P-2 Neptune, they were there in 1976 when I was there also. Wasn't there a Navy Reserve Squadron station there, back then? The Italian Navy was flying them in the Med on both of my cruises.
There was a a couple of navy reserve squadrons there, the P2, and an A-4 squadron, I was attached to the Marine A-4 Squadron. For those of us on active duty (I+I duty) we deployed for a couple of weeks every month. I was usually sent to Cherry point, or New River.
I remember a Gruman Avenger across the street of the south side main gate. along with the many AD Sky Raiders used for schooling along with some early jets. F-9's and some crusaeders.1961
quote:Originally posted by TomHansen: Millington was a fun place for a school to be, I remember many drunken weekends. It's a wonder I passed my school....
tom hansen
So do I. My favorite drink back then was a screwdriver. For $20, I would stumble back to the barracks every weekend.
Best E-club hands down of all I subsequently visited once out in the fleet. The song of the day was Smoke On The water. Seems somebody was always playing that song. Lots of ladies came there too and they'd always get up and dance to that tune.
Overton square, man we'd wear that place out on the weekends. What was it, oh yeah, Godfathers had great pizza and the horses head hanging on the wall. I can't remember the name of the club but it was always azzholes to bellybuttons. Didn't fare as well there cause we were "short hairs" but fun none-the-less....
I remember a couple of my Bro's got ripped off by a couple "professional" ladies our 1st night in town but thats a whole 'nother story....Dumb azzed boots we were...
Can't recall the name but there was a little ole theatre just off base that ran good movies during the evenings then skin flicks in the wee hours. We didn't stay for those skin flicks but we probably sat in that theatre 6 or 7 times sharing a 5th of Wild Turkey watching the story of Buford Pusser in Walking Tall. Still likes that flick!
How about Yosimity Sams in the Overland area, they had a drink called the Driver that cam in a paint can. 1 would get you light, 2 was no drive time. God how we made it back alive when we where yound and stupid is beyond me. Millington was a good party and I still finished 6th out of 22 in my class....
I loved Millington! I was an 18-year-old Pvt with more money than I'd ever had. What more was there to want in life! I'm lucky that I made it out of their alive without any NJPs.
Definately a great place to start a career! Still pretty much fresh out of boot camp with pockets full of money, more beer than you could possibly drink at the club and nudy bars! What was the name of the topless bar as you went out the gate, made a left, crossed the railroad tracks and it was there on the left?? Was it the Anchor? I remember stubling back with the boys on many a night - ah, the worry-free life of a PFC!!!
The citizens of memphis were not friendly towards servicemen as I recall.I remember seeing signs on front lawns that said "Marines and Dogs keep off",the year was 1952.
I was at Millington from Jan-Jul 70. I was married and lived in the mud flats. 7775 E. National. Nights and weekends we had many, many Marines over. Marlboros were $2 and a case of PBR was $3. Someone would bring weiners or something and we would all have plenty to eat and drink. I earned about $90/month and my rent was $110/month. Needless to say, we lived on money we had earned "pre USMC". When we graduated A school we all got in a line. There were 3 duty stations where we could go. As we advanced, we were chosen. El Toro, Cherry Point, Vietnam. As we went ahead we were tapped on the shoulder and told where we were going. I went to CPNC. Semper Fi
quote: The citizens of memphis were not friendly towards servicemen as I recall the year was 1952
As I recall in 1985 they were not so friendly towards us jarheads either so things didn't change much over the years. reyndawg ( but we still had fun )
1961-62 I don't remember what the major complaint was. But I do remember that they marched the complete Marine Air Detachment past open gi cans several times to get us to donate to the Shelby county united fund and when that did not work someone donated a car to be raffled off [I think that was fixed] I guess the squids met their quota and our CO was embarassed. after I left there I got a letter from a Marine friend still there with a newspaper clipping showing that they had a march of some kind on Beal st anyone out there remember. S/F
never went to milington but never really heard great stuff about it, pensacola was the ****, glad i got to spend a few months there with locals and new navy chics who were new into the fleet as well and just loved us Marines
Does NAS Millington still exist? When I was there in 1995 they were saying that the whole base was going to be shut down.
Had a blast in Millington, though I never experienced racial slurs in person like I heard the local townspeople say about my fellow black Marines. Old country bumpkins just never could decide whether Marines were a good thing or bad thing in their community. I know the strip clubs loved us!
Right as my class was getting ready to graduate from PR "A" school there was a massive insurrection of NJPs and drugs that found their way onto the base. Glad we got outta there before they tightened everything down!
All I can clearly remember from Millington were those platoon marches in the bitterly cold January mornings from Hotel Hilton to the schoolhouse. Everyone is formed up ready to set off when some moron in the back of the platoon is wearing his field jacket instead of his AWC! The barracks SNCO orders everyone to take off their jackets to look uniform and we freeze on the way to school!
I miss that place.
reyndawg ( but we still had fun )
