And I’d Been His

I served in Vietnam as a helicopter machine gunner and a proud member of HMM-262 (66/67). I received a purple heart for my efforts. When I returned from Vietnam, I had the feeling that as an air wing Marine, I hadn’t done as much as the grunts who walked through the jungles, slept in the rain, etc. I finally worked with a grunt who was in Vietnam at the same time I was there. We became good friends and I confided in him one day that I somehow felt like I should have done more because I didn’t have the combat experiences he had. He looked at me for a minute and then told me that he’d always felt the same way about me. He said that he felt lucky being on the ground and that his heroes were the guys who flew in the helicopters to bring in supplies, reinforcements or to carry wounded Marines out during firefights. He said he’d never be able to do my job. He’d been my “real Marine” and I’d been his. read more

It doesn’t pay to mess with an old Marine

Many years ago my oldest son, Ted, started dating a young lady who happened to be working at the grocery store where my younger son, Tim, was a manager. As it turned out the girlfriend had recently signed enlistment papers to join the Army. She was waiting for the Army to schedule her for basic training when she met my son and quickly decided she would rather be with him than in the military. She promptly went to the recruiter and told him she wanted to back out. I assume the Army had no desire to keep her if she didn’t want to be there, and she hadn’t taken the oath so she was released from the contract.
I had never met Diane, the girlfriend. But soon after, Ted had the opportunity to introduce us and, for some reason, on that same day, she decided to play a prank on me. It didn’t work and I was clueless until Ted told me what she had done. I said “Tell her I have a long memory.”
A couple of weeks later, Ted was working in my office as a vacation fill-in clerk. While we were working he told me that this was the day that Diane would have departed for basic training. I said “Really! Payback time.” I looked up the phone number of Tim’s store and called him. He confirmed that Diane was at work so I asked him to call her to the phone and to listen in on our conversation. Diane came to the phone and the conversation was as follows:
Diane – “Hello.”
Me – “Is this Miss Diane Jones?”
Diane – “Yes, it is. Can I help you?”
Me – “Miss Jones, I am Captain Smith, Commanding Officer of the Military Police detachment here at Luke AFB. It has come to my attention that you have missed movement and are currently UA.
Diane (concerned) – “I don’t understand what you mean.”
Me – “UA is Unauthorized Absence. Miss Jones, you were scheduled to depart for Fort Benning, Georgia this morning and you failed to report for transport.
Diane (relief in her voice) – “Oh no, it’s okay. The recruiter, Sgt. Brown, cancelled my enlistment when I decided I didn’t want to go into the Army.”
Me – “Miss Jones, your recruiter had no authority to release you from your obligation and my Commanding Officer here at Luke has given me orders to see that you arrive at Fort Benning immediately.”
Diane (sudden panic) – “But-but-but”
Me – “You are to walk out to the front of your store and wait there. I have two of my M.P.s on the way to pick you up. They will escort you via military air transport to Georgia where you will be turned over to the Fort Benning Provost Marshall.”
Diane had started to stutter, trying to convince me of the mistake, starting to tear up and whimper a bit when I very sternly said “DIANE.” The tone of my voice stopped her and she timidly said “Yes?” I said “This is Ted’s Dad, Jim Barber. Gotcha!”
Dead silence on the phone. Then, “You son-of-a-bitch!” I was laughing so hard I could barely ask her “Is that any way to talk to the father of your boyfriend?”
Later, Ted and Diane went their separate ways. Ted has an 18 year old daughter now. A few months ago my wife and I were in the grocery store in Mesa and a woman with a couple of pre-teens called my name. Diane walked up and gave me a big hug. As we chatted she let me know that she has told everyone she knows that story and laughs about it to this day. read more

Banana Fleet

There is not many older Marines to remember serving aboard the Banana Fleet. I enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1934 at the Milk St. Recruiting Office in Boston Ma. After being processed along with seven other from Maine, we were bussed to the docks and put aboard the ” Fall River Line “, a coastal Motor Ship. Picked up twenty more in New York and continued down coast to Savannah, Ga. where we were met by two DIs with a Parris Island bus. They were not too happy with us at that point and made it very evident. Soon we were on the cause-way to P I. Our senior D I was Sgt. Tarr and Cpl. Finke was # 2. Both were well tanned from serving in Haiti and Cuba. After 13 grueling weeks we had shaped up enough to pass in revue and graduate to receive the coveted EGA. Some wanted seagoing and we were sent Sea School in Norfolk. then to Gitmo assigned aboard a light Cruiser and 3 Destroyers. Our Mission to protect the interest of DOLE and UNITED FRUIT COs. This covered So. America, Cuba and Haiti. In 1939 I transferred to Combat Div. 3, Battleships, USS IDAHO, USS MISSISSIPPI and NEW MEXICO, I was Flag Orderly to Adm. TAUSSIG aboard the IDAHO, steaming to the Panama Canal when Pearl Harbor was attacked., otherwise we would have been tied up in Pearl on Dec 7th. at Ford Island. I shipped back to Norfolk aboard the USS NITRO. and sent to Washington, 8th & I sts. Marine Barracks awaiting discharge with duty at Arlington
Art York, Gysgt USMC/USMCR read more

53 Cent Checks

After boot camp in ’84 I was sent to communications school in 29 Palms. Upon graduation a buddy of mine and I were assigned to HQ Btry. 5/11. At the time it was located on the other side of the base there and a mere walking distance from the school. Everyone from the class was sent to FMF units all over the globe and issued a check for transportation fee which made since for Marines relocating to the East coast or to Okinawa , but for my buddy and myself relocating three miles down the road from school our check was factored out to 53 cents .We laughed about it since it probably cost the government more to print that check than what it was worth. I ended up putting my check in a log book and forgot about it while my buddy actually put his into a frame. About eight months later a Lieutenant from the base finance came by or work shop looking for us and wanted to know why our checks had not been cashed. He pulled out a ledger with our name and check numbers in it. Can you believe he loaded us up into a jeep, drove us to the base PX and watched us cash the checks? Then again I wished I had that Marine officer in charge of my current bank accounts. read more

A long dark night

July 24 1966 Vietnam Operation Hastings Hill 362

Our company was having one hell of a gun fight with the NVA which had started late in the afternoon of the 24th. Into the night we were pretty much surrounded, being mortared and running low on ammunition and water with no way to get resupplied. Late that night or very early the next day before the sun was up my platoon commander was checking the line. Of course being so dark you couldn’t see snot. He came by stopped and in a whisper said “ hell of a way to make a living”. To this day I remember those words as of it was yesterday. read more

Rolling Thunder Ending.

Thirty Two years ago “Rolling Thunder”was born. Thirty One years ago the first ride of 2500 crossed the “Memorial Bridge” into D.C. 2018 saw nearly (estimated) 500,000 to 900,000 combined riders and spectators at the event.The founder Artie Muller just recently announced that 2019 could be the final run of “Rolling Thunder”.He cited rising cost,the lack of cooperation with the Pentagon and Metro Police and corporate support.I attended Rolling Thunder from 1992 to 2009. I will make it my mission to attend this 2019 ride one last time.Probably as a spectator but I will be there.Hopefully someone or some other organization can step in and continue the tradition and cause of POW/MIA. Harry read more

MARINE CORPS IDENTIFIES NAMES OF DECEASED MARINE IN F/A-18 AND KC-130 MISHAP

The five U.S. Marines declared deceased after being involved in a 6 December F/A-18 and KC-130 mishap off the coast of Kochi, Japan have been identified.

Deceased are:

Lt. Col. Kevin R. Herrmann, 38, of New Bern, North Carolina.

Maj. James M. Brophy, 36, of Staatsburg, New York. read more