I was in VMGR-252 in Cherry Point from ’63-’64 and the term for going north on weekend liberty was “swooping”. I heard of guys going as far as Chicago on a week-end swoop. Typically we had a car load, 3 in the front, and 3 in the rear splitting cost and driving. South Jersey boys got off at exit three on the Jersey Turnpike and picked up at the same place on Sunday. It was pedal to the metal from North Carolina all the way, except at the Virginia border where they had a speed trap. We got caught once and split the fine. Justice of the peace had court in a gas station bay out in the boonies. It was all worth it back then. “Cherryless Point” was out in the boonies and North Carolina was a “dry” state. The only bar was a 3.2 beer joint across from the main gate called the “Rendezvous” in a strip mall with a pawn shop and not much else. New Bern, the nearest town, didn’t have much more to offer, except a motel where one might find a lady of the night. With ten thousand Marines just down the road you can see how this was a cash cow for the region, but it was mostly too crowded on payday.
There was a place where one might partake of a real adult beverage, albeit served in plastic cups, and that was the VFW out the gate and down the road, out in the woods. You had to be a member or invited by a member to get in. Luckily, Jack Guilesspie one of our squadron mates, was a member and had a bunch of us out there from time to time. Jack was an E-4 with 19 ½ years in the Corps. Saw action in WWII and Korea. Had six purple hearts, and various other medals including a Navy Cross. Had a battlefield commission in Korea and got all the way to Captain, but returned to enlisted in the stand down after Korea. He went downhill from there until he was an E-4 when I knew him. So, if you weren’t going on a swoop this week-end you were either going to the “Vous” (Rendezvous) or the “V” (the VFW) with Jack.
There was another old character at the ‘V’ they called “Gravel Voice” who was a retired Gunny and had a gravelly voice (hence the nickname). These Old Corps guys were tough. Anyway, the night of the incident at the “V”, I was on a swoop to Jersey and heard about it when I got back. Way I heard it from Jack is that he and Gravel Voice were having a drink at the bar in the “V” when a Staff Sergeant in uniform, walked in the door, walked over to the bar, pulled out a .357 and shot Gravel Voice. First shot hit him in the shoulder, second shot passed through his wrist and into his thigh as he was falling. His wife got down and held his head up while stuffing paper towels in the shoulder wound. The shooter walked over, pointed the pistol at Gravel Voice and said “Is the F##ker dead yet”. Mrs. GV said yeah, look at him. Then the shooter walked out into the parking lot, cranked off a couple rounds in the air and blew out his brains with the last one. Apparently he was under the impression that Gravel Voice was doing the wild thing with his wife while he was on cruise which was probably true. Anyway, a couple weeks later at the “Vous”, here comes old Gravel Voice through the door with his arm in a sling and the Mrs. right behind. Course we bought him a pitcher and listened to him rail about the SOB who shot him. They were tough old birds in the Old Corps.
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Didn’t get involved in any gun play at a local watering hole, but in 1965-1966 it was still called ‘swooping” when you left Lejeune late Friday afternoon and drove hell bent for election to Columbus, Ohio. No interstates so it was all secondary roads and would arrive about 7A.M. Sat. Then Sunday at Noon head back and hope you get there before 12M when liberty expired.
It was swooping back in 73-77, also. I had a car and I would head to the swoop circle at LEJEUNE Friday evenings pick up a couple guys headed to Virginia or West Virginia and head northwest to Charleston, WV. Usually I always collected enough money to cover gas and the tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike. Those were the days, no bill, no worries all we had to do was take care of self.
Oh yea swooping .I would swoop once or twice a month I was assigned to rifle range Lejeune and most of the time our liberty started after quals. on Friday 1100 or 1200 and not end until 06 0r maybe 07 on Monday .I would usually head to the “swoop circle ” at the drive in at main base always found people heading my way I totally destroyed a 66′ Corvair due to swooping.I got one speeding ticket over nearly a year of swooping and, it was just outside of J-Ville on the way home.My buddy JJ claims it was impossible to get a speeding ticket in a Corvair!! Harry
I was in MATCU 67. MCAS Beaufort , 67-69 and swooping to the big Apple was norm. Every Friday cars packed with riders would head north. The pick up drop off in NYC was the bus terminal mid town, Manhattan. We became OB at the North Carolina border so the risk for a Saturday nite in New York was great but worth it. Only once did I not make it back by Monday morning for work but fortunately we were in South Carolina and we all stuck to our story. Cost me a month of KP as our gunny knew where we had been. My last swoop was when I got discharged from Cherry Point in 70, I got a ride with unknown marines, As we left the gate the weed came out. I prayed all the way home having survived four years in the crotch that I would die in a car crash on my last swoop . But I made it and hope you enjoy my memory
I remember Swooping also, from Cherry Point to the City as those members of my outfit called New York City, One of the guys I would go up there with used to laugh at me because I lived in a small town in Wisconsin. He used to say that more people lived on his block than lived in my hometown, which I came to laugh at because it was true that my town was small compared to New York. I enjoyed going there especially to the Village as they called it back then, you could really have a good time in the city, that’s for sure. I was at Cherry Point from April of 65 until June of 67,before heading to Viet Nam and never enjoyed a place more than that. Those were the good ole days.
Was at Cherry Point 1963 to early 1965- and we swooped a lot- different cars or vans from time to time- one van took me to the Staten Island Ferry on the Staten Island side when we hit NY- and we were picked up to return across the street at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC- seedy area. Most Marines wanted to see family and friends or girlfriends, etc. We all got along for the ride even if we disliked some of the guys. One Marines notified Cousin Bruce Morrow of WABC radio station about our swooping- and once on the air he mentioned swooping AND WHAT IT MEANT TO US! Once my ride was very late and I took a bus back- found out ride showed up and returned on time- ( one Marine told me the driver was hauling asz to make it before curfew.) I got office hours and got 2 weeks restriction – my C O was a nice guy and the First Sgt. was really a great guy too- but they told me behind closed doors that a lot of Marines were in accidents speeding home or back – and they were making AN EXAMPLE OUT OF ME. I was asked to name drivers who swooped and Marines who swooped- I did not rat out my fellow Marines – not my style- and it was a tough month or two afterwards at my place of work. I do remember that I personally knew of a few Marines who were killed in car crashes and injured as well. You cannot explain to some outsider what it felt like speeding home to see loved ones – or going off base to keep your sanity.
I was in VMR-252 from April 1960 thru December 1962. The squadron name changed on 1 January 1962 to VMGR-252 due to the fact that we started getting our C-130s in late 1961. The C-130s were the replacements for the R4Q-2s (flying boxcars.) My next assignment was MARS-17 at Iwakuni Japan. Our barracks was called Block 8 in which we had 20 man rooms and one of my room mates was Cpl Jack Gillespie. It seemed like he was always either drunk or he was not far from it. One of his drinking buddies was a Cpl E-3 who had about 12 or 13 years in. Jack left around July of 1963 and the last I heard of him was that he managed to make Sgt before he retired.
I was in VMR-252 (later VMGR-252) Avionics until Mar. 64 Under CWO Dick Timmons. The aircraft were initially called GV-1’s. Then, the services (all of them) standardized the aircraft types and model numbers. Wasn’t until a few years later I found out some cracks were found in the wing roots of some of the 119’s.
Was in H&MS-12 (MAG-12) (LtCol Robt T Bell Commanding) Iwakuni Oct 62 – Dec 63, lived in quonset hut 1362. went TAD to 3rd MEU Udron from April to Aug was a interesting adventure. Iwakuni was designated a MCAF when I arrived but changed to MCAS later that year. Later someone at 7th Fleet HQ go uptight and they got really pissy about under age drinking there for a while.
I was at H&MS-12 Outlaws from 84-85. I remember at 19 goin out in the Ville to all the bars (all called Snack this Snack that) those were the times.
Was with 3/2 in 1963-1965, made plenty of weekends out of the circle. All the way to Rhode Island. Walter Winchell a radio news guy back then said the “fastest way North ,is behind a Camp Lejune sticker” . We had an accident once, and we all had to bail, messed up the weekend,it was every man for themselves,as we all had to get back on our own. Another time I was sleeping in the back of this car, I happened to wake up, and the other Marines in back were sleeping,and I noticed the shotgun rider was napping, and then noticed the driver was half asleep!! Woke Everybody up, only God knows why weren’t all killed. We had a Corpman who tried to make a weekend to Michigan, his car shit the bed,and he never got there. Tough schedule,arrived in RI around six AM ,had Saturday night then back on the road by 11:00 AM Sunday! But we still did it at least once a month.
Got back to CONUS in October, 1967, and was stationed at Cherry Point (MSWG-27), until my Discharge in December, 1968. Yeah, :SWOOPING” was a big thing down there!!! Seemed like, every weekend, someone was “SWOOPING” somewhere…New NCO barracks (Air Conditioned!!) were built in 1968, and my last “Bunkie”, 52 days out from his Discharge, put up a “SWOOP FLAG” on the outside of our hatch, and, beginning with the Ace of Spades, would tape a new card to the Hatch every day. Discharge Day would be the day that the Deuce of Clubs was taped to the door. I “Swooped” twice, to my hometown of Buffalo, NY, both times on a 48 hour pass, the last time for my Cousin’s wedding, in August, ’68. On St. Patrick’s Day, 1968, my buddy, Cpl Neil Armstrong, with hi ’67, Pontiac GTO, “Swooped” me as far as the Bridge in New Bern. Then, I put on a pair of track shoes, turned around, and ran the 19 miles BACK to the front gate, with Neil following. Dumbest “SWOOP” ever…. Lots of really good Marines there, starting from Lt. Col. Standley, to CC, Captain McMahon, SSGT Mustachio, Sgt Morrison, Bill Fennell, Eugene Krause, Ron Frantello, John Winship and so on. Played Fast Pitch Softball for MSWG-27, then won First Place in the 1968 Physical Fitness Contest, then wound up playing for the Football Team, playing the last game of the regular season just a week before my discharge. Far and away the WORST player on the team, but Captain McMahon urged me to try out, after my win in the Physical Fitness contest. BAD IDEA!!! In the Fall of 1969, I enrolled at Arizona State University. 52 days prior to my last Final exam of the First Semester, I tacked the “SWOOP” flag, with the Ace of Spaces, to my Dorm Room door. Had some explainin’ to do!!! The day the Two of Clubs was on the door, 4 of us took off for Christmas Break, to Buffalo, and drove non-stop, there and back. The “SWOOP” had been introduced to Arizona State!!!! Great memories.
Was assigned to Wing G3 1963-64 at the point. The CO of VMGR-252 was LtCol Floyd Haxton. He had been G-3 NATOPS prior to becoming the CO of 252. All the C-130 were kept tabs on in G3. I made several swoops to NAS Millington and then took a bus ride to my home in central AR. the C-130 would pick up and deliver students from the point to several NAS Schools to pick up and take back students from the 2nd MAW and 2nd Div. Once hopped a ride on the AD-7 with Major Ham-Fat Connelly, he flew into LRAFB to visit his sister who was the wife of the base commander. spent the night with my honey and flew down to NAS Jacksonville next day, Made two Highboy Operation to Rota Spain. Cherry Point was not considered a great base for the single Marine, but I just happen to fall in a real good billet and had a good tour. Also Carlos Hatchcox was a lowly L/Cpl and was quartered in the same barracks. Wonder if they still do Field Day on Thursday nite and one bed sheet change…..I don’t think there are any open squad bay barracks left. Anybody remember how the “s**t hit the fan in Nov 63 when JFK was shot……It was something else to see at Wing HQ Didn’t know if we would ever get back to the so call normal.
Thanks for the memories.I was stationed at Cherry Point from 1960-64. went back and forth to Rosey Roads PR.several times while serving with MABS-27.Did many trips up 301 to Mass and back.Only once did we get pulled over for going past a stop sigh at 2am in the middle of nowhere .Paid the fine at some shack and went on our way.Your right,not much to do outside the gate back then.
I was stationed at Lejeune with 3-10 after returning to the states from Nam in Aug ’66. From that time until my release in Sep ’67 my buddies and I swooped a lot. Sometimes I drove and sometimes not. I had a big ’58 Lincoln that was like an aircraft carrier. One weekend heading north to I-95 on a NC two lane road there was about a packed ’57 mercury in front of us. The trunk was loose and kept moving up and down. Finally I thought I saw movement and pointed it out to the other two in the front seat with me (remember it was a big Lincoln). As soon as I did that the trunk raised up and there were 4 or 5 guys crammed in the cars trunk! They raised their beer to us and then the trunk slowly went back down. We got a good laugh out of that. Another time time seven of us went to New York City on a 48. We partied until late Thurs night and got into the barrack shortly before Reveille, did Marine stuff all day and left for the City as some as Liberty went. I drove. We let one guy off in Norfolk to see some friends and six of us went on to the City. We got there about 9:30 – 10am. We had a place to stay and as soon as we got there I crashed on the floor since I had driven the whole way. While I was laying there the other guys were taking showers, etc. I asked “What are you doing?” They told me they were getting ready to go into the City! I said, “Wait a minute. I’ve got to rest. I’m dead tired!” They told me “We’ll meet you in the City later.” Right! So I got dressed and went along. Most of us got split up but I ended up with my pal Pat at 4:00 am in some bar in Manhattan. The VFW was having their annual convention and we ran into one of their organizations within the VFW named the “Cooties” My pal Pat was yakkin’ with them and made a deal that we were to be sworn into the VFW as Vietnam veterans by Secretary of Defense McNamara at 9am. The NY Times was going to be there and they were going to make a big publicity deal out of it. I was taking this all in and was thinking to myself, “I don”t know where you’re going to be at 9am Pat but me …. I’m going to be on my way back to Lejuene!” These “Cooties” were begging with him “You’ve got to be there! Promise you’ll be there because we’re going to set it all up!” Pat was agreeing to everything. Finally about 5:30am they kicked us all out to sweep out the bar and I told Pat I was heading back. I told him we were about 350 miles out of bounds for a 48 hour pass and besides my Captain read the NY Times and I didn’t want to be on the front page Sunday morning when he saw it Monday. We ended up headed back at 9am and guess who had to drive the whole way back! Right me! We got in about 10 minutes before Reveille and I put my utilities on and hit the sack for 5 minutes. Man, we were stupid and tough back then! Oh, this thread started by someone mentioning swooping to Chicago. I don’t know who he was talking about but I did that. Once again on a 48hr pass. There was a beautiful nurse that I met at a buddies wedding whom I dated. Didn’t do any good. She was looking for a Doctor. There were 3 of us who started out but I was the only one who went to Chicago. We could have made it back on time but decided to stop and have breakfast and then claim something was wrong with the car. When I got back the Gunny was livid. He wanted my ass! He took me to the Captain who just laughed about it and asked if I had a good time. I told him I did and he said “just go back to work. Leave him alone gunny!” Those were great times.
A little further back…..I got back from Korea in March 1953 got married on my 30 day leave and went to Lejeune to serve out the last 10 months. Swooping was in full swing at that time and I took full advantage of it. With a new bride back in Massachusetts, why not? 100 mph on the Jersey Turnpike, CRAZY, but we were lucky, never stopped or had trouble.
I was with 8th Motors at Swamp LeGoon ’64-’66 and we did that swoop thing to NYC every weekend we didn’t have duty, rain or shine. There were three of us who always rode together, including the car owner and we would find three other guys at the Circle. It was $7 each, one way to cover gas etc and we got dropped off and picked up at a place called the Terminal Bar which was across from the Port Authority Bus Depot in Manhattan and the baddest bar in America. All kinds of bad asses, criminals, addicts and hookers hung out there and we didn’t go in unkess we absolutely had to. Luckily, it’s gone now. The guy who owned the car was also in 8th Motors and was always walking around begging for a couple of dollars to buy something formthe car, gaskets, plugs, something. It was a white ’57 Dodge with stuff falling off or close to it. We git stopped in VA one time going back to base and the cop is telling the owner, who was driving all the different tickets he was going to get and he finallynasks the cop how much it was going to cost. The cop says something like $100 total and the owner starts laughing and tells the cop all of us together couldn’t come up with $100 if he threatened us with a gun. I think we were able to scrape up about $30 between us and that’s what the fine was. The money probably went in his pocket but who cared? We just did make it back before liberty expired.
I was part of VMGR-252 January 69 to August 70 when I transferred to VMGR-152 Futemna/DaNang sub-unit. Anyway, swooping was a regular thing while at Cherry Point. used to drive or get driven to Long Island NY after a stop in Port Authority, Manhattan. One long weekend while on a 96 hour pas visiting what was soon to be my wife, (still married to her after 46 years) thank God I was alone because some a–hole threw a Pumpkin off an overpass on 95 in Maryland that took out my windshield of my 68 Chevy Nova that left only a sliver of glass in front of me. I’d be in deep s–t if I was swooping and if anyone was in the passenger seat or the back seat, they’d be toast. Called the Gunny from the Glass Shop early Monday morning while I was getting the window fixed. Came to the shop on Tuesday morning and nothing was said. Was pulling glass out of that car in 1977 before I sold it when my was getting ready to deliver our Son. Memories ! !
Swooped from Cherry Point to Milwaukee, WI. once on a “96”. Surprised everybody. Coming back to C P my best friend was driving my car. We got stopped in Ft Mitchell KY for speeding. I was asleep in the back seat when my friend said ” you gotta drive, my license has been suspended since high school. So we drove to the “station” which was little more than a mobile home. We paid the fine and were back to our swoop. we managed to check in with about ten minutes to spare. Those were the days.
1966 1968 Used to swoop from Cherry Point to Pittsburgh twice a month. Speed trap in VA was an asskicker……straight to the JP and had to pay in cash only. Lost our brakes on my 62 impala at the Breezwood interchange on the PA turnpike. Best friend Cpl Jim Kelly drove the last 120 miles on the PA turnpike with zero brakes. We were truly nuts back then.
Stationed at New River MCAF, 1965 -1967. Did a lot of “swooping” to DC and NY. Would go out to the parking lot and wait for the swooper cars to drive by shouting their destination and then hop in. One of the memorial events at the base was the time we had to defend ourselves. I was attached to MACS-5, a radar squadron that controlled Phantom F4 intercepts out of Cherry Point. We helped train those pilots for Vietnam duty. Everyone else on base was part of the helicopter groups (New River was the largest helicopter base in the US at the time). As the “bastards” on the base, we always had conflict with the helicopter group. One Friday evening, leaving the EM club we got into a parking lot brawl and left the chopper guys very bloody. They went back to their barracks and enlisted about 70 marines to attack our barracks. We were on the 2nd and 3rd floors and as they came up the ladder, we hurled large garbage cans and fought with entrenching tools. The MPs took over and the ambulances retrieved the injured chopper guys! MPs guarded our barracks all night and next morning we marched to chow as a squadron in our civies! Damm those were good times.
Swooped on a regular basis from “The Circle” at LeJeune from 1967 to 1969,while with 2/6. Had a speeding ticket in every state from North Cackalacky to Connecticut. Best time from NC to CT was 8 hours and 12 minutes. TAD to Little Creek in 1969 and caught a ride to NYC with a Sergeant named Jon Bauer driving a red Ford Torino. He dropped us at the Port Authority bus terminal and was supposed to pick us up at 1:00 PM on Sunday. The bastage never showed up and we were late to formation on Monday. When I got chewed out by the Platoon Staff NCO I didn’t rat the guy out but I had told an E-5 in my squad about it and when he told the Staff what had happened Bauer got his ass chewed out big time.
I was with MWSG-27 in 69-70 and when I returned from Nam with MCCRTG-20 swooping was a way of life. Remember the drive racing hurricane Agnes up the coast beating it to Pa. And the aftermath of I95 on the way back down that Sunday. Those were the days 39 cent a gallon gas
Did the “Swope” thing every weekend we could from Beaufort air base, back in 69-70. Best time from SC to NYC was I think 10 hours, had speeding tickets from every state, anything south of the mason Dixon line you either had to pay,or stay in jail. Virginia from what I remember had a court house set up rite off 95, I think it was on the north bound side, with a driveway from 95 to courthouse, drive in ,cop escorted,plead guilty, pay the fine and get back to 85-90 mph. Used to drop off and pick up at the Port Authority bar in NYC. Remember on clear nites with full moon,would turn off head lites while going through either Manning SC, or by south of the boarder, I’m sure 95 was not completed all the way,all this to keep from being caught by local cops, it worked a few times, then got caught.Did some crazy shit back then,but then again after coming back from nam, this kind of behavior seemed normal. Better than the CO who got busted for taking fighter jet home to Aroziona for the weekend.
Swooped a number of times from the “Circle” at Lejeune in 1969. Was with 2nd Anglico and when not on a Med Cruise, Jump School or Gitmo we Swooped to Detroit. From Courthouse Bay to the “Circle” and wait for a car to pull up that had Michigan plates. Bullet Proof times of our life’s.
I remember giving a guy from Michigan a ride one time.He was going on leave.I dropped him off at the New Stanton exit Pa turnpike Harry
I was stationed at Marine Barracks Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Va in the late 50s.The northern limit for weekend liberty was Camden NJ.I’m from New York City area,other guys in our car were from Conneticut and the Boston area.Except for the normal travel adventures IE speed traps in all the states between Virginia and Mass.,high speed blow outs,occasional sleeping at the wheel and missed connections all went off rather well.It’s amazing what a car full of PFCs and Cpls will do to get home ,A major snow storm hit the Northeast that stranded everyone of the Camden NJ liberty hounds way out of bounds and with no chance of getting back to the base by “O dark 30″ Monday morning.The calls began to come in from”Camden”? from us stranded Marines.There so many overdue the we went on running guard until we returned to regular guard numbers.However, no one seemed to question why of all places Camden NJ was such a hot liberty town.Next liberty weekend sure enough we signed out to go to, you guessed it ,Camden NJ.God I miss those days when I was young and in the Marine Corps.