In the previous century, in the days of Quonset Huts and M-14’s and Robert Strange McNamara’s accursed sateen utilities, I was proudly wearing the black fair leather belt of the Platoon Commander, (also otherwise known as the Senior Drill Instructor) and was, so far I as I know, one of only two SGT Platoon Commanders on the entire Depot (San Diego) at the time….the other being one ‘Frog’ Martin, whose top ribbon read “continued on the other side”… broken time after Korea, etc.
We periodically were reminded that “there will be NO ‘personal servitude’ by any recruit”….which, at the time, in L Company, meant assigned house mouse’s…..of course, every platoon in the series had two or three, with varying duties… changing linen on the duty DI’s rack, running coffee, etc.
It was time for the 7th week inspection, to be held by the Company Commander….in this case, Captain Powell….a Mustang. The house mice were two feather merchants who knew they had it made, and their positions were both at the small end of the first squad. The inspection went well, and as I proceeded the Captain down the line of fourteen scrubbed (brush and Fels-Naptha soap) faces, one of the questions he asked of each and every recruit in the front rank was “Who are the house mouse’s in this platoon?”…..and fourteen times, he heard ‘Sir? house mouse, Sir? the Private doesn’t understand the question, sir’… including from the two very maggots he was searching for.
As has been the custom since inspections were invented, the inspecting officer, his note-taker, and I circled the platoon, coming back to the front, where Capt Powell bade me have the platoon stand at ease while he gave me his impressions of the platoon, the things he liked, and the things he thought needed additional work… all very professional, in a slightly relaxed way… and when he was done, raising his voice just slightly, he said “Sgt Dickerson, I’ve got a couple of footlockers in the trunk of my car that need to be carried into the Company Office… I need the house mice out here.”
KaPow!… two sets of heels came together, two rifles moved smartly to port arms, and… two hice mice stepped off smartly, left foot first…
Capt Powell just looked at me, raised an eyebrow, and said ‘Ummm-hummm’… I never heard another word about it…
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I was at Parris Island South Carolina in PTL.138 3rd Bat. We’re in the Quonsets huts but we didn’t have any house mouse but that was in 1955
I was at San Diego in July 3rd. 1953. When did the “House Mice” start?
I never heard of the house mouse untill NOW SEMPER FI
Back in `63 I joined up and was flown on a 707 from St. Louis to San Diego. Stood on the yellow foot-prints where many had stood before.
Was assigned to Platoon 286 Foxtrot Co. Issued an M14 and two magazines. The bicycle padlock was used to secure my rifle to my rack.
The platoon was way over strength I found out much later. Life was good. I grew up wearing boots so my feet didn’t hurt like teh weenies who had always worn tennis shoes.
One day I was on the company street cleaning my M14 when an officer walked up to me. He asked me, “Private, how do you like it here?”
Being 17 years old I answered “Sir, I could take it or leave it, Sir.”
Two hours later I was carrying three M14s to the armory.
A week or two later while a bunch of us were relaxing after lunch and the Sargent came out and told us, “The President has just been shot.”
A week or ten days later I was told to “sign” on the line. It was over a year later that I found out I didn’t have to sign and I would have been reassigned to another Company and Platoon.
I’m 72 now and I just wanted to get the story off my heart.
Love the Quonset huts photo! Many memories!
CW02 BEYE, MCRD SAN DIEGO AUG 71. We had the quonset huts for the full duration of boot camp, sad to see they’re almost all gone now. Sgt. Best AUG 1971 – AUG 1974
i went through boot camp in San Diego in the summer of ’60. We, a group of 25 kids, traveled on a train from New Orleans to San Diego. The trip took three days. I had just turned 17 and my mother gave me $5.00 to spend on the journey. Not long after our departure from New Orleans I lost the money in a Cajun card game called BooRay. I was in Platoon 363 and our senior Drill Instructor was SSgt. Marvin Paxton. We lived in quonset huts and did all of our menial duties, such as cleaning rifles (M-1 Garand), polishing brass, writing letters, studying, etc., seated on our galvanized buckets on the streets between the huts. If I remember correctly that bucket was almost as important as your rifle. They were essential to your existence and you better have one. We had a house mouse and I remember him distinctly. He was from Georgia and his name was Dillard Smith. The smallest guy in the platoon. He served as a valet for the Drill Instructors as he made their racks, polished their brass, shined their shoes, etc. Smith had it made, in a way, but he also was often subjected to the wrath of the Drill Instructors. When we were at the rifle range, then at Camp Matthews, Paxton made Smith fight runners from other platoons who were much larger than he. For all of his suffering he was rewarded with a promotion to Pfc. out of boot camp. We also had a mail mouse, who like Smith, was also on the small side. He was from Illinois and his name was Arley Hasten. I am 75 now and I hope that Smith and Hasten enjoyed good lives and are both alive and doing well.
If the Captain’s name was Don Powell, he was my CO on Barracks Duty at NAS Cecil Field, FL in the early 70’s. A good man and a solid Marine.
The Quonset Hut shown was from ITR at Camp Pendleton not Boot Camp in San Diego. I was in Plt. 367 from May 9th to July 8th 1967.
I believe you are correct, Bill. The hills across the street from MCRD in San Diego where filled with houses. On the depot side, the naval training center was on one side and the airport and Convair Aircraft were on the other. The hills in the photo look like Camp San Onofre. I was In Echo Co. the fall of 1958..
Those remind me of the recon barracks at San Mateo in 70 . I was in 1st combat engineers during that time
Was at MCRD SanDiego in late ’64, ,Plt 3006. Sure as hell we had house mice!
I was at Paris Island in July 1968 Platoon 293 and we also had a house mouse, but at this time I can not remember what he did all I remember was that he had to have been one of the smallest guys in our Platoon.
Spring ’69 ITR Camp Pendleton mess week. I had a no duty chit due to dental work and laying around the quonset huts when our house mouse got fired for poor performance. I became the mouse since I was there all day anyway. Sure beat mess duty.
Well for old you old timers the house mouse was still alive in 1981. Our DI had another DI from a sister PLT over for coffee in the duty hut. Asked his guest what he wanted in his coffee, guest answers and the wall locker pops open with the house mouse in it who gives him his sugar, creamer or whatever and then disappears back inside the wall locker. The DI from the sister PLT busted a serious gut over that stunt.
I was at MCRD San Diego Aug.-Oct. going through boot camp and our Senior PC was Korean and Vietnam Nam vet along with 2 more DI’s. Staff Sargent Ortiz was also a Korean and Vietnam Vet. He looked like the DI in Full Metal Jacket. We had a house mouse who also was on the small side. We were in quonset huts until we came back from the rifle range at Camp Penelton and got put in tents for a week then back to our regular huts. They were just building the new two story barracks. Our other DI was Sgt. James who had been in the Corps 6 years and hadn’t gone toNam yet so he caught a lot of hell from the other DI’s but he could call cadence like no one else and meaner than rattlesnake. We ruined his run of Honor Platoons so he kicked our ass all the way on the bus to Pendleton for ITR.
There were still some quonset huts on Pendleton when I was there in 88. Semper Fi!
Yep not MCRD Hollywood, ain”t any grass (ice plant) to groom. But the pic brings back many memories of the start of squared away life. Simper Fi 1965 – 1969.
I went to boot camp from Jan. 58 to April 58, third bat. Plt. 308 my DI’s were S/SGT J.M. Thurmond,SDI, SGT M. Forster, Jr. JDI, SGT R.T. Nichols JDI, SGT, & SGT R.L. Way. also housed in the Quonset huts. But I don’t remember that we had what was called “House Mouse” or Mice when I was there.
Went to boot camp at MCRD San Diego in June 1967. Platoon 1012. We had a house mouse. Glad it wasn’t me.
MCRDSD 59 my buddy that got me to join up for the fun and games was a house mouse until he was caught dancing to the D.I’s radio he paid dearly for that. The house mouse was strictly on the Q.T. Sorry to see the quonset huts gone.