We are the United States Marines. November 10, 2009 marks the 234th birthday of the Corps and tomorrow is Veterans Day. Happy Birthday to the Corps and a Salute to our Nation's Veterans.
Here is your mission: Tell your short story of your time in the military. What was your favorite duty station? What branch were you in and when? What happened on shore leave? You tell the story of your military service.
Best story get's an autographed copy of LEGACY OF VALOR by Jed Babbin, Editor of Human Events. Jed is also a former Air Force officer and served as the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for President Bush #41.
November 10th holds special regard for me because that was my first day at my first duty station as a young PFC, 31 years ago. That duty station was Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. My assignment was to welcome you to my beautiful island at 3:00 AM and politely guide you to my footprints.
So tell your military story - then drop and give me 20!
Mike Piccione
Editor, Guns & Patriots
Sergeant, USMC
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My most exciting time in the Navy was during the Cuban missle crisis. My ship, a support ship, was part of the blockade and we witnessed and lived firsthand the gravity of the situation. I was one of 2 electronic technicians on the ship and we were kept busy with the radio, radar, kryto equipment to be sure we were always combat ready. Even though our combat role would have been minor we were ready and willing to do our part! Thank God for all those willing men and women who are doing their part today. I enjoyed my service but as a Texas country boy I was more than ready to head home when my time was up. I was released from active duty the day after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August of 1964.
ReplyDeleteNot a member of the U.S. Military but I grew up as an 'Army Brat'...of a Signal Corps Officer who served in WWII (Purple Heart)and Korea. I have many happy memories of time spent w/my Dad on shooting ranges as a member of the Jr. NRA. He was a great coach. Now a very proud mother of a USMC Colonel and very proud Grandmother of a USMC Cpl (serving in Afghanistan).
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jerold Smith and I was in the Navy from 1962 till 1966, 4 years..and 3 months.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, when I read the end of Mikes note above where he said "drop and give me 20" it broght back a memory of boot camp at Great Lakes where my company commander caught me talking in ranks and told me to "drop and give me 100." I was in good shape and was able to do just that. The CO couldn't believe it and told the adjacent CO what I had just done. That CO didn't believe it so...yep, drop and give me another 100. And I was just able to do it! Now at age 69 I'm just able to drop and do 50!
From my experience in the Navy what sticks out the most was the people that I served with. I was a young Ensign in the early 90's and a person that stands out the most was Master Cheif Holetz. He was the Master Chief at my first assignment and was a real salty dog. Not only was he a veteran of the Vietnam war but also from the Korena war as well! And as a brand new Ensign I technically outranked him but Master Chief Holetz took me under his wing and probably tought me more than anyone else about being a good officer. The two of us even started a pistol team for the local Captain's Cup competition. We didn't win any tropies but we beat the local Army team!
ReplyDeleteServed 8 years in the USAF in B-52s... nearly a quarter of my classmates lost in that short time... and we were generally at peace (Desert Storm we lost a crew). I was a scallawag when I went in, resistant to haircuts and authority. I ended up loving it and now choose the short hair. Spent most of my time in CONUS, but I remember when Desert Storm was kicking off we were packed and ready to go at SOS, hating every minute because we knew what our job was and where we should be... on the front lines as the tip of the spear. No one wants to fight and die, but someone must. If someone must fight, send the best... and at that time it was my crew, who had to choose someone else because I was on TDY. I hated it. The one crew we lost had filled in when a friend's crew was selected, but he was also at SOS. We lost good men and women before, and we will again. May God bless those who are willing to stand at the front to protect those who whine about the cost of the world's policeman and yet cry for a cop help if picked on by a bully.
ReplyDeleteI would not trade my 12 years in the US Army for anything in the world. The worse day ever was being told that injuries I had substained fighting the war on terror would prevent me from continuing the only life I had known since I was 17 years old.
ReplyDeleteThe best day? This may be odd for some, but the best day was the day I learned to forgive the ones who had done this to me. At a routine checkpoint I was handing out candy to the kids that always seem to be around when we were out in the streets of the city. One of the children was wired with explosives (that is the theory...all I remember was a hellava "bang" and then waking in Germany). Two great soldiers died that day, but for reasons only the creator knows, I made it.
Who would do this? I had the hardest time in the world forgiving those that would wire a kid with explosives because they were too cowardley to come and face us himself. But one day I did, after over a year of trying. I have been at peace ever since. Thank God for showing me how important forgiveness and compassion is to healing both the body and soul.
That last story by Mitch316 beats anything I was gonna say here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mitch and all that have left comments.
ReplyDeleteGood Veterans Day to One and All,
Mike
G & P
God bless America.
ReplyDeleteMitch is a great guy. I'm not! I will never forgive the animals that kill and maim our brave military personnel with their cowardly tactics. It's terrible to use a young person, wired to explode, to kill people.The world complains when American troops accidently kill innocents but , say nothing when innocents are intentionally killed by those barbarians.
ReplyDeleteI served in the USAF 1974- 1978. This was during the close of the Viet Nam "Conflict". The public hated the military at that time and the behavior at home was sometimes worse than the war itself. The very people that ran the protests, cursed, yelled, and spit on the fellas returning from Nam are the same people in power in Washington now. Clinton for example organised and lead anti war rallys. This is a travesty. During Nam our enemies were prased and thought of as innocents and that we were the aggressors. Hanoi Jane the communist should have been shot, but instead the media prased her. Many of our guys paid the price for her tratorous acts. Now we have the President appologising for our "mistakes" and the speaker of the house meeting with our enemies. What a slap in the face. But what can you expect from a foregner? The Constitution says in Article 4 section 4 " The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government, and shall protect them against Invasion;..." The form of government in Washington is not Republican at all, its Marxist. Further, Washington is not stopping the illegal alien invasion, it's incouraging it. How disheartening for us veterans who fight and have fought for liberty abroad only to see it die at home. It takes patriots from the military to protect us from outside threats but it also takes patriots at home to protect us from internal threats! Be a patriot, read and know your Constitution, it was purchased with precious blood, and stand up for the truth and for freedom!. One last thought: the Constitution requires the President to be a "Natural Born Citizen" According to the Supreme Court this means one born of two US Citizens. He is not eligible to be an elected official in the congress or as President.
ReplyDeleteRoy M. D.
ReplyDeleteI served in the Corps from 1 july 1975 to August 1988!
I loved every second of my time in the Corps,Thats where I grew up-found my purpose in life and really had a hard time after being forced out due to injuries,BUT as any true Marine I found another way to serve the country I love!
I was an 18 year-old high school drop-out in 1961 when I joined the US Army. After 16 weeks of training I was sent to Germany. I was in a STRAC Trans Company when the Cuban missile crisis occurred. We loaded our Conex containers and were told we would be in Cuba within 24 hours.Fortunately that didn't happen. The Army taught me who I was and what I was capable of. I am now a retired Forensic Accountant, CPA and I never would have made it past being a truck driver if the Army hadn't straightened me out. We made a mistake when we stopped requiring all young men to serve - it is a Master's Degree in life that every young man should earn.
ReplyDeleteAmerica to me is the greatest country of all back in vietnam during my tour from early '67 to '68 we really felt we were doing some good against the communist threat, we felt we were kickin some and we were, it was an experience I WILL NEVER FORGET even with all the bs that came out of it.
ReplyDeletebill gonzalez US Army draftee 9th inf div
In August 1965 I deployed to Viet Nam with the Airborne Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. Even though I was young and dumb I had an interesting year. Twenty-five years later I went to the Gulf with HQ XVIII Airborne Corps. This time I was old enough to have others along. My daughter went over as a company XO in the 82nd Airborne Division’s Intel Battalion. My son was a reserve parachute rigger in a unit that was not activated for the show. He volunteered to go over with an under strength unit from a neighboring state. And supported the 101st. We were able to get together several times while there.
ReplyDeleteRick Bridgeman
In July,1963, at age 26,1/2 yrs I enlisted in the USAF, mostly for financial reasons. I was a ground maintenance crewman with a fleet of C-133B and never saw action overseas and only saw one three week TDY assignment, flying over VM on my way to Thailand. Though I enjoyed and remember much, my fondest memory is that I was one (all) of Five sons of a 1st WW Vetran to serve the country. Three in the USAF, one in the Army/USAF, and one in the US Marines. I have one Daughter who has served in the Army Reserves. War is never enjoyable, but a country whose people will not defend it's freedom, will not be free for long.
ReplyDeleteRichard D Davis, Slopegoat