S/Sgt Blum couldn't have been the first and only DI to pull this one.
nope, Sgt. B.J. Wright Plt 263.. 1963
6576414. Your DI has to be the one and only Billy Joe Wright. He was short, stocky and smoked cigarettes like a train. We were Sgts, he was on the "grinder" and I was a PMI at Camp Matthews. We both got commissioned and went on to the Aerial Observers Course at New River in 1966. We also served together at Marble Mtn. Vietnam. He flew with the ROK Marines (ANGLICO) and I with Ist Mar Div AO Unit. Semper Fidelis. Blackcoat.
Blackcoat, sorry, my mistake it was B.M. Wright, i have permanent CRS, thought it was B.J. had to look at my graduation book....
Originally posted by lowballfred: Carey...you need a good dose of ex-lax or a suppository jammed up your *** to get some of that bullshit out of you. You are full of it my man! You may have a Bronze Star, etc. etc. but your are still full of it. Thats all I got to say about that. Lowoball ps...I ain't apologizing either.
Fred, opinions are like *******s, everybody has one! Without *******s though, we'd all be full of crap.
Sheeet! I am almost weary about telling you what I did for a living all these years. You already have a mindset to condemn. The truth is, I have had a great life, if one is a adrenalin junky!
I found out a long time ago, telling the truth is the only way to go!
I don't know if a BS artist is the proper thing to call me, and it sure as hell is not in the least bit accurate. Let's just call me an Irishman, OK! Or, you can call me Joe. I answer to that more readily than bullshitter!
Originally posted by Joe_Carey: Well, gentlemen, let's go down the list:
I was never stationed in Europe. I was with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines in 64 and 65. There was Steel Pike I, a NATO exercise in Spain that we took the USS Guadalcannal (LPH-7), there was the Med on the USS Traverse County (LST 1160), and from the Med we went on another NATO Exercise in the Arctic Circle about 11 Miles from the USSR.
Ports-o-call? Naples, with a trip to Rome, There was Catania, Sicily, there was Izmir Turkey, there was the Riviera, there was Isla de Majorca, as well as landings on Corsica and Sadinia. There was Portsmoth England and London England, Breast France, Edinburgh, Scotland, and some others here and there.
I was Seventeen years old for most of those times, and I turned 18 doing Guard duty on the Fantail of the Traverse County in the Port of naples, and when the old-timers told you to do something to protect yourself, you did it, and there were fights a plenty to be had, and I was in them, and I had a ball in those fights!
So, knock yourselves out ladies! It really happened!
Oh! And it depends on the Ship's CO as to whether or not the Officer of the Deck checks out the people going ashore, and Spots like Naples was perceived to be rather unfriendly at times, and often in port were ships from other countries, as well as Breast Portsmouth and Edinburgh, and you can add Izmir to that list as well!
I went on Steel Pike. We floated to Rota Spain on the MSTS Gen. R.M.Blachford in October of '64. We were supposed to get a couple of days liberty in Rota before returning to the States but a storm came up and they couldn't get the liberty boats along side the ship. As an alternate, we steamed down to the Canary Islands and had three or four (my memory says four) days liberty in Las Palmas. That was over Marine Corps Birthday. Steel Pike was the largest amphibious operation since WWII.
By the way. Shoes and barracks cover brim changed from brown to black 1Jan1965.
JESUS CHRIST this is some funny stuff. There are some SALTY DOGS in here no doubt about it. No smoking in '88. Brasso and Aqua Velvet aftershave. The only thing issued was a new attitude. We paid for everything in PI. Come to think of it, we paid for our attitude too. Recruits had to shave off the zits and douse their faces with a nice DI mix of Aqua Velvet, Peroxide and Rubbing Alcohol. Felt great. I most fondly recall the front quarter deck. Soon as lights were called, we did the count off, dressed, made racks and me and 9 other winners just headed for the damned front quarterdeck. I couldn't do 40 sit-ups when I went in. I was a 298 PFT by graduation and I could do sit-ups....well for 40 minutes once. Ha-ha that was a good story. Anyway, BWT was a hoot. First time I got tossed by a DI. Real good looking down in the eyes of God's Archangel Michael in the flesh and a by-God no bullshit killer at 2 am on the airstrip at PI. Needless to say, my hands did not come above my belt. Actually I felt that I had earned an assbeating and was just waiting for it. He was apparently wanting something a little more chewy, so he went back up to our platoon and kept pushing till he got some. WOW. These are some ooooolllldddd memories. But fun. Thanks.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Joe_Carey: Well, I was in in Apr 64 and we were already changing from Brown to Black. I really don't remember anyone having Brown in the 2nd MarDiv, in 64.QUOTE]
We were issued brown in mid-'62. There may have been a window for the change over. I recall getting the word of the change to black after we got back from Steel Pike a couple of days before Thanksgiving. As I recall, we were told we had to make the change by the first of the year. I didn't strip my shoes and barracks cover down. I just put black polish on top of what was there. About a month of that and every thing was good to go.
I called a buddy that hit boot camp in early April '63 at San Diego and was told they were issued brown. His pathetic memory coincided with mine on the change over to black.
The odd thing that just hit me, we didn't change to black socks. We continued to wear brown until I got out in Sept. '66. Hmmm.
Originally posted by Joe_Carey: I am not too sure that the young guys would know what a P38 is, but I am sure that us old guys do! Without these things we would have starved!
Also known as a "John Wayne" I used to have one on my keychain. I was flying not too long after 9/11 and TSA made me give it up.
Originally posted by Joe_Carey: I am not too sure that the young guys would know what a P38 is, but I am sure that us old guys do! Without these things we would have starved!
Also known as a "John Wayne" I used to have one on my keychain. I was flying not too long after 9/11 and TSA made me give it up.
I've lost two pocket knives and a multi-purpose tool, key fob to TSA. The two pocket knives were because of CRS on my part but the key fob was, in my opinion, unnecessary. I got the fob with Marlboro cigarettes back when I smoked. It was a stamped peice of stainless steel about two inches square. It had steps stamped out in the middle you were supposed to use as a wrench on small nuts. It had a flat tip screwdriver blade on one corner and the bottom was sharpened for about one inch to use as a knife. I thought the TSA idiot was going to piss his pants with glee when he saw it. It was like someone had given him a special Christmas present. That was back when they were still doing a random, second search at the gate.
I was wondering. Do they still have the Dog Tag with the bite in it? We were told it was there for placement in the teeth on dead bodies by our DIs in Boot Camp, but others have told me that was never the purpose, and that it was a tooling marker, but they never explained how the second tag did not have the bite mark on it!
As far as I can remember, there was name, Service Number, Branch of Service, religion, the S, M or L letter for a specific purpose that few even knew (I did), and there was blood type. Is there anything that I am missing? I lost mine with my keys all too long ago.
Originally posted by Joe_Carey: I was wondering. Do they still have the Dog Tag with the bite in it? We were told it was there for placement in the teeth on dead bodies by our DIs in Boot Camp, but others have told me that was never the purpose, and that it was a tooling marker, but they never explained how the second tag did not have the bite mark on it!
As far as I can remember, there was name, Service Number, Branch of Service, religion, the S, M or L letter for a specific purpose that few even knew (I did), and there was blood type. Is there anything that I am missing? I lost mine with my keys all too long ago.
As you said, the notch was an index for the stamping machine. I still have my dog tags and both have the index notch. You nailed all the information included on each tag. I always thought the M was for Male. No?
Originally posted by hulinmr: I was told the s, m, or l stood for gas mask size; not sure if that's true or not. I know it didn't stand for male cause I have it on mine!
Originally posted by hulinmr: I was told the s, m, or l stood for gas mask size; not sure if that's true or not. I know it didn't stand for male cause I have it on mine!
Thats correct.
So very true! Gas mask! As far as the maching mark, it is true that my second tag did not have it! I remember that first day in my Company in vietnam, the Squad leader took my tags and got some tape from the Doc and taped them together.
All information on the dog tags make sense except that thing about the gas mask size. Ya gotta ask yourself, what the hell difference did it make what size your gas mask was if you were dead. Things that make ya go "Huh?".
