hey, malm!

Speaking of trigger fingers and boot camp. I remember a PMI burning a blister on a guys trigger finger with a zippo to get him to stop jerking the trigger...and it worked!

Did you ever get the pleasure of having to push the safety on, on an M14 with the bridge of your nose? That was a fun one!

The most painful thing I remember was being made to kneel on those steel stakes for the shelter halves. They were triangular and the DI’s would make you kneel on them then they would come up behind you and force your feet off the ground so all your weight would go to your knees and those suckers would just dig in to your knee caps.

I don’t know about you, but I laugh my ass off when I hear people talking about the “torture†of prisoners at Gitmo and Abu whatever the fuck it was.

The worse thing that those guys had to go through was putting Linde Englands panties on their head...well, come to think of it maybe that would be worse than what we got in boot camp!

Had to laugh about ABU WTF also. I would have to
agree that Linde's panties is a BAD thing
I rememder the tent stakes, push ups on knuckles while holding the M14 and my ass running into the side of the hut(silly me).

Rick,where did you qual at. Chapel Flats?(sp?)
Gene

gene,

Prior to Edson range at Pendelton they used Camp Mathews, which I believe was closed down (land sold off) sometime in the mid 1960’s.

Had forgot about it as I went to Edson. Here is
an intresting link for those who have not seen
it.

http://www.militarymuseum.org/SDMarines.html

If I remember right Edson was yards and the Flats in meters.
gene

Gene,

I know you remember the motivation-platoon but did your DI’s give you the BS story about the DI-hit squad that would take certain screw ups off at night and “lose them†forever?

I remember at 17 I didn’t totally disbelieve it at the time...especially after seeing some guys come back from motivation platoon with that blank stare in their eyes and their refusal to even talk about it.

I often wondered later on if these guys were “plants†used to scare the holly be-Jesus out of all of us. If they were it sure did work on me!

I remember, and at 17 I KNEW I was seconds from
death. We were out for a run and we were told
that the guys swinging sledges with 50 Cal Barrels for handles needed motivation. The broken rocks were put on the scales and if not enough, beaten badly. 2nd miss and you could vanish. We Knew about ass wippings so we bought
the rest.

quote:

By Rick 0311
I don’t know about you, but I laugh my ass off when I hear people talking about the “torture†of prisoners at Gitmo and Abu whatever the fuck it was.

The nights I cry myself to sleep worrying about the treatment of the prisoners at ABU and Gitmo...

Speaking of torture, what was up with that knuckle shit anyway? The punishment I loved was marching out on the grinder on our knuckles, keeping in mind that that first step should be a loud, distinct crack!

Or, in the leaning rest position, again on our knuckles, on the pavement while cradling our M-14's in the palms of our hands. That was usually good for the occasional kick to the head if any part of the rifle touched the deck.

Or, the time we were again on our knuckles, again on the pavement, in the leaning rest position, with our haversacks full of sand, while the asshole that caused the problem was allowed to stand and smoke in front of us. And then, everytime someone's knees touched the deck, time was added to our punishment, and the one who's knees touched the ground got to stand and "smoke'em if he had'em". Ah yes, a "blanket party" taking form, and you're ALL invited!

But those thoughts give way to the more milder moments like when we got to do some unscheduled swimming because some "brothers" were caught pissing in the showers so we had to use our towels to block the drains to form a makeshift swimming pool. Yeah, that was real fun...

Of course we had some humorous moments as well. Like when Pvt Trudell's girlfriend would send him packets of KoolAid for his canteen, and the intercepting DI would pour the contents in his mouth with a little warm water and have him stationary double time to mix it. Or, the time my aunt, sent me a shoe box full of home made brownies and fudge to share with everyone. "Thank you Aunt Shirley!"

One particularly humorous moment that stands fresh in my mind was the time at the range during "snapping in", when one of the recruits had to make an emergency head call and failed to make the "siren" noise as he ran for the head. A short time later when we were given the chance to go ourselves. We entered to find the recruit, standing in the toilet, trying to flush himself down, with the DI in his face screaming "disappear you fucking maggot!", and the recruit crying back, "Sir, the private won't go down sir". Of course you were not allowed to be seen enjoying yourself or it was off to the sand box for squat thrust and mountain climber drills... Like it was yesterday!

I think all us old farts need to go to the rest home for old grunts and just sit around swapping stories and chasing the nurses!

Sort of puts everything in perspective when you remember this stuff, and then you watch the news and see that a GI is being court marshalled for picking up a Koran and handing it to a prisoner without putting on the white sterile gloves first!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:
I think all us old farts need to go to the rest home for old grunts and just sit around swapping stories and chasing the nurses!

Wait a minute, I'm beginning to rethink this "old fart" thing... If Genes serial number is 2252980 and mine was 2567751, then perhaps I'm not quite the "old fart" I thought I was.

Who am I fucking kidding... Where's them nurses!

Rick damn you got me thinking. The worst thing that was done to me was nothing. That’s right, nothing.
About 2 weeks in we were in formation on the parade deck at San Diego doing the manual of arms. The PC
was giving commands and the Senior DI walking the ranks giving “personal instructionâ€. I went to right shoulder arms
and hit the edge of my shoulder and the M14 bounced and I heard something hit the deck. I didn’t know what was
up but was not about to look. I am at attention and in fear. Then the Senior DI says, with hand firmly around my neck,
Puke just turn around. No about face, no military shit, just turn the fuck around. Doing as I was told, about to pee in
pants, I see the SDI in all his bareheaded glory. Yup that’s it, He then tells me “pick up my fucking cover, just ground
your weapon and pick up my fucking cover.†I about dropped the weapon, picked up the smoky, brushing it off etc and
he yanks it out of my hand, puts it on, leans down into my face telling me how I was to die and soon. Ended this with
“fall back in you POS I will deal with you later.
For the rest of boot camp he held this over my head. Yes he beat me for other things but would stand and glare at me
while pointing at that cover. I wanted to go to the duty hut and request a beating just to get it over.
The last week of boot camp was the longest of my life as I knew it had to come then.
The next and last time I saw him was 2 years at Quantico where I was checking in and him out. I spoke not expecting
him to remember me. He stopped at the door called me by name pointed at his cover and smiled.
We both laughed.

Gene,

Ah, those were the days! It’s amazing what 17 year olds will put up with and actually consider to be “fun†sometimes!

One of my buddies was a house-mouse and he later told me about some of the laugh secessions he overheard in the duty hut when the DI’s would get together and talk about the days “interesting†activities. It must have been pretty hard for them to keep from busting out laughing in front of us allot of times.

Rick, you are so right. We must have been a real
sight some days and I know they must have had
a good laugh as I think back. He was still laughing about me 2 yrs later. Hell I'm still
am near 40 years later.
Gene

malm, we had the duty chewing gum. 1st guy chewed ALL he recieved and stuck it to the end
of the rack for the next guy to add to and chew
ALL. 76 letters went out that night I am sure

Then there was the Platoon Rock of Honor.
GOD

I had a couple of guys in my platoon that were real jerks and I contemplated more than once writing home and asking my mom to mail each of them a big fruit cake.

That is COLD.
Me to.

quote:

Originally posted by invader66:


That is COLD.
Me to.

So, I’m not the only sick minded bastard out there!

With my luck though my mom would have used our last name in the return address and the DI’s would have put 2 and 2 together and I would have had to eat the suckers.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:

quote:

Originally posted by invader66:


That is COLD.
Me to.

So, I’m not the only sick minded bastard out there!

With my luck though my mom would have used our last name in the return address and the DI’s would have put 2 and 2 together and I would have had to eat the suckers.

Rest assured brother you are not alone.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:

quote:

Originally posted by invader66:


That is COLD.
Me to.

So, I’m not the only sick minded bastard out there!

With my luck though my mom would have used our last name in the return address and the DI’s would have put 2 and 2 together and I would have had to eat the suckers.

Nope, you ain't alone.

If you would have gotten to eat the fruit cakes, you were lucky. Our SDI was a splib Staff Sergeant name of Taylor, and he usually requested the honor of monitoring mail call. He was as demented, and as twisted, as our PC, Gunny Zwak, and with the exception of the KoolAid kid, no one was permitted to eat anything that was sent them except the packaging...

Come to think of it, mail call wasn't on the video. They must have toned it waaaaay down to escape notice. It used to be the highlight of the day. Speaking of highlights, even the non believers believed in God on Sunday's. It was either "fall in for services", or, stay back and "Stand the fuck by"...

malm,

Boy my DI’s MADE the guy getting the food stand there and eat it...as fast as they could shove it in their mouth. If they weren’t shoving fast enough they got some “help†from one of the DI’s. Trust me, I never saw anyone “enjoy†their meal...and I don’t don’t know about you but I’d as soon eat my boots than have to eat even a bite of fruit cake!

The only good thing about recieving a fruit cake
for Christmas now is ya can put it in the freezer and give it to someone special
next year.
I would have killed me on mother fer sending
me a fruit cake in boot camp.

Great thread;I dont even try to relate to friends that were not there P.I in nov.of 62 most wouldnt believe it.But it was a great time for me wonderful leaders who wanted to make you a man.I was barely 18 waiting to go to Cuba and couldnt wait to get it done.One of my junior Drill instructors was John J. Mcginty CMH winner and I was never surprised he won it quite the man and from my home town.I love this guy to this day and he he stood on my fingers while I did push-ups and otherwise motivated me.I can still get her done.w/regards

"There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion."

--Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army


there it is

Just finished watching a Discovery channel program called "Making Marines Phase 3". I've felt pretty good about my 3 mile PFT run of 19:21 for the past 37 years until some little turd on this flick did it in 18 and change. Then I got to remembering, hey, we didn't have tenny runners and shorts, we had to do it in combat boots, utility trousers and tee shirts! Theres nothing quite as aerodynamically superior than utility trousers soaked with sweat and sand.

You speedy little devil you!

Some guy in another platoon, but same series as me, came real close to breaking the MCRD record. He did it in just over 17 minutes...and he was a little squatty linebacker looking guy.

Our PC told us that for anyone who came in 21 minutes or less, the lamp was lit, and being addicted to the lamp, I ran like a bastard.

seems like I did around 20-21 min. In the PI
after a weekend in Manila think I made it by
10 sec