Land the Fire Brigade

In spite of the initial successes of the North Korean Army in its surprise attack on 25 June 1950, the North Koreans did not achieve their initial goal of a quick surrender by the government of Syngman Rhee, nor the disintegration of the Korean Armed Forces. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur began transferring tons of munitions to the Korean forces and military air assets were used to evacuate civilians who were caught between the opposing forces, but this does not suggest that Korean civilians were safe approaching American lines. North Korean spies and sappers had infiltrated the civilian population; American forces were ordered to shoot first and ask questions later. As a consequence, many innocent civilians were killed by US and ROK forces.

On 2 July 1950, the Chief of Naval Operations ordered a reinforced regiment with supporting air assets be assembled for immediate transportation to Korea. On 7 July 1950, the First Provisional Marine Brigade — stripped out from an already under-strength First Marine Division — was activated and placed under the command of Brigadier General Edward A. Craig. The major elements of the brigade included the 5th Marine Regiment, Marine Aircraft Group 33, and supporting arms. The brigade’s strength was 6,534, and within ten days after receiving the warning order, on 12 July 1950, the first elements set sail for the Far East. On 14 July, all the remaining units of the brigade departed from the West Coast, and within twenty days, two Marine air squadrons had commenced combat operations from escort carriers

The 8th Army became operational in Korea by 13 July 1950. As the North Koreans continued to push its way down the peninsula against the outnumbered American and scattered Republic of Korea defenders, the 24th Infantry Division struggled tenaciously to slow the invaders but by 21 July, Taejon was surrendered to the North Koreans after street-by-street, house-by-house combat. The division's forces were spread as far south as Taegu and its commander, Major General William F. Dean, became missing in action during the battle for Taejon. Although defeated, the 8th Army gained time to stiffen its resistance with the 25th Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions, which arrived to man critical sectors of an ever- shrinking front.

Eventually, the 8th Army, along with remaining ROK forces assigned to it, was moved into the southeast corner of Korea which became known as the Pusan Perimeter. General Walker declared that Pusan would be no Dunkirk: "The Eighth Army would stay in Korea until the invader was expelled from the territory of the Republic of Korea." Fighting off continued attacks all across the perimeter, the Eighth Army was eventually able to hold its positions and grow in strength, both in terms of personnel, equipment, and experienced small unit leaders.

With the 8th United States Army being pressed back into what became known as the Pusan Perimeter, entirely the result of personnel and equipment cuts that took all military forces to a “bare bones” level, General MacArthur had important plans for the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade. His original plan was to have the Brigade (both ground and air) disembark at Kobe, Japan and engage in several weeks of training and rehearsal before being employed in combat. But the situation in Korea became critical when the 8th Army was unable to hold the line at the Kum River and the city of Chinju was lost to the North Korean forces. Now, the left flank of UN forces was turned and Pusan itself was threatened. By 1 August 1950, five of the 8th Army’s seven infantry divisions were nearing exhaustion and panic was setting in among the tightly packed Pusan region. One set of rumors were contradicted by new, equally false reports — but all were alarming to civilians and defenders alike.

The Pusan perimeter consisted of 125 miles of mountains, plains, and rivers. Attacking forces always retain the initiative over defenders, so in many instances the question wasn’t whether UN forces could hold the line, but rather where the next breakthrough would occur. Upon arrival in Korea ahead of the Brigade, Brigadier General Craig familiarized himself with the military situation around the Pusan Perimeter, and it wasn’t a pleasant picture. North Korean forces dominated all areas north of the Naktong River, held the city of Yongdak on the east coast, and they were threatening the city of Masan, which was only 35 miles from Pusan. He knew that unless the North Koreans were stopped, no matter what General Walker had said, the Americans would experience their own “Dunkirk.”

Of the 8 infantry divisions serving under the 8th Army, four were American and four South Korean. The American divisions had been hastily formed from occupation forces serving in Japan, and even more hastily committed to combat; they were lacking essential equipment and training, and they were staffed at only 40% of normal war time strength. In General Craig’s opinion, these divisions were psychologically and physically unprepared for battle. The combination of defeat, retreat, lack of experience, and poor discipline were contributing factors in this most critical situation. In addition, the number of soldiers who were missing in action produced low morale and a feeling of hopelessness. ROK forces, who were primarily trained for constabulary duties, were utterly outclassed by the North Koreans.

Facing American and ROK forces were eleven infantry divisions of the North Korean People's Army (NKPA). They were well trained, well equipped, and led by experienced officers and NCOs; many were seasoned veterans who gained experience while fighting with the Chinese Communists against Chinese Nationalists. There was no doubt in the minds of North Korean senior officers that they would be in Pusan before the 15th of August.

On 2 August 1950, elements of the brigade came ashore at Pusan, and General Craig met with his senior officers. He told them:

“The situation is serious, gentlemen. With forces available, it is obvious that the perimeter cannot be held in strength. Eighth Army has adopted a plan of holding thinly and ounter-attacking enemy penetrations to keep them off balance to prevent them from launching a coordinated effort.”

“At the moment, General Walker is undecided in what area we’re going to be used. We may go north of Taegu and operate on the left flank of the 1st Cavalry Division, or we may go west to check an enemy advance along the Masan Road. It all depends upon where the greatest threat develops.”

“We’re going into battle against a vicious, well-trained enemy in what will be an extended land campaign. Unfortunately, we will have to forget the plan of an amphibious landing. We will miss the vehicles we had to leave behind in San Diego. Much of our moving will be done on foot. We will leave all nonessential supplies and equipment in storage on the docks right here. We’ll carry with us two days of rations, and two units of fire.” (See note, below)

“The Pusan Perimeter is like a weakened dike and we’ll be used to plug the holes in it as they open. We’re a brigade — a fire brigade. It will be costly fighting against a numerically superior enemy. Marines have never yet lost a battle; this Brigade will not be the first to establish such a precedent. Unloading will begin at once.”

At dawn the next day, the 5th Marine Regiment moved west to an assembly area at Changwon. Initially, the Marines were ordered to the west of Pusan to protect the Army’s southern flank. The Marines promptly closed with the enemy and defeated them, but around the same time, elements of the NKPA were pressing towards Masan and the brigade was assigned Sachon as its objective as part of the U.S. Army 25th Division's counterattack.

On 7 August 1950, a month after its activation and the anniversary of the Marine landing on Guadalcanal, the Brigade launched an attack toward Chinju, but as the 5th Marines were about to enter Sachon on 13 August, they received new orders to disengage the enemy and move towards the so-called "Naktong Bulge" — a salient created by the 4th NKPA Division crossing the river near Obong-ni, some 75 miles north of Sachon. Within the Perimeter, the Marine Brigade was to move over 350 miles within a 30 day period to meet and defeat the North Koreans at critical points. General Craig was correct: the Marines became the “fire brigade.”

Before 7 August, Marines from MAG-33 were already engaged in sorties in support of the 8th Army. Operating off the USS Badoeng Strait and USS Sicily, air squadrons consisted of VMF 323, VMF 214, and VMF(N) 513, flew close air support to infantry units, while VMO 6 was attached to the Brigade as observation aircraft. The honor of drawing the first enemy blood went to the aviation Marines on 5 August when corsairs from the Sicily provided the enemy with on-the-job training about what to expect from the World War II vintage gull-winged aircraft. While looking for targets of opportunity, a flight of corsairs led by Major Ken Reusser spotted trucks around a building and launched an attack, but the amount of anti-aircraft weapons used against the attacking Marines gave them cause to wonder what was inside the building. Another pass revealed a tank assembly plant, and so after destroying most of the trucks and around 30 enemy soldiers, Reusser returned his flight to the ship for refueling, rearmed the aircraft with napalm and rockets and planned a second mission. When the Marines had completed the second sortie of the day, there was no building, no tanks, and no evidence of surviving enemy soldiers.

In spite of President Truman's call for UN assistance, most UN member nations were facing the same kinds of post-World War II problems as the United States; only Great Britain’s commonwealth nations were able to field combat forces to assist with the Korean intervention — other nations would join the conflict later on. These circumstances largely made the beginning of the Korean War an American/South Korean show; from the beginning, the “issue was in doubt.”

(Continued)

Note: A unit of fire is the amount of ammunition a weapon will use in a single day.

Back to Korea

Fifty-five years ago, only five scant years after the end of World War II, Americans were doing their level best to get back to a normal life. Those men who survived the war returned to their civilian sector jobs in farming, law, manufacturing, marketing, or medicine doing their best to move forward in a peaceful world and an increasing American economy. Many World War II veterans went back to school, aided by the so-called GI Bill, and then started their own companies, medical practices, or law offices. No one, not even the government, realized that spies from communist North Korea had been engaged in infiltrating South Korea for the purpose of inciting the population against the regime of President Syngman Rhee, who was supported by the United States. In January 1950, Secretary of State Dean Acheson told the National Press Club that the United States was prepared to defend, if necessary, the Philippines, Aleutian Islands, Japan, and the Ryukyu Islands, which implied that the United States would not defend South Korea. Accordingly, North Korea, aided by the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China decided to invade the South and consolidate, or unify, the Korean peninsula under its communist regime.

The North Korean attack occurred suddenly and without warning on 25 June 1950 with a thunderous artillery barrage along the 38th Parallel. South Korean forces, poorly trained and equipped, fled to the south and within three days, the South Korean capital of Seoul was in the hands of the North Korean army. American forces were as surprised as the South Koreans; in spite of a CIA report to the contrary, Acheson assured members of Congress on 20 June 1950 that war on the Korean peninsula was unlikely. President Truman’s response to the invasion was deny the use of air strikes against North Korea, he ordered the 7th Fleet to protect Taiwan, obtained the support of the United Nations, and placed General of the Army Douglas MacArthur in overall command of America’s intervention. But the problem was that following substantial reductions in all of the military services by Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson (by direction of the President), the U. S. Army in Korea and Japan was substantially undermanned, under equipped, and less than adequately trained. Neither the American Army, nor its South Korean counterpart, was able to stop the rapid advancement of the North Korean armies.

Meanwhile, back in the United States from late June until early July, the United States was rapidly gearing up for war. Marine Corps units at Camp Pendleton, California were moving personnel and equipment from under strength battalions to the 5th Marine Regiment, but even with such realignments, the Marines were a long way from being considered “full strength,” or ready for war. Brigadier General Edward A. Craig, who was acting as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division was designated to command the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade, which was being formed around the 5th Marines. The situation was so critical at this point that Marine who were home on leave were notified that their vacations were cancelled and ordered to report back to their units immediately. Married Marines and Navy Corpsmen who reported for work were told that “all liberty was cancelled until further notice.” Military wives were kept in the dark, but they knew something was up.

In order to form the Brigade, the Division staff was divided up in order to provide necessary supporting elements of a combat ready brigade. From more than 105 posts and stations throughout the United States, Marines were ordered to report “without delay” to Camp Pendleton, California. Marines on independent duty, recruiting assignments, Marine Detachments, Marine Barracks, and staff assignments were directed to “pack your gear,” and these direly needed Marines began to report in for duty in droves by plane, train, and bus.

Rifle companies with key billets filled by seasoned combat veterans from World War II began filling empty slots within rifle platoons with newly assigned Marines. Training plans were implemented immediately to bring all personnel “up to speed” with weapons familiarization and rifle qualification. More than 90% of the officers and 65% of the noncommissioned officers had served in combat, while only 10% of the privates through corporal had ever heard a shot fired in anger. It was the task of the officers and NCOs to get their newly assigned Marines ready for the ultimate test of lethal combat.

While new Marines were flooding in to Camp Pendleton, the Marines began drawing necessary equipment from the Marine Corps Supply Depot at Barstow, California. After World War II, the Marines had placed into storage every piece of equipment that was operational or salvageable for just such an event as the Korean War. Cargo trucks, amphibian DUKW’s, jeeps, trailers, and amphibious tractors were hauled to Camp Pendleton and staged for deployment. There were more veterans of Iwo Jima and Okinawa among the vehicles than there were among the Marines designated to operate them. With each passing day, activity at Camp Pendleton became more intense. Newly joined Marines were issued weapons, clothing, and equipment; they prepared last wills of testament, administered inoculations, completed insurance forms, and made out pay allotments to their dependents. New weapons were issued, such as the 3.5” rocket launcher and the M-26 Pershing Tank.

As one writer described it, “In orderly disorder, the Brigade began to get its affairs in shape.” But then, the axe fell when Headquarters Marine Corps directed that Marines with six months or less remaining on their enlistment contracts, and who had decided not to reenlist, were to be left behind. This was a decision that cost the Marines a number of key men, but the rule was not as devastating as first thought. Sixty-five percent of the Marines who were eligible to remain behind decided to reenlist, even knowing that they were going into combat.

Along with the infantry units, air squadrons from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing were also getting ready to deploy in support of the Brigade. Air and ground staff officers planned for close air support, while squadron and air group commanders addressed the daunting task of deploying aircraft and ground support equipment. The air wing faced the same personnel and equipment challenges as the division. Leaves were cancelled, transfers rescinded, and equipment shortages were resolved by stripping some units so that Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG 33) could have it.

Just prior to boarding ship at the San Diego Navy Station, Brigadier General Craig addressed his Marines:

“Gentlemen, this brigade is going to Korea to fight. We are not the first, nor will we be the last Marines who are sent to war. In one hundred seventy five years, Marines have been sent to fight in hundreds of small wars and ten big ones. You have read the papers and have seen pictures of Korea. You know the kind of enemy we’ll meet and what they have done to wounded left behind. As long as there is a Marine alive who can fire a rifle
or throw a grenade, we will not leave a wounded or dead Marine on the field.”

“It has been necessary for troops now fighting in Korea to pull back at times, but I am stating now that no unit of this Brigade will retreat except on orders from authority higher than the 1st Marine Brigade. You will never receive an order to retreat from me. All I ask is that you fight as Marines have always fought. If you do that, I can ask no more.”

With these words, the Marines of the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade prepared to sail for Korea. They would become known as the “fire brigade.”

(Continued)

Telephone Etiquette

Not long after I assumed my new duties as the Executive Officer, 7th Motor Transport Battalion, I received a telephone call from higher headquarters from a senior officer not at all pleased with the manner in which some of our Marines were answering the telephone in the battalion’s maintenance shop. It was strongly suggested that I remedy this problem, as there was then (and I suspect still is) a prescribed way in which Marines answer the phone. The colonel did not elaborate about his specific displeasure, and the discussion, as I recall, was decidedly going in only one direction.

After fetching for myself a cup of joe, I returned to my office, picked up the telephone, and dialed the number to the maintenance shop. This is what the young Marine said as he answered the telephone:

“Maintenance Section, 7th Motor Transport Battalion. You call, we haul. We got two bys, four bys, six bys, and dem longgggg muthas that bend in the middle and go ‘spishhhhhh.’ Dis is Lance Corporal (name), whatchyer pleasure sir?”

“Good afternoon, corporal. This is the Battalion Exec . . . may I speak to the Maintenance Officer please?”

Copyright, 2005

November Duty

People generally always remember the first time they have ever done something. The first parachute jump, the first child to come into your life, or maybe even the first time you woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t remember where you were. Each of us has many such “firsts;” some of them more important than others, and therefore easy to recall in later life. One of my “firsts” occurred in 1963 while a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

At that time, I had nowhere to go but up in the Marine Corps rank structure. I was a private, and the junior man in my squad. I was also the most “boot” Marine in the company. Under such circum-stances, you are on the receiving end of almost everything. The only responsibility I had then was to do what I was told, and do it to the best of my ability. When given a task to perform, I learned not to question it because to do so would clearly draw far more attention to my self than I wanted. As they say, keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut. For the most part, I was able to do that successfully.

Thus, when assigned as the company “assistant duty noncommissioned officer,” I didn’t ask how a mere private could be the assistant duty noncommissioned officer. I simply reported to the Duty NCO, whose name was Corporal Graham, at the prescribed time. He told me what to do, and I did it. When it came time for the Corporal Graham to make his appointed rounds, I sat at his desk and answered the telephone. If someone came into the company area and the DNCO was not available, I asked if there was some thing I could do to help.

At about 1400 hours (2:00 p.m.), Corporal Graham informed me that he intended to make a tour of the area and he placed me at the desk. He said, “If anything important comes up, write it down on this pad of paper and I’ll decide whether it goes in the log book when I return.” I sat at the desk and listened to the corporal’s radio while he made his rounds. The music station was interrupted by a news bulletin.

“Ladies and gentlemen, President John F. Kennedy has been shot in Dallas, Texas.” I noted the time. It was 1425. I wrote it down on the pad of paper on Corporal Graham’s desk.

When Corporal Graham returned from making his rounds, he noted the entry on the pad of paper, and he looked up at me unbelievingly. “Are you serious, private?” He turned on the television in the recreation room and we watched the events live.

It was one of my life’s experiences I shall never forget. I cannot recall a single other event that oc-curred on that day.



Copyright, 2005

Lieutenant Herring

I have wanted to write about Lieutenant George F. Herring for a long time; simply, I have not been able to do that. I’m giving it a try now because I am in a nostalgic mood, and because this is a story that should be told. It is a short story about one American who elected to serve his country in the United States Marine Corps, and one of many who sacrificed a great deal for something he believed in.

When I first reported in to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, First Lieutenant Herring was the weapons platoon commander. Since I was assigned to the 3rd Platoon, I didn’t have much contact with the lieutenant, or any other officer for that matter. Later, however, Lieutenant Herring assumed the duty of Company Executive Officer (XO) and so he was frequently in and around the company area. I remember him as a tall, solidly built young man (although at that time, he was at least ten years older than I). He had light brown hair. I know he played football in college, although I do not know what college he attended. I have no idea what kind of relationship he had with our company commander; enlisted Marines were never privy to that kind of information. But I can say that in every instance when I observed him moving about the company, whether we were in garrison or in the field, he was cool headed, professional, and easy going. He was quick to smile, hand out an “atta boy,” and if he had a suggestion, he always took the platoon commander aside and spoke to him privately and quietly. There was a certain quality about Lieutenant Herring that made him stand out from the platoon commanders, and indeed the skipper. One had the impression that he really cared about you, even though he never pried into the personal business of any Marines. I know that we all had a lot of confidence in Lieutenant Herring, and I know that some of us, in really personal matters would from time to time say, “Should I ask the XO for his opinion?”

After 14 months with the 8th Marines, I received change of duty station orders sending me to a Marine Detachment in Norfolk, Virginia. Thanks to our First Sergeant, I was going there as a basic administrative man, but I suppose the long term consequences of that were positive. I have written extensively about life at the Marine Detachment, and it was a good thing that I was not routinely assigned as a security guard. It was a monotonous and thankless task made all the more difficult by what can only be described as mediocre leadership. In any case, I spend two years in Norfolk, leaving there with orders in hand for the Republic of Vietnam. While attending pre-deployment training at Camp Pendleton, California, I happened to run into Sergeant Graham, with whom I’d served at E/2/8; he was a corporal then. He related this story to me.

Lieutenant Herring left the 8th Marines with orders to the 3rd Marine Division. When the Marines were first committed to Vietnam, Lieutenant Herring was among them. I seem to recall Graham telling me that he had been assigned to the 9th Marines, although I’m not really sure about that. In any case, Lieutenant Herring stepped on a land mine and he lost both of his legs. He was medically evacuated and returned to the United States for extensive medical treatment, and he ultimately survived his wounds. After his discharge from the Marine Corps, he was fitted with such devices as would enable him to operate a motor vehicle, and he returned home to his family. I seem to recall that he was from North Carolina — but again, I’m not entirely certain. About a year later, according to Graham, Lieutenant Herring was killed in an automobile accident.

What I do know for certain is that I was totally devastated by Sergeant Graham’s story. When I knew Lieutenant Herring, I was a boot private, having been promoted to lance corporal just prior to leaving Echo Company. I didn’t know the man personally, and of course we were not friends. I was just another Marine in a full company of similarly attired young men who happened to hold Lieutenant Herring in high regard, and not because he was the best officer the Marine Corps ever produced (which is something I could never know), but because he treated all of us with respect. His orders always began with “I have a mission I’d like you to tackle . . .” His orders were always immediately carried out, with no grumbling whatsoever. Of course we would obey the orders of the officers appointed over us, but there was something about Lieutenant Herring that made us want to do what he asked.

Lieutenant George Herring is no longer with us, but he isn’t gone either; I still (and frequently) think of him. Semper Fidelis, sir.

Copyright, 2005

Jungle Training, Day Five

Jungle training at Fort Sheridan, Panama was at least interesting. We worked hard on silencing our gear to avoid the clanging of such equipment as water canteens and weapons, we practiced movements to contact, assaulting positions in various squad and fire team formations, setting up hasty defensive positions, and then creating linear and perimeter defenses. We practiced patrolling, setting up ambushes, and we established observation and listening posts. We learned to camouflage and conceal our positions, and we learned that improving our positions was a constant chore because vegetation becomes wilted after a while.

Throughout training, our Corpsmen were constantly making sure that we were taking our salt tablets, and they gave us anti-malarial pills, too. For the most part, we were sweaty, smelly Marines. We were constantly admonished to change our socks, conserve our water, and to “shut the hell up” in the ranks. Everything we did simulated combat conditions — that is the Marine Corps definition of training, except we did go “administrative” when the skipper decided that it was time for a field class on one thing or another. Then, platoons would “stack arms,” someone would be assigned to guard our weapons, and we went to a pre-determined position to learn “jungle survival skills.” We learned, for example, that only an idiot would starve to death in the jungle because there was so much to eat — if you knew how to find it. Yep, beetles and ants will keep you alive once you get past that pasty taste of their guts in your mouth, and getting beetle’s legs down your throat. I remember thinking that starvation was an option, and that was before we got to the snakes.

After being in the field for five days, the company bivouac was set up along one of the estuaries adjacent to the canal. Army Special Forces used the area for training, and there was a transit rope extended from a high point on a hill across the river to our side. For some reason, I do not recall running into fire ants up until we established our bivouac, but they forced our platoon to relocate our shelter-halves to another position further away from the bank of the estuary. We also ran into the largest lizards I’ve ever seen, and large black scorpions vied with us for a position near the water buffalo. No one tried to kill them, and they didn’t seem particularly aggressive toward us either. But we all hated those fire ants, and those damn mosquitoes. In those days, mosquito nets were not part of the “basic issue.”


The next morning, we had a period of grab-ass and Marines could participate in team athletics or they could swim in the estuary. We didn’t realize at the time that the water was brackish, a combination of fresh and salt water, and no one gave much thought to the kinds of critters that might live in that estuary—that is, not until one of the Marines was stung by what the “doc” said was jellyfish. Afterward, we all resolved to go into the water as a group. My group decided to swim the distance to the other side of the estuary so we could slide across the transit rope. I seem to recall that the distance to the other side was considerable, perhaps 500 meters. As we reach the mid-way point, some one on the other side shouted out, “Hey you guys . . . there’s an Anaconda in the river!” We stopped swimming to get confirmation of what the Marine had said, and I asked, “What in the hell is an Anaconda?” No sooner had one of my buddies answered that question, and I was already halfway back to our side of the estuary. I don’t think I ever moved so fast in the water, either before or since that day. It was the last time I went into brackish water, however—and I’m talking a little over 41 years ago.

That afternoon, we broke camp, policed up the area, squared away our gear, had an inspection, and moved to an afternoon field classroom for additional instruction. Enroute, I again noted that the weather and climate pattern in Panama ranged from hot and humid, to hotter and more humid, but in spite of that, platoon morale was high. About five miles along, we had to move off the dirt road to allow the passage of ten or fifteen six-by’s full of soldiers who were being transported in the opposite direction. Third platoon was second in the order of march, and everything was fine until Corporal Myers began calling them “candy-asses.” Naturally, the doggies started cat-calling back at us, and our overall discipline began to decline. Once the trucks had passed us, the company came to a halt, and there was a short meeting between the company commander and platoon commanders. Then there was a shorter meeting between our platoon commander and platoon sergeant, followed by a one way admonition by the platoon sergeant that we were a disgrace to the company. We were moved to fourth in line of march, which meant that the short legged people did more running than marching to “keep it closed up.” Corporal Davis opined that Myers ought to have his ass kicked because he started it.

After our afternoon “class,” we marched again until we came to an Army base camp that served as a barrack for troops in training. We grounded our gear, we fed evening chow courtesy of the Army mess hall (the food was pretty good, as I recall) and then it was decided that the Marines ought to have a drill competition with some of the troops in residence. Corporal Myer’s activities earlier that afternoon resulted in Third Platoon being nominated to participate in the drill — and of course this later resulted in Davis and Myers stepping around the back side of a storage building to settle things “mano y mano.” In any case, our tired, dirty, smelly Marines were pathetic in the competition, which did no more than to further convinced our skipper that the “third herd” had no redeeming value, either to our company, the 8th Marines, or to the United States Marine Corps.

About an hour later, we formed up for helicopter transportation back to the ship. Those of us who were “boots” developed an entirely new appreciation for shipboard life after Jungle Training. Now, as I recall these days of my youth, there is almost nothing I wouldn’t give to be able to go back and be a grunt in Echo Company.

Copyright, 2005

Jungle Training

One constant truth about the Marine Corps is that it never passes up an opportunity for training. “Show of force,” or not, there was no reason for Battalion Landing Team 2/8 to be in Panama if we weren’t going to take advantage of the opportunity for jungle training. And, it just so happens, Panama is nothing but jungle. Shortly after our arrival in Panama, a rigorous training program was implemented to exercise the talents of all facets of the BLT. Our initial deployment to Fort Sheridan, Panama was via helicopter lift from the area of the pier where our ship was tied up. Subsequent movements involved the leather soles of our boots, and a water-borne movement across Lemon Bay. In those days, the principal helicopter lift capability was the UH34, which provided an unparalleled experience in sheer terror. Sergeant Jack contributed to that feeling when he said, shouting in my ear as I got aboard my first helicopter, “When we touch down, get out fast — these things some times explode while landing.”

Enroute to Sheridan, we were introduced to one of the joys of piloting helicopters. We flew over a beach filled with sun-tanning females, which was as close to sun-tanning females as we got during our deployment. As the helicopters settled on the clearing, we exited the aircraft as quickly as possible, and I managed to fall on my face as I tried to put as much distance between myself and the helicopter, expecting at any moment for the bird to blow up.

We moved out of the clearing as soon as the squad leader had everyone accounted for in order to make room for follow on aircraft. For the next three hours, we moved in a column of two files through the jungle, and within that period, it rained three times. I do not recall my uniform being dry, from either rain or the sweat of the high humidity during the entire period of our training. Units in movement always seem to expand as people with long legs take greater strides than people who are short of stature, and there must be a rule of physics that long-legged people always end up at the head of the column. Unit leaders constantly admonished us to “close it up,” and those of us in the 3rd Platoon were constantly running to keep a proper interval with the Marine in front of us; Marines began to bitch about the pace of march.

Finally, we reached an area where we were told to establish a perimeter defense. Squad leaders were kept busy making sure that we were preparing fighting holes properly, that everyone had a clear sector of defense, and that automatic weapons were set up with interlocking fields of fire. Listening posts were set out, passwords were sent down the line, and after that, rations were distributed among the troops. No fires—cold chow—50% alert.

The next morning, a sudden racket from behind our positions shattered early dawn. Within seconds, a wild pig ran as fast as it could go to the right of our foxhole, and right behind it was Corporal Myers, determined to catch it for that evening’s dinner. Myers and the pig disappeared in the thick foliage down the hill in front of us, and all we could hear was the snapping of wood, the movement of vegetation, the squealing of a pig in rapid egress, and occasional cursing from Corporal Myers. It was an hour before Myers returned, welcomed back to our position by a massive ass chewing from the platoon sergeant. Even worse, the pig had made a successful escape and Corporal Davis frequently reminded Myers he was an embarrassment to the entire platoon.

Copyright, 2005

America’s Marines

Following the skirmish with British troops at Concord and Lexington, the Second Continental Congress resolved, on 10 November 1775, "That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one Colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, two majors and other officers, as usual in other regiments; that they consist of an equal number of privates as with other battalions, that particular care be taken that no persons be appointed to offices, or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve for and during the present war with Great Britain and the Colonies; unless dismissed by Congress; that they be distinguished by the names of the First and Second Battalions of Marines."

While the American Revolution may have been as much an intellectual event as it ever was an armed conflict, America’s Marines were created with one primary purpose — to provide for the projection of naval power ashore. Recruitment began at Tun Tavern in the city of Philadelphia. The duties of these early Marines were to provide shipboard detachments that performed a multitude of tasks. They not only provided for the security and good order of early naval vessels, but they also served as sharpshooters who were stationed in ship’s masts, which gave them a good field of fire down onto the decks of enemy ships. Continental Marines also made two amphibious landings during the Revolutionary War period both operations involved the seizure of naval stores and shipping in the Bahamas. The senior Marine officer, regarded as the Corps’ first Commandant, was Major Samuel Nichols. Under his leadership, four additional companies were raised and participated in the Battle for Princeton under General George Washington.

From these early beginnings, America’s Marines have continuously and consistently distinguished themselves in the service of their country. In the early 19th Century, a small detachment of Marines and sailors under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, along with over 300 Arab and European mercenaries deposed the dictator of Tripoli because he attacked American ships and desecrated the flag of the United States. As a result of his intrepidity in the face of overwhelming forces during the Battle of Derna (the Barbary Wars), Hemet Karamanli presented Lieutenant O’Bannon with a Mameluke sword, the model upon which all Marine Officer continue to carry.

Marines also participated in the Mexican-American war, serving with great distinction in several important battles. Marines assaulted the Castillo de Chapultepec, which overlooked Mexico City and they were later placed on guard duty at the Mexican Presidential Palace, "The Halls of Montezuma." From these two early engagements came the famous opening words of the Marine Corps Hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma, To the Shores of Tripoli.”

America’s Marines participated in the American Civil War. As early as 1859, one detachment of 90 Marines, commanded by Lieutenant Israel Green, served alongside Lieutenant James Ewell Brown (JEB) Stuart under the overall command of Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee in suppressing John Brown’s raid at Harper’s Ferry. In the words of Lee, “I must also ask to express . . . my entire commendation of the conduct of the detachment of Marines, who were at all times ready and prompt in the execution of any duty."

19th Century the Marines also participated in combat operations in Korea, Cuba, the Philippines, and China. During the so-called “Banana Wars,” American Marines were employed throughout the Caribbean in places such as Haiti, Nicaragua, and the Isthmus of Panama. The experience gained by the Marines in counter-insurgency and guerrilla operations was later consolidated into the now famous “Small Wars Manual.”

During World War I, battle-tested Marines served a central role in the U.S. entry into the conflict. Serving along side regular Army units, U. S. Marines earned a reputation in combat as fierce, determined, and as exceptional marksmen. During the Battle of the Belleau Wood, Marines were employed as shock troops, earning the motto "First to Fight.” During this period, the exploits of the Marines was chronicled in the famous book, “With the Help of God, and a few Marines.” The battle of Belleau Wood established the Marines' reputation in modern history. Rallying under the battle cries of, "Retreat hell! We just got here!” [Captain Lloyd Williams] and "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” [Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly, two time Medal of Honor recipient], the Marines drove German forces from the area. It was also during this period that the Marines earned their nickname, “Devil Dogs,” given to them by the luckless Germans who found themselves the principal focus of the wrath of the American Marines.

Following World War I, the Marines became proactive in evaluating their role in future conflicts. It was during this period that the Marine Corps developed amphibious warfare doctrine, and in the period before World War II, the Navy-Marine Corps team planned, trained, and developed new concepts in the execution of full scale amphibious landings.

In World War II, the Marines played a central role in the Pacific War. During this period, the Marine Corps expanded from two Brigades to two full corps with six infantry divisions and five air wings, which consisted of 132 squadrons. Major battles at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa saw fierce fighting between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Japanese Army. One remarkable innovation was the employment of the now-famous Navajo Code Talkers, which provided operational communications security throughout the Pacific battles, confounding the Japanese as to the intention of Marine forces.

The Korean War saw the Marines land at Inchon and assault north into North Korea along with the Army. As U.S. forces approached the Yalu River, the People's Republic of China, fearing an incursion by American forces, sent armies over the river to engage American forces within Korea. At the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the First Marine Division was vastly outnumbered by regular, battle-tested Chinese forces. Colonel Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller remarked to journalists, “We've been looking for the enemy for several days now, we've finally found them. We're surrounded. That simplifies our problem of getting to these people and killing them." The Marine’s withdrawal from the Chosin Reservoir was a significant accomplishment considering the fact they were surrounded by an estimated ten Chinese divisions. Augmented by remnants of the 7th Infantry Division, and British Commandos, the Marines recovered equipment abandoned by the 8th Army in their disordered retreat from North Korea. Major General Frank E. Lowe, USA said of the Marines, “The safest place in Korea was right behind a squad of U. S. Marines.”

American Marines also played an important role in the Vietnam War, which involved the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions. Major engagements included battles at Da Nang, Hue, and Khe Sanh. The Marines were among the first troops deployed to Vietnam, and they were among the last to leave during the evacuation of the American embassy in Saigon.

After Vietnam, Marines served in a number of important events and places, including repatriation of the hijacked ship Mayaquez, and the invasion of Granada in 1983. During the Granada operation, JCS Chairman General John Vessey, USA remarked, “We have two companies of Marines running rampant all over the northern half of this island, and three Army regiments pinned down in the southwestern corner, doing nothing. What the hell is going on?” Marines also participated in peacekeeping operations in Lebanon, Somalia, and the 1st Gulf War in 1991 where the Marines were responsible for liberating Kuwait while Army units made an attack into Iraq. In 1995, Marines performed a successful mission in Bosnia, rescuing Captain Scott O'Grady, a downed Air Force fighter pilot. Most recently, Marines served prominently in the invasion and occupation of Iraq, where a light, mobile, and fierce force was especially needed.

America’s Marines — always ready, first to fight, and dedicated to the prosecution of American foreign policy “in any climb and place, from dawn to setting sun.” For nearly 230 years, the Marines have distinguished themselves in peace and war, and at home and abroad. Providing a significant amount of America’s combat forces at a fraction of the price tag associated with the other services, the Marines continue to work along side the United States Navy, and with minor exceptions, its overall mission remains unchanged since 1775. Marine Corps innovation and invention, from the world’s first successful amphibious landings to the employment of helicopters in vertical assault operations, from the development of expeditionary task organization to the employment of maritime pre-positioned logistical forces, the President of the United States knows that it can always count on the Marines getting the job done.

I am proud to be an American; prouder still of being one of America’s Marines. Perhaps President Ronald Reagan described being an American Marine best of all when he said, “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they’ve made a difference in the world. The Marines don’t have that problem.”