Best Meee Hall

While zooming around DaNang trying to "hitch" a ride on a chopper, I stopped at the Air Force Dining Facility at the DaNang Air Base.  To start with its called a dinning room and they have waiters … with dinning clothes… it was the choice of wine that won me over… I didn't get that with my C-Rats. While pouring rain in a jungle was enough to make me want a transfer… the wing-whippers did complain if the wind was from the East, that would be gravy's registration… sorry about that..1967 read more

I Can Recall the Past

How about 'herring bones'. I lived in a tent in Boot. I had an M-1 when everyone else was getting an M-14 or M-16, my rifle was made by International Harvester, they made tractors. The claymore mine was mine by 3-M in Minnesota. Flipped the "bird" to Gen Westmoreland while he was visiting Quang Tri… he musted have missed it, he saluted back. Back then you didn't need a "boarding pass" you thumbed a ride to where ever anyone was flying to, they could always use another gun. I was pretty much freelanced in IV Corps, I went where I thought they could use my help, Phu Bai, Hue City, and last but not least Khe Sanh, the early months,Chu Lai and South of there to the Korean Marines, many fire bases from there to the DMZ 34, 55 , Baldy, Ross, Rockpile. The most bad of the bad was Hue City, the first night of Tet at the MACVN compound, think there was about 23 of there. It was a long couple days. Recall the New jersey lobbing a few shells on to the Citadel and the jet jockeys dropping a few heavy weights beside the wall, and a group of crazies taking down the NVA flag. Very few Marines had the freedom to just go almost anywhere they wanted in country. read more

If I had known

It was the typical muggy Camp Geiger night, I had the luck of being ROOD, Regimental Officer of the Day. I had our driver get us out of the hootch and we drove around in the night killing time. As it happened we went down one of the many back roads that criss crossed the camp and came up on a "suspicious" vehicle parked under some trres. We approached the car and was unable to see in, so we knocked on the driver's window. A young lady partially dressed rolled it down abd looked at me and said " What do you want?" Being overly impressed with myself that we finally had something to do I asked her and the companion to exit the vehicle. I was surprised to see LCPL Marvin H. Perkins pulling up his trousers and looking at me, as he was a machine gunner in my Weapons Platoon 2/8! I had to laugh inside as we were close to shipping over to the Root as it was a last good-bye for him and whoever she was. I could not help but envy him and had to tell them to shove off for a more private place. read more

PFC John Herman CdeBaca Echo 2-3 5 1 Okinawa

My Old Corps father [PFC John CdeBaca] has been on duty guarding St Peter's gates for 40 years.  On April 1, 1945, he landed on Okinawa in the 1st wave at the age of 17 years old and survived unscratched until after the 1st took Shuri Castle.  On June 13th, he took a spent round through his left hip existing right near his jewels.  Some say it was a sniper but others say it was &%^$#^ friendly fire.  If it had got his jewels, I never would've been born to join the Devil Pups in "62 [yeah, we climbed Mt. Mother%$#^@#] or serve active duty from '72-'74 including TAD with IMAF in '74.  Yeah, my step grandfather [Sgt Frank Brazil] was in the 1st on Guadalcanal in '42-'43.  Enough family [Jerry Brazil '65-'68 & Dennis Trambley '68-'70] and too many San Diego school friends served the Corps in Vietnam including John BACA –posthumous Medal of Honor in Vietnam.  read more

proud sgt

Mr. Paul S. Laskodi, USMC Ret. recently wrote in the last newsletter of Gen LeJeune's signature on a discharge document and it reminded me of a promotion warrant to corporal.

In December 1990, 2/23 Marines were called up in support of Operation Desert Shield/ Storm. I was serving with 2/23 HQSVCO Motor T. We were moved to Camp Pendelton and two weeks later flown to the lovely island of Okinawa. While there we were tasked with becoming the MAGTF and aside from movements to various locals, Korea, Japan, we pretty much remained on the island till the end of the live training excersice in Kuwait. During the later part of our stay a few of us L/Cpl's were put up for Corporal and we went through the riggors of promotion boards. read more