Question about U.S. Marines

[wyofool]

What cartridge and bullet are most associated to the U. S. Marine Corps? I am interested in is when you think "Marine" what cartridge, caliber, bullet, handgun, rifle do you associate with them? Why I ask is I am working on a buckle similar to the one I use for my avatar for a couple of Marine friends.

[bubba.50]

.308/7.62 Nato and .45ACP

[Piedmont]

It would help if you picked a time period. For example WWI and WWII would give you the .30-06 and .45 ACP.

[Paper Puncher]

Vietnam and latter 5.56mm .... and 9mm for the young guys.

[wyofool]

Couple of good questions they'er not young guys but not WWII. I like the .06, 7.62 and 45ACP idea I have the 45 in military brass. Have to find brass for the rest. Won't rule out 5.56 since I have mil brass for it. But now what bullet? What weight and shape? and what out there comes close?

[dale2242]

M1 Garand......30-06
1911..............45ACP...dale

[Pine Baron]

Kabar.

[lightman]

I have 30-06 and 308 in military headstamp if you want one or I can even send pictures.

[Parson]

Korea, Chesty Puller, Browning BAR hands down, nothing else close

[Moonie]

My middle son is a Marine, he just got out this year. He is the one that talked me into building a couple of AR 15's so 5.56 but he loves the fact that the Corps made that huge order from Colt for the 1911 platform in 45acp.

When I think Marine I think M14 in 308 and 45acp

[Frank46]

30-06 with m2 bullet aka 150 grain flat base and 45 acp with 230 grain round nosed bullets respectively. Frank

[wyofool]

I have 30-06 and 308 in military headstamp if you want one or I can even send pictures.
I may take you up on that, I would pay for postage.

[wyofool]

My middle son is a Marine, he just got out this year. He is the one that talked me into building a couple of AR 15's so 5.56 but he loves the fact that the Corps made that huge order from Colt for the 1911 platform in 45acp.

When I think Marine I think M14 in 308 and 45acp
If I can get the 308 in miltary head stamp I may do that.
thank you

[wyofool]

30-06 with m2 bullet aka 150 grain flat base and 45 acp with 230 grain round nosed bullets respectively. Frank
Frank, I have 230 grain round nosed, I have 150 grain in boat tail, I'll have to look for a flat base.
Thank you

[rondog]

Send me a pm with your address, I'll send you an M2 150gr flat base, and an M2 black-tipped AP bullet too. Just let me know what you need, I might have it. Got lots o' that stuff.

[.22-10-45]

.236 Navy...Marines took Quantanimo bay while rest of troops were sweating it out on troop ships in the Keys.

[DerekP Houston]

just to me, 45acp comes to mind.

[upr45]

From my experiences with them in the fleet :7.62 x 51, 5.56, & 45 acp. In that order.

[tygar]

06/45

[725]

A Marine with a quick, clear mind is the most dangerous weapon in the world. In a WWll setting that would be a 1911 and an M1 Garrand.

[smoked turkey]

A good friend and Marine often talks to me about his service in Vietnam. He somehow always talks about his 12 gauge riot gun loaded with double "0" buckshot. I know that has been a primary weapon for the Marines as well as others in close combat situations.

[tygar]

A Marine with a quick, clear mind is the most dangerous weapon in the world. In a WWll setting that would be a 1911 and an M1 Garrand.

The quote from Army General Black Jack Pershing from WWI is: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine & his rifle"

This is after a small number of Marines saved the Army's bacon from the Huns.

[Hardcast416taylor]

You need to think back a little farther than suggested so far. The .30/40 Krag was used followed by the .30/06 and the .45 acp which was followed by the `mini `06` the 7.62. Robert

[lightman]

I may take you up on that, I would pay for postage.

PM me an address and I'll send you a few different cases. Don't worry about the postage, many of the members here have donated to my collection and I welcome the opportunity to help with this.

[OS OK]

You are all right to some extent, but wrong also...if you think of Marines you must think of their origin...The U.S.Navy (Continental Navy) of 1775...then figure out what rifles they used in that day when the Navy put them in the rigging of their sailing vessels to snipe the enemy of the vessels they were going to board...this is what I think of when thinking of my Brothers...Semper Fi.

History[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Marine_Corps&action=edit&section=5)]

Main article: History of the United States Marine Corps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_Marine_Corps)
Origins[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Marine_Corps&action=edit&section=6)]


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Battle_of_Nassau.jpg/220px-Battle_of_Nassau.jpg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Nassau.jpg)

Continental Marines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Marines) land at New Providence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Providence) during the Battle of Nassau (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nassau), the first amphibious landing of the Marine Corps, during the revolution.


The United States Marine Corps traces its institutional roots to the Continental Marines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Marines) of the American Revolutionary War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War), formed by Captain Samuel Nicholas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Nicholas) by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Continental_Congress) on 10 November 1775, to raise two battalions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battalion) of Marines. That date is regarded and celebrated as the date of the Marine Corps' birthday (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps_birthday_ball). At the end of the American Revolution, both the Continental Navy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Navy) and Continental Marines were disbanded in April 1783. The institution itself would not be resurrected until 11 July 1798. At that time, in preparation for the Quasi-War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasi-War) with France (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_French_Republic), Congress created the United States Marine Corps.[33] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-33) Marines had been enlisted by the War Department as early as August 1797[34] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-34) for service in the new-build frigates (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigate)authorized by the Congressional "Act to provide a Naval Armament" of 18 March 1794,[35] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-35) which specified the numbers of Marines to be recruited for each frigate.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Wiki_Capture_Penguin.jpg/220px-Wiki_Capture_Penguin.jpg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_Capture_Penguin.jpg)

British and American troops stationed aboard Hornet and Penguinexchanging small arms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_arms) fire with Tristan da Cuna in the background during the final engagement (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_HMS_Penguin) between British and American forces during the war.


The Marines' most famous action of this period occurred during the First Barbary War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War) (1801–1805) against the Barbary pirates (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_pirate),[36] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-36) when William Eaton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Eaton_(soldier)) and First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presley_O%27Bannon) led eight Marines and 500 mercenaries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercenary) in an effort to capture Tripoli (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripoli). Though they only reached Derna (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Derne), the action at Tripoli has been immortalized in the Marines' hymn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marines%27_hymn) and the Mameluke Sword (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mameluke_Sword) carried by Marine officers.[37] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-Simmons-37)
During the War of 1812 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812), Marine naval detachments took part in some of the great frigate duels that characterized the war, which were the first and last engagements of the conflict. Their most significant contribution, however, was holding the center of General Jackson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson)'s defensive line at the Battle of New Orleans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_New_Orleans), the final major battle and most one-sided engagement of the war. With widespread news of the battle and the capture of the HMS Cyane, HMS Levant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_HMS_Cyane_and_HMS_Levant) and HMS Penguin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_HMS_Penguin), the final engagements between British and American forces, the Marines had acquired a well-deserved reputation as expert marksmen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marksman), especially in defensive and ship-to-ship actions.[37] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-Simmons-37)
After the war, the Marine Corps fell into a malaise that ended with the appointment of Archibald Henderson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Henderson) as its fifth Commandant in 1820. Under his tenure, the Corps took on expeditionary duties in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico), Key West (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida), West Africa, the Falkland Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland_Islands), and Sumatra (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra). Commandant Henderson is credited with thwarting President Jackson's attempts to combine and integrate the Marine Corps with the Army.[37] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-Simmons-37) Instead, Congress (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress) passed the Act for the Better Organization of the Marine Corps in 1834, stipulating that the Corps was part of the Department of the Navy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_the_Navy) as a sister service to the Navy.[38] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-38) This would be the first of many times that the existence of the Corps was challenged.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Chapultepec.jpg/220px-Chapultepec.jpg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chapultepec.jpg)

U.S. Marines storming Chapultepec castle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chapultepec) under a large American flag, paving the way for the fall of Mexico City.


Commandant Henderson volunteered the Marines for service in the Seminole Wars (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_Wars) of 1835, personally leading nearly half of the entire Corps (two battalions) to war. A decade later, in the Mexican–American War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War) (1846–1848), the Marines made their famed assault on Chapultepec Palace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chapultepec) in Mexico City, which would be later celebrated by the phrase "From The Halls of Montezuma" in Marines' hymn. In the 1850s, the Marines would see further service in Panama and Asia, escorting Matthew Perry's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Calbraith_Perry) East India Squadron (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Squadron) on its historic trip to the Far East.[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-Moskin-39)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Marines01.jpg/220px-Marines01.jpg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marines01.jpg)

Five Marines with fixed bayonets (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonet), and their NCO with his sword at the Washington Navy Yard (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Navy_Yard), 1864.


With their vast service in foreign engagements, the Marine Corps played a moderate role in the Civil War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War) (1861–1865); their most prominent task was blockade (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade) duty. As more and more states seceded (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinance_of_Secession) from the Union (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_(American_Civil_War)), about a third of the Corps' officers left the Union to join the Confederacy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America) and form the Confederate States Marine Corps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_Marine_Corps), which ultimately played little part in the war. The battalion of recruits formed for the First Battle of Bull Run (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run) (First Manassas) performed poorly, retreating with the rest of the Union forces.[31] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-ChenowethNihart-31) Blockade duty included sea-based amphibious operations to secure forward bases. In late November 1861, Marines and sailors landed a reconnaissance in force from the USS Flag (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Flag_(1861)) at Tybee Island, Georgia, to occupy the Lighthouse and Martello Tower on the northern end of the island. It would later be the Army base for bombardment of Fort Pulaski (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Pulaski).[40] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_S_Marine_Corps#cite_note-40)
American Civil War to World War I[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Marine_Corps&action=edit&section=7)]

[Blackwater]

OS OK, you sound like my father. He was an ol' Leatherneck, and did 7 yrs. in China before WWII, then all of WWII and most of Korea. He just missed being one of the frozen at Chosin because he was sent home when Grandpa died. You Marines really tend to know your history! And a lot of it rubbed off on me, even though I became a sailor. (Yeah, I know, "sacriledge," but I've done worse!). Whenever I think of the word "Marines," I'll always think of his boot camp picture with an old pre-A3, 1903 Spfld.'s with the long 16" bayonet. Gee whiz he looked young!!!

So for me, I guess I'll always associate the '06 with the Marines because of that one picture. I still have it, and a lot of his photos from China and around the world, including the Ceremony of Neptune! Now THAT was an UGLY group of Marines and sailors!!!

[OS OK]

It's a rich history...I am completely undeserving of association with, but I'm proud of being part of it, in my little slice of time there (M-14). Though, 'once a Marine, forever Marine', that's how it is as an influence on your life.
If I were to try and figure a symbol for remembrance, I think it would be (outside of the Eagle, Globe & Anchor) a crossed musket of that era with bayonet affixed, crossed with the Mameluke Sword as the central insignia...they were our first fighting weapons.

[10 ga]

Dad died last year at age of 93, He was a Navy guy and served in WWII and Korea. He said the marines only brought stuff off "the islands" that they wanted to have when they went ashore the next time = the was any 45ACP and M1 carbines. The only other thing they would bring off the islands was "gold teeth" to use in the card and dice games, wonder where they came from? Even for "accountable" issued stuff what did they care, they would get re-issued whatever they needed before the next island, and considering the casualty rate why worry about a gun, getting back alive was enough. Tough time breed tough men! 10

[wyofool]

A couple of ideas running through my head.173805
173806

I do have a mil stamp in 45ACP and hope to use correct .06 or 7.62 head stamp plus proper bullet, comments and suggestion welcome.

[Blackwater]

Looks great to me! I think Dad would have been very proud to have a buckle like that, though he probably wouldn't wear it out much. He was always one of the humblest men around. I think he was just glad and felt lucky to still be alive. That's an awfully humbling thing, after all!

I think it's the sentiment that matters most in giving artifacts like this. The actual layout only needs to be appropriate. It's the spirit with which it is given that is the biggest part of it all.

And OS OK, git me tipsy some time and I'll tell you the story of Dad's last fight. It's really hillarious, and shows very clearly what "once a Marine, always a Marine" really means. I think you'd enjoy that lil' story.

[lefty o]

Dad died last year at age of 93, He was a Navy guy and served in WWII and Korea. He said the marines only brought stuff off "the islands" that they wanted to have when they went ashore the next time = the was any 45ACP and M1 carbines. The only other thing they would bring off the islands was "gold teeth" to use in the card and dice games, wonder where they came from? Even for "accountable" issued stuff what did they care, they would get re-issued whatever they needed before the next island, and considering the casualty rate why worry about a gun, getting back alive was enough. Tough time breed tough men! 10
the gold teeth were pried out of dead japs mouths.

[country gent]

Another thing to keep in mind on the handguns was during ww1 ww2 and possibly korea it was somewhat common practice for handguns to be sent to the boys that werent issued one. These were alot of diffrent makes models and calibers. Along with captured weapons.

[0802]

M1 Garand......30-06
1911..............45ACP...dale

Which is what is on our shooting badges.

Semper Fi


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OS OK]

Looks great to me! I think Dad would have been very proud to have a buckle like that, though he probably wouldn't wear it out much. He was always one of the humblest men around. I think he was just glad and felt lucky to still be alive. That's an awfully humbling thing, after all!

I think it's the sentiment that matters most in giving artifacts like this. The actual layout only needs to be appropriate. It's the spirit with which is the biggest part of it all.

And OS OK, git me tipsy some time and I'll tell you the story of Dad's last fight. It's really hillarious, and shows very clearly what "once a Marine, always a Marine" really means. I think you'd enjoy that lil' story.

Ok Dennis, I'll definitely bite that one...PM me your address and I'll send you a 6-pack of your favorite brew...at our age that ought to be enough to get you high as a kite and 'whistling Dixie' to boot!

anxiously awaiting...charlie

[OS OK]

A couple of ideas running through my head.173805
173806

I do have a mil stamp in 45ACP and hope to use correct .06 or 7.62 head stamp plus proper bullet, comments and suggestion welcome.

I'm one of those 'idgits' that separate everything by headstamp, over the years these interesting cases have shown up, I keep awaiting 1940 and 44 to represent the WWII era, don't know what I'll do with them when they get here...but something I'm sure. They make me think of the boys who were training stateside for the big fight, suppose they could tell a story of the man who last put them in his magazine at the time...wishful thinking I guess. But, I have a reverence for those years when the world stood still. My Dad was there.

173817

[wyofool]

Since we are talking Dads and Granddads. Mine were both over there in WWII. Dad was a nose gunner/bombardier in PBY's and Granddad was in the SeaBees. Me, I just had to keep Navy in the family.

[Doc Highwall]

M-72 or M-118 and now days M-118-LR

173825

[trapper9260]

For the ones that the ship i was on . They had the M-16 and 45. beside the shotgun.They did not had much of the M-14 the navy had use that more.

[Blackwater]

Ok Dennis, I'll definitely bite that one...PM me your address and I'll send you a 6-pack of your favorite brew...at our age that ought to be enough to get you high as a kite and 'whistling Dixie' to boot!

anxiously awaiting...charlie

Sorry (very much!) but I can't drink beer any more, but it's free for the telling to any other good ol' Jarhead. I'll PM it to you. I think you'll like it.

[DerekP Houston]

Ok Dennis, I'll definitely bite that one...PM me your address and I'll send you a 6-pack of your favorite brew...at our age that ought to be enough to get you high as a kite and 'whistling Dixie' to boot!

anxiously awaiting...charlie

Hey now don't hold out on us, I'll pony up a bottle of scotch to hear the story!

[Treetop]

I did a hitch in the late 60s-early 70s and was variously issued the M-14, the 1911 and the M-16. I came home with a profound admiration of the M-14, the 1911 and the AKs and SKSs of the enemy. I also brought home a dislike of the early M-16 a1. Happily the M-16 and ARs have since become fairly reliable.

But I grew up in the 50s reading about the China Marines using their .45 caliber Thompsons, .45 caliber 1911s and .30-06 caliber 1903 Springfields, so that's probably what I would consider the rounds that bring back memories for me. Those old China Marines were a different breed! Semper Fi, Treetop

[jrayborn]

I had an M16 A-2, S/N 6062610. Funny after 25 years I still remember. However, and I have said this before, I would be perfectly fine taking a Garand to war today. Or an M-14, or the M-16. They are all worthy.

Jon

[mcdaniel.mac]

What cartridge and bullet are most associated to the U. S. Marine Corps? I am interested in is when you think "Marine" what cartridge, caliber, bullet, handgun, rifle do you associate with them? Why I ask is I am working on a buckle similar to the one I use for my avatar for a couple of Marine friends.
40mm HEDP.

[NC_JEFF]

The 5.56 has over 50 years of service to date. The 45 ACP phased out in '83-'84. I keep an AR in 5.56and a Colt 1911 because these are the weapons we learned on. As for your buckles, match them to the individual and what weapons were common during their time of service. Semper Fi brothers
JD

[Blackwater]

Hey now don't hold out on us, I'll pony up a bottle of scotch to hear the story!

Well, it's long, and most folks don't like long stuff, but for any who care, here it is:

Toward his last, Dad has several strokes and Alzheimer's. The amazing thing about Alzheimer's is that it can't change a person's basic personality and values. Those are for life, apparently. He was so disabled in so many ways, he needed a nursing home, just to provide the things that Mom simply couldn't. One of the greatest things he ever got from the Marines, is the Vetran's Nursing Home in Augusta! That place was so clean and organized and neat that you could literally eat off the floors! The reasons it was like that was Dr. Glowney who ran it, and the chief RN, who was his right hand "man." Those two were absolute pearls in a very dismal world of nursing homes here!

We got Dad settled in ONLY after Mom put herself in the hospital trying to tend to him. She'd been orphaned in her mid teens, and on her own, and seems to have had a horror of "being alone again." But there was absolutely no other option for either of them, and it actually went very well. Initially, Dad had once leaned over to me, shielded his mouth as he spoke as though relating a secret, and said to me, "I may have to escape this place!" But he wound up liking it. I think he knew he was being cared for very well. The employees there treated those old vets with the love and honor they deserved.

Things were going amazingly well. Dad, with that wanderlust he always had within him, came to rolling his wheelchair round and round the circular hall that surrounded the treatment rooms and offices in the center. The patients' rooms were around the perimeter. They had a TV, but Dad seldom watched it unless the news was on. Then, he'd just wrinkle up his brow as though, he couldn't believe some of what he was hearing.

Then one day, they got a new resident in. He was about 6'3" and heavy set, with a full head of curly black hair. Can't recall his name now, but this guy was just plain MEAN! He'd wait until the therapists' heads were turned, and he'd hit them for all he was worth, and he was strong, too! Most had bruises to show for their care and efforts! Well, the staff were wondering what they could do about this new resident, when one day, Dad was wheeling slowly around the hallway, and this new bully had his wheelchair and a guerney completely blocking the hallway. He asked in a very gentleman-like and calm manner, "Will you move please, I need to get by." The big bully turned and looked at him as though offended, and cursed Dad. Some of the therapists told me of all this later, since they were watching, but were totally unprepared for what ensued. Dad recoiled at the response he'd gotten, and, obviously offended, he cocked his head, and again asked, this time more pointedly, "I said, will you move please, I need to get by." With that, the big bully turned more directly toward Dad and again cursed him, this time more forcefully! Dad cocked his head a little more, and said, "If you don't move, I'm gonna' punch you in the nose!" Again Dad just got cursed and the big bully mocked him.

Well, that was it! Dad jockeyed his chair a little sideways, and shot out his left arm, grabbed the big bully by the collar, pulled him close, and literally did just what he'd said, and punched the guy in the nose. Now the therapists and orderlies jumped in and separated them, the big bully crying out "Get this man off'a me!" Dad kept trying to get back to him to teach him a REAL lesson, but he was totally unoffensive to the ones separating them. And all this happened back when nursing homes were being sued regularly!

So, when we came to visit a couple of days later, the old RN called us to her office before seeing Dad, and said she had something to tell us that we might find difficult. I was horrified that it might be something terminal in his health, and Mom was almost a basket case. The old nurse told us what had transpired, and did it as though she and the home had something to be sorry for. When she finished, I asked, "Is that all you have to tell us? There's nothing wrong with his health?" She affirmed that, and I let out a loud cackle! She looked at me like I had three heads! I said, "Yep! That's my Dad! Is he in any trouble for all this?" She said no, he wasn't, and added that since the incident, the bully had been quite better behaved, but she and Dr. Glowney had been concerned that we might be angry with them for allowing this to happen. I reassured her that we would never even think of holding them responsible for people just being themselves, and thanked her for understanding. Mom had to be reassured that he'd still be allowed to stay there. She'd come to realize what great care he was getting there, even if she couldn't be with him daily, and once reassured of this, she was satisfied.

So .... the last fight Dad had was kind'a exemplary of the Marines. He didn't have all the stuff he really needed for the fight, but he took what he had to work with, improvised and overcame, and defeated a superior enemy mostly through simply will and commitment to the fray. No man can do more in this life, I believe. So you ol' Jarheads (and I say that with the utmost respect) can be very proud and satisfied that what they instill within you never leaves you, not even in the face of strokes and Alzheimer's combined together, and the usual disabilities of old age. Being a Marine truly IS "for life." Thanks for being a Marine. You really matter in this world.

[jrod45ar]

Awesome!!! Your Dad truly understood "Semper Fi!".

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[Ithaca Gunner]

God bless your dad, Blackwater! That was pretty good. Semper Fi!

[B. Lumpkin]

To me, it would depend on the time period served, and the weapons they were issued.

[OS OK]

If it were only mandatory that our children go through boot camp, Marine Boot of the 60's vintage would be a good era, just go through in the summer of their High School graduation, they are not required to enlist, it's their choice to go on to college or the blue collar trades...I think that alone would go a long ways to turning this country around.


They would, at the very least, have been given the opportunity to grow up some and get a glimpse of reality...they would come out with some convictions of their own about standing up for what they believe in.

[DerekP Houston]

what a great story, thanks for sharing! PM your details for that bottle o' scotch ;).

[WFO2]

Veterans of the great wars are a special breed of men . I'm proud my father was one of them .

[Blackwater]

what a great story, thanks for sharing! PM your details for that bottle o' scotch ;).

Thanks, Derek, but I don't drink Scotch, and it always makes me feel good to retell that story. I have several. One involves when he and Uncle Walter had an experience almost exactly like Jerry Clower's "Knock him out John" coon hunt story, that had me shoot a hole in the roof on the porch with my new 12 ga., but that one WILL cost someone a BUNCH of $$$$! After all, I have the 5th Amendment to stand on on THAT one!!!

And my apologies to the OP for the diversion. Back to your normally scheduled programming!

[jonp]

45acp, a Saw and a brain

[jonp]

Korea, Chesty Puller, Browning BAR hands down, nothing else close
My step father was a Frozen At Chosen Marine and State VFW Commander. He always said that if it didnt have wood he wasnt interested nor was he interested in girl calibers

[Down South]

Youngest grandson just finished his first two weeks of basic "Marines Boot Camp". Once basic is complete and 10 days leave. He goes to North Carolina for his specialized training.

[mcdaniel.mac]

Youngest grandson just finished his first two weeks of basic "Boot Camp". Once basic is complete and 10 days leave. He goes to North Carolina for his specialized training.
Make sure he doesn't blow all his money at the Geiger Tiger! If you don't mind me asjing, is he infantry, or headed somewhere else after MCT?

[woodbutcher]

[smilie=s: Hi Blackwater.Your Dad done good.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Down South]

Make sure he doesn't blow all his money at the Geiger Tiger! If you don't mind me asjing, is he infantry, or headed somewhere else after MCT?
Infantry....

[mcdaniel.mac]

Infantry....
It'll be a fun time then, just in time to be home for the holidays. I went to boot camp before Christmas myself. A bit chilly, but I made it out of SOI before the heat of summer so it wasn't too bad.

[w5pv]

I like the flowery stories that I read from above, I have always have heard that the Marines were sea going bellhops for the navy.








Once a Marine always a Marine,Guys you have did a super job.But being Army I have just got to slam you a bit

[Blackwater]

Marines are just very special people to me, and always have been. I grew up for the first 7 years of my life on USMC bases, until Dad retired. There was a uniformity to their goodness and humility that even a young child couldn't miss. Those were vets of WWII. During my war, Viet Nam, many seemed to have a quite different attitude and outlook, but with the way that war was fought (or NOT fought?), and the prevailing "ethics" and "philosophies" of that day, how could it not have been "different?" Marines are just good men in bad situations, who are determined to "improvise and overcome." The odds seem to always keep them humble, and their only real pridefulness is in being a Marine, and that is abundantly justified, IMHO. And this is coming from an old swabby!

Today's marines that I've met seem to be cut from much the same cloth as those who fought WWII as to outlook, attitude and manners. Some of the most courteous and genuinely helpful folks I've ever met. It's good to see this! In my experience, the only thing that really stymies Marines is a nation that's lost its way and its traditional values, and that's no fault in THEM! They'll always, I hope, be as special as they've always been to me in my time.

Dad was always, after his service, just a simple, pretty gentlemanly, humble country boy, who just sought a place where he could continue to serve folks. And he did. He and two aunts kept his handicapped older brother provided with what they needed in tough times, even when it cost us, his own family, a little of what we wanted and could have said we "needed." He had a marvelous sense of propriety and fairness and justice, but never lost his willingness, and considerable ability, to fight, literally if needs be and the situation demanded it. After his episode with the bully in the nursing home, if the big bully started to get "horsy," and threatening, all the orderlies and therapists had to do was say, "OK! Do you want us to go get Mr. Mincey and put you in with him?" And he'd quieten right down! But isn't that usually the way with bullies? Truly, I was richly blessed to grow up under the "command" of a man like this! What a wonderful Dad! And many have so much the "other" kind!

[Lonegun1894]

I was a Navy Corpsman from '00-'05, and we carried a mix of 9mm, .45, 5.56x45, 7.62x51, 12ga, and the occasional .50BMG, all dependent on what the job at hand was. Now except for boot camp, my time was spent with Marines, starting as instructors, and then in my unit. I have met very few other people that I consider family, but every Marine is my brother.

[Parson]

I like the flowery stories that I read from above, I have always have heard that the Marines were sea going bellhops for the navy.








Once a Marine always a Marine,Guys you have did a super job.But being Army I have just got to slam you a bit

when people come up with stuff like that or a reminder that we are a part of the Navy, I like to remind then which part, "the men's department". Before you sailors get up tight, my son is a Lt. Commander and up for Commander, 19 years in Sept.

[OS OK]

Yep, sea going bellhops...can't get around the slander...in the beginning though they were snipers in the ships rigging...today, they still snipe and are the most feared and successful in the world...but that's just my skewed opinion as a jarhead!

Those Army Dogs and Navy Swabs will never let us live it down...but then again, who ever said we were trying.

[Blackwater]

Lonegun, it was a Navy Corpsman like yourself who'd been out in the boonies with the Marines for 2 enlistments, and he was scheduled to go home. The 2nd day after we flew in, trying to catch our ship, he talked us into going across Da Nang to see a buddy of his on the other side who had stepped on a land mine and wasn't expected to make it. How could I turn him down? He said he'd get us through town OK, and the 6 of us newbies (so green we glowed in the dark!) accompanied him, but before getting half way across town, one of those gangs of kids surrounded us like indians around the circled wagons. When the Corpsman told us to put our billfolds in our front pockets, I did, and every one of the 6 except me had the bottoms of their jeans pockets cut, trying to get their billfolds to fall out, and not one felt a thing. I guess growing up fighting (and being scared, not knowing what to expect) kept me vigilant enough that it didn't happen to me. A gray pickup "taxi" saw us and came over to pick us up, and I was the next to last one to get in the pickup. A young, frail looking guy from up north was the last, and he laid his hand on the tailgate. The leader of the gang, about 12 or 13 and fat, wearing a NY Yankees baseball cap, ran up to him, giggled, said "So long Joe," and reached up and touched his forearm, and ran off laughing like a hyena. The kid, already pale complected, turned white as a sheet, looked at the kid running off, then at his arm, and back and forth a couple of times, then reached out with his left hand and touched it, and it started bleeding fluidly. The kid had cut him with a nice, sharp razor blade he's secreted in his fingers. That kid was a master at hiding it!

The young guy freaked, asking if it had been poisoned and if he was going to die, but the Corpsman handled him very adeptly and reassuringly, even the guy kept asking him "Are you sure???" over and over again. You Corpsmen are really special people! Thanks for all you did. And all the medics. Corpsmen are the only medical help the Marines take with them, I believe? You guys are so good in a tight that it'll always be amazing, and when anyone mentions "Marines," I think you guys who've been out with them deserve every syllable of the praise that comes to them, even if they DO kind'a resent it a little. I think they accept any Corpsman like yourself as a full-fledges Brother in the full sense of the word. You guys are great too. In battle, people from every walk of life show what's really inside them, and I think thanks to their training, and those who train and travel with them, are just plain special, and due some extra respect. Army and USAF and CG will disagree, and can put up a real argument, but .... how would the son of one of those old China Marines think but that way?

[Lonegun1894]

Blackwater,
Thank you, but I still can't claim the title of "Marine". Now I have gone some places with my brothers, and would gladly do so again anytime, but we are kinda the "red headed stepchildren". The Marines officially don't claim us (although many individual ones do and I can't begin to explain how much that means), and the Navy sees us as traitors and doesn't want us back after we have had time in the Corps. Well, I had some bad news for them in '05. I told them I would re-enlist on the condition they let me stay with my team in the Corps, but they refused, so I got out. Thing that got to me was they lied and told me they would do it, and then accidentally gave me a copy of my new orders just before I was to sign reenlistment papers. I really wish us Corpsmen were officially Marines though so the Navy wouldn't have the option of eventually forcing us out like they did me and several others I know. It's like they just aren't smart enough to know that we joined the Navy as a way to do our chosen job with the Marines, and instead keep thinking that we wanted to be Sailors. Not me, it was just a round about way to do what I wanted to, and did.

[Parson]

Every Corpsman I ever knew, that wanted to be with us, was the best of the best and most of us looked out for them because we knew when needed them they were there or dead

[wyofool]

Here is what I decided to go with.174627 174628
Big Thank You to Lightman for some of the brass.

[lightman]

You're welcome Brother! They look good.

[wyofool]

You're welcome Brother! They look good.
It's folks like you that make this such a great site.