lima Co./3rd RTB/MCRD in
Jan. of '68, my vivid recollections are of Plt. Cmdr. (now called
SDIs) GySgt. R.D. Gallihugh. NOBODY EVER sang cadence like him! One
of our assistant DIs (JDI) was so pathetic in his cadence that we
sqd. leaders requested the Gunny take us out on the grinder rather
trying to keep step with Sgt. "what-cadence?". read more

KING RAT

Speaking of RATS as big as CATS…

Our Counter-Mortar Radar (CMR-11th Marines) was deployed with 2nd
Battalion, 1st Marines at a firebase near Monkey Mountain north of
DaNang, South Viet Nam during January of 1969. I was a Corporal of
Marines, MOS 5931, Ground Radar Technician. The tent I was in
housed eight Marines. We slept on canvas folding cots above hollow
wood pallet flooring. Our few amenities included a small
refrigerator. We had a generator to power the radar so we snaked a
couple of cables over to our tent for lights and to keep the adult
beverages cold. read more

Should Be With A Marine

SGT. Grit,

Can someone identify the following coin?

1-1/2" diameter, 1/8" thick, smooth thin edge, rope type fluting on
both flat edges.

Top Side has a Gold Eagle, Globe, and Anchor on a red background,
1-1/8", surrounded by a black ring with United States (from 10 to 2
positions), Marine Corps (from 8 to 4 positions) with a star at 3
and 9 positions in gold. read more