You may recognize comedian and actor Rob Riggle from his success as a correspondent on The Daily Show, films like Step Brothers, Dumb and Dumber, The Hangover, and 21 Jump Street. This year you’ll see him in Midnight Sun, which came out March 23rd, and Night School, set to release September 28th. But it’s his recent role in the war drama 12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers, released in January, that has us talking.
My Definition
“My definition, the definition that I’ve always believed in, is that Esprit de Corps means love for one’s own military legion – in my case, the United States Marine Corps. It means more than self-preservation, religion, or patriotism. I’ve also learned that this loyalty to one’s corps travels both ways: up and down.”
-Chesty Puller
MARINE OF THE WEEK // In the fight against ISIS
Staff Sgt. John Williams
81mm Section Leader, SPMAGTF-CR-CC
Operation Inherent Resolve
Northeast Syria
May 5, 2018
Staff Sergeant Williams was manning a heavy machine gun at an observation post in northeast Syria when his position came under enemy combined arms attack. While receiving mortar and machine gun fire, he identified mounted and dismounted enemy fighters advancing on his position. Using his machine gun, he suppressed the enemy targets as well as communicated to his section the location of additional enemy targets. In the midst of the battle, Staff Sergeant Williams’ vehicle front wheel was struck by an anti-tank guided missile causing serious shrapnel wounds to his driver and injuries to all in close proximity of the blast. Despite his own concussion and effective enemy fire, Staff Sergeant Williams climbed out of the vehicle, applied multiple tourniquets to both legs of the driver and carried him to the casualty collection point. After returning. to his vehicle, he retrieved as many sensitive items from within the vehicle before a second missile struck the ground within 50 meters of his position. Immediately, he withdrew his section under fire while friendly close air support provided cover. Staff Sergeant Williams’ distinctive contributions, unrelenting perseverance, and steadfast devotion to duty reflected.great credit upon him and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Sparky and Me
August 1978 to November 1981 found me on recruiting duty with the Officer Selection Office, RS Hartford CT. We recruited candidates for the Platoon Leaders Class & Officers Candidate Class from 72 colleges and universities in Connecticut, Rhode Island and western Massachusetts. To say the least, adapting to the culture and language of college students and northerners was not an easy task for a farm boy from Mulvane KS with 14 years Marine Corps service. In the early summer of 1980 a new officer joined our station, 1st Lt. John Sparks. Lt. Sparks was an 0302 Infantry Officer, Naval Academy graduate from Maryland, and had been selected for Captain. He and I were assigned together as one of two officer recruiting teams.
Emergency Head call
At Edson Range, everyone gets to take their turn “pulling the butts”. I was assigned a target about a dozen from the right side. And of course, the Heads were all the way on the Left end of the butts. The DI assigned to the group of targets that I was in was SSgt Martinez (Sr Drill Instructor of one of our sister platoons and would be considered a Light Green Marine from South of the border). One of my Drill Instructors, Sgt Fischer was assigned to the group of targets only a few targets down. The Private that was assigned to the same target as me needed to take a leak, so he did the proper thing and asked the SSgt Martinez if he could make a head call. Here is how the “conversation” took place:
Pvt: SIR, Private requests permission to make a head call, SIR!
SSGT M: Is this a ‘mergency head call?
Pvt: SIR, Yes, SIR!
SSgt M: Are you sure this is a ‘mergency head call?
Pvt: SIR, Yes, SIR!
SSgt M: I donno. I don beleive you.
Pvt: SIR, Private really needs to make a head call, SIR!
By this time Sgt Fischer heard the comotion and decided to join in.
Sgt F: Wheres your siren?
Pvt: Sir?
SSgt M: A sireen, you need a sireen!
Pvt: Sir, I don’t have a siren, sir.
Sgt F: A siren, you know – WHHRRRRR, WHHRRRRR.
Pvt: Sir?
SSgt M: Sireen, a sireen, I wanna hear your sireen.
Pvt: whhrr whrrr
Sgt F: No louder, LOUDER!
Pvt: WHrr WHrr
SSgt M: No LOUDER REAL LOUD
Pvt: WHHRRRR WHHRRRR WHRRRR
SSgt M: Good. Now where is flashing light?
Pvt: Sir?
SSgt M: A flashing light. you need to have a flashing light. (putting his fist on top of his head, with his thumb down, opening and closing his fingers. Sgt Fischer also mimicing SSgt Martinez.)
Pvt: (putting fist on top of his head and mimiced the gesture)
Sgt F: Good, Good.
SSgt M: You need to have your sireen going. Let me hear your sireen.
Pvt: (With his hand on his head, fingers opening and closing) WHHrrr WHHrrr WHHrrr
SSgt M: LOUDER, LOUDER!
Pvt: (Hand still on his head, fingers opening and closing) WHHRRRR WHHRRRR WHHRRRR
SSgt M: Good. Now you can go. I wanna hear you all the way!
PVT: (headed down the full length of the butts – Flashing light and siren)
The Old Corps
The toilet was “The Head”
A drinking fountain was “The Scuttlebut”
A door was not slightly open it was “Ajar”
The uniform for going on a hike was “Spats, Gats and Tin Hats”
There were khakis, greens, and blues Some of you (not all) won’t recall a great portion of this but if you do, so be it. If you don’t, you missed a good time! The following is a page found in the book “Green Side Out” by Major H.G.Duncan, USMC (Ret) and Captain W.T. Moore, Jr., USMC (Ret).
Dirty, Green Humanoids
In the early sixties the aircraft carriers at Pearl Harbor docked at the old Battle Ship Row in front of the Arizona Memorial on Ford Island. I was a plane captain on A4Ds in VMA-212 based at Kaneohe Bay on the other side of Oahu from ’61 to ’63. On return from one of these qualification cruises and after 20 or 30 hours of constant flight quarters, without a break, we plane captains were tired and dirty and taking a break on the hangar deck in the number two elevator opening. The elevator being up gave a huge picture window to the passing scene as we passed down the “slot” around Ford Island. Somebody broke out a deck of cards and several of us were playing eucre on an overturned box. The ships’ crew had been ordered into dress whites and lined the flight deck, shoulder to shoulder. As we passed outgoing ships the Captain would announce “Attention to Port”, or “Attention to Starboard” and all the swabbies rendered hand salutes to the outgoing ships, which did the same in response with their crews. Needless to say, a bunch of dirty, tired Marines looking at these passing swabbies all spit shined and rested did not appreciate the tradition we were observing. We had our own version of the hand salute that got passed to the outgoing vessels. This made for very astonished expressions from one sub as I recall. Sailors in a row, from fore to aft and up the conning tower, mouths agape at the dirty, green humanoids disrespecting their ship.
The Scourge of PTSD
Like most Marines who have served in combat or experienced extreme, life altering, uncontrollable situations, I suffer from the affects of PTSD. With help, I’ve learned that it isn’t necessarily the event itself that causes the problem, but how we choose to allow it to affect our well being that really makes the difference.
MARINE OF THE WEEK // CLEARED IEDS ON HIS HANDS & KNEES
Sgt. Daniel W. Ridgeway
2nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company in support of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines
June 18, 2011
Afghanistan
Award: Silver Star
While on a dismounted security patrol to clear a suspected enemy cache site, then-Sgt. Ridgeway supervised the combat operations of his team. The cache site was located in a heavily Improvised Explosive Device laden area, historically used to pin down Coalition Forces for small arms attacks. Soon after the squad began to maneuver, an explosive device struck one of Ridgeway’s Marines. Quickly working his way to the wounded Marine, Ridgeway cleared a 40-meter path on his hands and knees. Upon arrival, he administered tactical care to treat serious wounds to the Marine’s lower leg and shrapnel over his entire body. Ridgeway then began to sweep a 100 meter by 100 meter landing zone to facilitate the Marine’s medical evacuation. Immediately following the evacuation, the squad came under withering enemy fire from multiple positions. During the sustained firefight, Ridgeway again cleared several paths by utilizing hands on, render-safe procedures on five more Improvised Explosive Devices while under direct fire from the enemy. These actions undoubtedly thwarted the enemy’s attack and saved the lives of the Marines and Sailors serving alongside him.
12 Days of boot camp ditty
Sgt. Grit: To the best of my recollection, here is the 12 days of boot camp ditty. I’m sure there were many variations of this:
On the 1st day of boot camp, the Marine Corps gave to me, a haircut that wasn’t worth a f***.
On the 2nd day of boot camp, the Marine Corps gave to me, 2 pairs of boots,