In the fall of 1976 I was assigned to Bravo Company 1st Battalion 8th Marines. We were on a three month NATO training cruise to Norway, Denmark and Germany. When we made our first landing in Norway the ride to the beach in the amtracs was pretty rough. One of the corporals in our tractor was having a particularly difficult time and began to “lose his lunch”. He did what we were trained to do and removed the helmet liner from the steel pot and threw up in the pot. When we pulled onto the beach the rear ramp was lowered and we ran off. As the corporal, with the helmet full of spew, ran off he proceeded to throw it out. Unfortunately there was a photographer in the “line of fire” and he took a direct hit. We ran around the front of the tractor to the beach head where we hit the deck to await further instructions. Suddenly there was the sound of applause coming from our right. I looked over to see bleachers filled with spectators. I learned later that there were various dignitaries from NATO, Norway (including the Norwegian king) and other European countries present. While we were waiting to move out I saw the “lunchless” corporal nearby. He had placed the liner back inside the helmet and put the helmet on his head. The remaining vomitus was steadily dripping from the edge of the helmet. A NATO official, who was monitoring the landing, walked by, looked at the corporal and walked away shaking his head and smiling.
It’s amazing what you remember after 45 years.
I was on that same cruise aboard the USS Guadalcanal LPH-7. I was a member of HMH-362 and I was a GySgt and worked in the Flight Equipment shop.
My rough ride was a LVTP-5 launching off the bow ramp of an LST on a Med cruise in 1963 and hoping the damn thing came back to the surface.
STEVE : THE CREW ALSO FEELS THE Same way “everytime “.
A crew member is assigned to continually check hull plugs- hope to hell he does.
And yes, ” sinking ” is a terrible feeling and when re-entering a ship a track slides/bounces from side to side of the well deck sides-bam,bam,bam,……..era 1959 on a How 6
I was on the Guadalcanal on that cruise with H&S company Comm platoon 3/8, cold and rough seas. Anyone with Comm platoon please contact me 956-207-8891.
YAT-YAS!!!
I was on that same cruise as a young PFC in Charlie co. 1/8. We were on the USS Raleigh. As the ship kept breaking down everytime they fired it up, the fleet was long gone before we even started. We landed in Plymouth, England where we trained with the Royal British Marines before moving into Germany and Denmark. When we got liberty a few times, and the Royal Marines would take us and show us around town, which means the pubs. Of course that made the next day’s training a little rough, but we didn’t show it. Just puked and kept going. It was an honor and a pleasure to train with that fine group of Marines. Overall a great cruise.
I too was on the USS Raleigh we landed in Plymouth for boiler repair I was with the 81 mortars we sure had a rough ride across the North Atlantic on one screw