I arrived at South Camp Fuji Japan in the spring of 1957. Several days later I came down with the Asiatic flu (yes there was a flu pandemic in 1957), probably picking up the bug aboard ship on the way over. Laid up for several days I heard some of the guys talking about liberty off base in the ville of Fujioka. According to the scuttlebutt as soon as one entered a bar he would be joined by a pretty josan. So after I recovered I made my first trip into town.
Walking into the first bar I saw I recognized one of my squad leaders and nodded to him. I ordered a beer and looked around. There were several pretty bar girls but they all ignored me, not even making eye contact. Well so much for the scuttlebutt .These gals were not interested in me at all! After a few sips of my Nippon my squad leader came up to me and said:” Sergeant Gill you really don’t want to be in here.” “Why,”? I asked . “Because this is a ‘Brothers’ bar.” I looked around and saw that all of the Marines in the bar were African Americans. So I finished my beer and left and went into the next bar. Sure enough as soon as I sat down with my beer I was joined by a pretty josan. I guess the stories I had heard were true after all!
Staff Sergeant Paul Gill
USMC 1954-66
Shippensburg PA
NOT TRUE WHEN I WAS IN THE CORPS,69-71. WE WERE ALL BROTHERS. THE ONLY CLOR WAS GREEN….MARINE CORPS GREEN.
You must have been in a different Marine Corps than me. Semper Fi!!! Top Pro
I AM WHITE AND MY BEST FRIENDS IN THE CORPS WERE BLACK. THEY WOULD TELL ME “MAZ” YOU ONLY WHITE ON THE OUTSIDE. LMAO
’71 FMF PAC-Indian Ocean–USS Tripoli/Me and Fellow Crew Chief(CH53s)Dark Green and Light Green–He would kid me to get MY WHITE CRACKER Azz back out on Flight Deck as he had been out so long He was starting to burn and turning black! RIP Quinn a TRUE BROTHER Semper Fi
As to the 1957 part, In Aug 1957 we also set sail for Japan in the middle of the 1956-57 Asian Flu World Pandemic.
The only ‘social distancing’ we had was sleeping head to foot in the ‘close’ quarters.
Masks? Wear a mask and all would wonder what you were up to.
Of course we both ‘survived’ the TB and Polio scares of the 40s & 50s, for an added bonus, my Father & Mother were both RNs and worked in Sanitariums and/or State Hospitals.
I was at north camp Fuji back in 1954. The bars that only black were drinking in were bars that the japanese catered too. Other Marines just didn’t want to drink on those bars
We had black only bars in Yokosuka, 65-68 and if memory serves me, there were a couple in the ville outside Camp Hansen, Okinawa during my stint in 74-75 as a MP. There were as a lot of racial issues in the Corps in the 70- 80 era.
I was in Okinawa 58-60 and there was an area called four corners which was all black lots of trouble
No memory of Blacks only bars on Okinawa. Racist amongst patrons was there as evidenced by the Riot of July 4th 1971 at Futema airbase.
Blacks on one side and whites on the other divided by a Japanese police force.
Thankfully, minimal injuries, both sides, were sustained at the NCO club the night before.
I was on Okinawa 1965 just prior to deployment to V N. Remember the corners(4), but no racial strife. Good soul food, and companionship.
1959, myself and my buddy Donald Belton (af american) going into the Bandbox in Jax. NC.
I could not believe he was not allowed in. F them, we went across the tracks to a black bar,
no problem.
Arrive Okinawa Jan. 16th 1956 stationed Camp Napunja 3rd Bn. 9th Marines. Feb. 17th unit made Landing on Iwo. Came back and 9th Marines then stationed at Camp Sukiran just outside Old Futenma. I remember Four Corners Koza, it was segregated back then . Later, March or April 1957 , 9th Marine stationed South Camp Fuji, just outside Fujioka ( Dodge City). My first time in the ville, walked into the wrong bar. A black Pfc I knew well told me I should find another bar. Those are my memories.
One color…..Marine Green. Today and every day since PI 50 years ago.
During Vietnam and after there was a special place in Olongapo called the “Jungle”. White Marines DID NOT go to the “Jungle”. It was located down at the end of Magsisi (sic)st, turn left and pretty much there you are. Personally never went there. Jimbo if you were in the PI during the 60s and 70s you have to have known about the Jungle if you didn’t you must have stayed on base to do your partying. During those times (60-70s) there was tremendous racial strife in the Marine Corps and the other military services IE: Camp Hansen, white Marine with a broken arm was murdered by a group of blacks. Camp Hansen: Black Marine Sgt was found in his rack with a K-Bar sticking out of his chest.The rumor was there was a M-60 the blacks had in Kin Village also we were told Not to go into the ville alone. There are more but I think you get the picture…..It was not a happy time at that time.