Sgt. Grit Community

This story took place at MCSC Albany, Ga. in 1964. Sgt. Schultz was a decorated Korean War Vet. Being wounded in Korea, He had lost his left eye and he was given a glass replacement. He was a little guy, about 5′ 5″ and weighed about 140 lbs. He was a Marine with a sense of humor beyond compare. He was sarcastic and outright funny and could make anyone laugh with the antics he could pull off. On an overseas tour, he had a spare glass eye made up in Japan but the exception was that this eye had a tinny, gold Marine Corps emblem in the center. He called it “His inspection eye”.So, any time there was to be any major inspection like a C.G., a junk on the bunk, or whatever, he would wear his eye with the emblem. Schultz favorite move was to walk up to a group of new Marines who had never seen his inspection eye and shock the hell out of them. Every one would react the same way. Their head would jerk back, Their eyes would pop wide open and their jaw would drop. He would then laugh and say “knocked off their skivvies”.or one thing or another. On this Morning we where geared up for a Commanding Generals inspection. Schultz took his place as 1st squad leader of our platoon. I was 2nd squad leader and stood directly behind him with a perfect view of the reactions he would get. I knew off the special glass eye but had never seen it put into action at an inspection before. As we where about to be called to attention, Schultz said “every one ready for some fun”!!. The first officer to inspect (as I recall) was a Lt. Colonel. Schultz raised his rifle to inspection arms, looking down to inspect for a clear chamber then raised his head. With that the Colonel reacted the same way everyone did then spoke. Ah Ah Ah AND JUST WHAT IS THAT THING!!!?? Sir, that is my glass eye, Semper Fi and Gung Ho sir. The Colonel stuttered saying he had never seen anything like it before. Schultz answered that not many had either Sir, had it made up in Japan a few years ago. Well said the Colonel when this inspection is over, you are to proceed to sickbay and have that thing surveyed ASAP. From behind, I stood there tight-lipped trying not to burst out laughing. Schultz mumbled ” wonder if his bowels moved”. I mumbled back “I believed they may have”. In the Corps there was always one Marine or another who could bring down the house with humor and Sgt. Schultz was one of them. read more

Sgt. Eubaldo Lovato
1st Battalion, 8th marines
November 11, 2004
Operation Phantom Fury, Fallujah, Iraq
Award: Silver Star (upgraded from Bronze Star)

During the second battle for Fallujah, then-Corporal Lovato and his squad was ordered to clear a house. What the Marines did not know is that insurgents had barricaded themselves behind sandbags in one room.
When a fire team entered the room, Cpl. Travis Desiato was killed ­immediately by a barrage of AK-47 fire and fell to the floor. The insurgents put up such a volume of fire that the other Marines could not retrieve their comrade. The Marines fired ­blindly, unable to see the enemy fighters behind their barricade.
Lovato and the others in his squad could see Desiato on the ground. They tried calling out to him but he didn’t answer. A group of five Marines including Lovato made several attempts to reach Desiato ’s body. They threw C4 plastic explosives into the room, but it ­generated so much smoke that the Marines could not see anything. Then one Marine attached part of a shattered mirror to a stick, which allowed him to see where the insurgents were.
Pinned by enemy fire, Lovato manuvered to retrieve more grenades, with bullets passing through his pants pockets and sling.
Eventually Lovato was able to crawl to reach his Marines and asked a tank to blast the back of the building. The Marines stormed the building and killed the enemy inside. Lovato retrieved Desiato’s body. read more

This is just a quick question to all of the military vets out there. Would you rather go back to the field and defend you country with your life, or, would you rather join the NFL and get to do what they usually do and get paid millions? By the way, I’m only asking this question so that I can write about the salaries for you guys in the military and the NFL. It’s for school and I don’t know any military guys that live near me. Also, if you’re an Air Force vet, plz don’t be offended by the pictures that are on here. I found them funny. read more

Just joined the story time at Sgt Grit Community and read the story about a trip to Japan. Loved it. So i had to share my experience. We pulled out of San Diego on March 5th heading, initially, for Pearl Harbor, a five day voyage. I was a Buck Sergeant so i was birthed in the lower deck, three stack bunks. I was really enjoying the cruise until the ship left the harbor. As soon as the bow hit the Pacific currents the bow took a bow and so did my stomach. Within minutes I was hanging over the rail emptying my stomach overboard. To say i was sick is an under statement. When chow call was announced I joined the chow line, filled my tray, found an open seat at one of the metal tables welded to the deck and bulkhead. It took just one bite of food and, yep, you guessed it, I was off to the head. All that day I was sick and sleeping didn’t’ abate the problem. The next morning a sailor saw my condition and took me to the galley and gave me an empty #10 tomato can. I carried that can four two more days,. On the third day my platoon sergeant took me to sick bay and one look at me by the Naval Doctor and I was put in bunk Nd the Doc gave me a shot. What it was I never found out, but it seemed like minutes my stomach settled down. He also gave me some Dramamine and I spent the rest of the voyage walking about 2 inches off the deck. We had shore liberty for a few hours in Honolulu and pulled out of Pearl the next morning heading for Yokohama. Everything was great for the next 8 days, then we caught the tail end of a Pacific typhoon. The old Gaffey took a beating. The night before we pulled into Japan the waves and swells were so powerful the fan tail seemed to jump out of the ocean and the tork was so powerful one of the drive shafts that turned one of the propellers snapped. For the rest of the voyage Gaffey limped into Yokohama harbor on one screw. That’s not all. During that fateful night the Captain was thrown from his bridge chair, hit the deck and broke his hip. Ouch!… Lastly, once we were docked the PA system announced the names of 120 Marines telling them to get their gear and report to the rear gang plank. I was one of those whose names was called. Once all 120 men were formed into a platoon, the Gaffey was pulled out of the harbor and I never saw it again. However, one of the Staff NCO’s told us the rest of those Marines were being taken to Viet Nam. read more

VMA 225 was the first Marine squadron to serve on a nuclear powered carrier. we were on board the Enterprise from Oct.20 to Dec.9 1962 as part of the blockade of Cuba, I was a 6511 MOS (aviation ordnance) & I still remember the first three days aboard ship we only got three hours sleep getting all our A4D 2N Skyhawk aircraft configured with external stores racks and loaded with munitions with pilots sitting in their aircraft on all four cats with sealed orders as we thought we were going to war. read more

From 1987 – 9, I worked in the Intelligence Management Branch of HQMC (INTM). One of my colleagues and comrades there was LDO 0205 Captain Joe Burroughs, a PGIP classmate from 1984-5. Joe was working on some sensitive projects, while I was assisting LtCol. Steve Foster (of MCIA fame) in the main part of INTM – people and training. read more