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A Place at the table

Leatherneck highlights some of the Corps’ bese female Marines who are excelling in specialities that were closed to their predecessors..

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Membership Is The Lifeblood Of The MCA&F

Membership Is The Lifeblood Of The MCA&F. Members Benefit By Staying Connected To The Corps And By Being Part Of An Association That Fosters The Spirit, And Preserves The Rich Traditions Of The United States Marine Corps Throughout The Marine Corps Family. Other Benefits Include The Award Winning The Marine Corps Gazette And Leatherneck Magazine.

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sound of 10

The article, “Changes to the Marine Corps Rifle Squad Organization—One Marine’s Opinion,” in the September issue by Kyle Stubbeman was quite interesting. His reasons for keeping the existing organization were spot on.
I joined the 5th Marines at Camp Pendleton out of ITR in June of 1965 and later transferred to MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. From there, on into Vietnam. I do not recall ever having a sergeant squad leader. Corporals were the norm until we needed replacements, which were few and far between. I served as a lance corporal fire team leader in Vietnam. I understand the Corps had more on their plate than to worry about promotions. For a brief two- or three-week period I was a lance corporal squad leader awaiting a corporal replacement. It was during that time that a sergeant from supply transferred in wanting some “trigger-time.” First thing our platoon commander told him was to take the rank off his collars and assigned him to my squad as a rifleman. He was informed that when he showed leadership he would be assigned accordingly. That did not sit well with him. Without going into detail or names, his conduct in his first firefight got him shipped back to supply, at his request, faster than he arrived.
Jon Johnson
Sidney, Ohio

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Roving Patrol

In 1985, I was a member of “Hotel” Company while attending The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. We were barracked at Graves Hall.
One evening I was traveling back to base from a night out with my new girlfriend. As we slowly made our way through the Graves Hall parking lot, we passed another second lieutenant walking among the rows of cars. He wore camouflage utilities and a helmet and was carrying a flashlight. My date asked, “What’s that guy doing?”
“Guard duty. He’s the rover. He basically walks around the area to make sure there are no problems—no theft, no vandalism, no emergencies, that kind of thing.”
She seemed fascinated. “How long does he have to walk around like that?”
“Four hours.”
“Four hours! That’s a long time!”
“Yes, yes, it is,” I said. “I had that duty last weekend.”
As we drove past the poor boot lieutenant, she stared at him. “What’s that thing on his back?” she asked.
“Oh, that’s a PRC-77 radio.”
She considered that for a moment, and then offered: “Well, that would help, I guess. Four hours might not be so bad if you can find a good station.”
Jonathan Manis
USMC, 1985-94
Granite Bay, Calif.

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Dominance of Marine Marksmanship

After retiring as a gunnery sergeant in 1968, I spent the next 20 years as owner/operator of my own shooting range.
I began raising money to construct the Illinois Korean War Memorial. You cannot believe the time I spent and the people and places I encountered for the next seven years to raise $1.6 million: all at no pay.
The final fundraiser we had was at the Abe Lincoln Gun Club, Springfield, Ill. The shooters paid an entry fee, 100 percent of which went to our memorial fund. At age 65, I was quite content to help run the shoot, grade targets, etc., but then I started hearing, “Why ain’t the Gunny shooting?” “I reckon the Marines are chicken!” etc.
So, I said, “Enough.” There were six events including the aggregate and novelty shoot. I entered all the events.
Two weeks before the shoot, I called the first sergeant at Drill Instructor School, Parris Island and asked if I could buy a drill instructor campaign hat. He said, “We don’t sell them. Why do you want one?” I explained the circumstances and said “After I kick their ass, I want them to know it was a Marine that did it.”
Without hesitation, he said, “What size do you wear?” I did not disappoint him; I won all six events.
GySgt C.I. Greenwood
USMC (Ret)
Springfield, Ill.