Nov 10th: Happy Birthday, Marines!

Marines.com  Pictured at right: the first impression a kid gets when entering the Marines.
 Their first words to us were, "If you're chewing gum, swallow it!" The next thing we were told was, "The first and last words out of your mouth will be 'sir'! Do you hear me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"You will call my dog "sir" because even he outranks you. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"   TD.

"Manila" John Basilone - America's Hero - The Sergeant York of WWII "When Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone voluntarily returned to the Pacific war it would be on the sands of Iwo Jima 19, February, 1945. At the head of another machine gun squad, he would drive hundreds of frightened raw troops off the beaches toward their assigned objectives. Iwo would be his toughest fight. Barely on the island two hours, he was killed leading his men."

"Gunnery Sergeant Manila John Basilone was the only Marine in WWII to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross."  HBO's "The Pacific" featured Sgt Basilone.

Our first sight of Sgt. Basilone's name was seeing the street running past our training area at Camp Pendleton that was named after him. TD

From 2009: Missing Marine Dead Discovered on Tarawa "The remains of more than 100 marines who were killed during the battle of Tarawa appear to have been discovered in mass graves on the tiny Pacific atoll, according to a group that conducted a search with ground-penetrating radar this fall."  OVERVIEW OF THE ASSAULT ON TARAWA  Some aerial photos here.

 aerial view of Betio looking southeast on the afternoon of 20 November 1943.

The island is covered with smoke and haze from the battle. US Navy Photo

Tunnel Dweller's old outfit: Alpha Company, 2nd Marine Rgt , 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, NC .  Highest rank at discharge: Corporal.
Our drill instructors were veterans of Korea. The boots who followed us went to Vietnam. One will always wonder: would I have been the kind of Marine that so many of those men before and after us were?


 Here is an excellent Marine wife's blog. She needs to update it, however.

Korea, 1950:  The Inchon Landings:  "Still, we were almost all Regulars. All senior officers and most senior Navy POs and Marine NCOs were WWII veterans. The battalion assaulting Wolmi were fresh from victory over North Korea's toughest at 1st and 2nd Naktong. Justified or not, we had infinite confidence."

 Chosin Reservoir  "Windrich was also wounded in the head by a bursting grenade.  As blood gushed down his shoulder and back he moved his remaining men into a tight fire group.   Then he ran to the company command post, drafting a small group of volunteers, and led them to evacuate the dying and wounded.   Assuming command of what was left of a platoon, Windrich once more took up defensive positions.  Now shot in both legs, he kept fighting, always refusing medical attention.  For a long time he crawled in the snow, back and forth between his men shouting words of encouragement, deploying his forces and helping to throw back the attackers."