Liberty Call Limo
August 31st, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Liberty Call jacket
There was a chill in the air, so I threw on my Leatherneck Square “Liberty Call” jacket –back in the day it was referred to as a “blouse”–and headed for the car. The jacket is a cross between an aviator and tanker and, of course, has the great Marine Ka-Bar logo on it. Before I even started the car, I had a “flashback” to the old days when I was 18 years old at Camp Lejeune. The “Liberty Call” jacket brought me back to weekend liberty, and the rush to get out of the main gate!
Al Garbetti and I were partners in a 1949 Chrysler New Yorker. To make the car payments, we’d take riders to New York City for the weekend .. 20 bucks apiece round trip! Remember, gas was only about 30 cents a gallon, or something like that .. and two or three trips a month would pay for the car!
The bus station at Lejeune was always crowded with Jarheads heading north. Ya pull into the bus station, roll down the window, and yell, “Three riders to New York City!” Quicker than a Marine can chugalug a beer at the slopchute, you had three riders to NY!
Then, the fun began .. hundreds of cars heading north, with each driver imitating the great Indy drivers from the “500″! The back roads to #301 North .. forget about #95! .. there were no major freeways then! Stop only for gas, a couple of candy bars, and head call. Then, start your engines and peel rubber! You’d hit N.Y.C. around 0400, and drop off the riders near Penn Station.
Al and I had two choices then .. head for his relatives in Tuckahoe, NY, not far from the city, or go on to Boston. If it was Boston, we’d get there around 0800 … stay up all day… have a date that Saturday night … and be back in N.Y.C. by 1300 to pick up the riders at a bar near Penn Station. If they weren’t there on time, the deal was that you had their 20 bucks… and you left without them. Thankfully, that never happened!
Semper Fi …. The Gunny
Best Place to Receive A “Dear John” Letter
August 25th, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Island Campaigner
The other morning at 0500, I went on my usual patrol out to the box where the paperboy leaves the local “rag”. When I opened the hatch it was raining, so I threw on the IC-1 Leatherneck Square Island Campaigner.The hooded, light-weight jacket is great in the rain, wind, or whatever. It, of course, carries the USMC & EGA quality embroidered logo.
Half way out to the box, I had a “flashback”!
We were on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean, and had made a landing for a four-day operation with the 6th Marines. All four of those days it rained, and you know what that’s like. We were soaked, muddy, and miserable the whole time, but that wasn’t my main problem.
An hour or so before climbing down the nets into the landing, we had mail call. I couldn’t wait to open the envelope from my girlfriend whom I had been going out with before joining the Marine Corps. She was going to college, and I became a jarhead. Of course we knew we were made for each other, and nothing would ever separate us!
Yeah right. It didn’t take long for “Barbara” to find this college kid, and she gave me the old sob story of “You’re away for who knows how long, and I’ve met this wonderful boy at college, etc.” I was shocked, and couldn’t believe she’d do that to me … A “Dear John” letter!
Well, I was down in the dumps for the first three days of the operation, and was a pain in the ass. My great friend, Al Garbetti, couldn’t stand my bitching any more. He left our shelter half and went out into the pouring rain in the pitch black of night. A half hour or so later he came back through the small flaps with two bottles of wine! Somehow, as Marines do, he found a tiny village, and went to the local watering hole and worked a deal for the wine.
After half a bottle each, I had tears in my eyes talking about Barbara, and Big Al set me straight. “This is the luckiest ——-thing that ever happened to you! She doesn’t deserve to be with you anyhow. Here you are a great-looking Marine fighting for your country, and she sends you a “Dear John”! There are lots of fish in the sea! Good riddance to Barbara, and let’s get on with the great liberty we’re having on this Med cruise!”
We finished off the wine, and my tears turned to joy as Al really piled on the B.S. about what a great Marine I was, and Barbara was a nothing. Well, he sold me, and from that drunken moment on, I never thought of Barbara again!
Our next stop on liberty was Naples, and we ended up in our favorite spot once again …”The Snake Pit”! We, of course, spent time with female companions, and on the way back to the USS Cambria, Al said, “Beats the hell out of moaning about Barbara, doesn’t it?” We both laughed like hell as I said, “Barbara who?”
Keep the troops out of the hot sun!
Semper Fi ….. The Gunny
Only Marines are Marines
August 18th, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Elite T from Leathernecksquare.com
My favorite doctor is a retired Navy corpsman, who spent most of his years with The Marine Corps. He told me that if you’re past the age of a 1941 Marine Corps Jeep, or close to it, you should get at least eight hours of sleep a night .. and nine or ten can’t hurt.
He also said that one sure way to sleep like a baby is to wear something loose and comfortable .. so, I have an Elite T from L.S., size XL or XXL,100% combed cotton Campaign Collection t-shirt that I wear as pajamas! Plenty of room to move around, and it gives you a good feeling to know that when you say, “Goodnight, Chesty, wherever you are”, you have they EGA on your pajamas!
Woke up this morning at 0400, went into the galley and put the “Devil Dog Brew” on, and let Trigger out for his morning run in the woods behind the C.P. If a bear can go in the woods, so can Trigger! Went into the head to shave, and when checking my image in the mirror, had a “flashback”! Ya know, you can wear Leatherneck Square gear 24/7 if you want!
I was back at The Plaza Hotel in N.Y.C., compliments of a Marine I knew from boot camp. His family had something to do with the hotel, and my stay was on the house! No way could The Gunny spring for a suite at The Plaza for three days! My friend also arranged for me to visit the barber shop in the hotel each morning for a shave, hot towel, and a manicure if I wanted one. This was uncharted territory for me, but somebody had to be pampered .. it might as well be me!
An extremely well-dressed guy came in and sat in the chair next to me. He saw my Marine Corps blouse on the hanger and piped up, “Semper Fi!” He had been an officer in WW II, and was an Iwo Jima veteran. He now had a big job with American Broadcasting Company, but was still a Marine at heart.
“While you’re in N.Y., Gunny, you’ve got to have lunch at Toots Shorrs, and a couple of beers at P.J. Clark’s over on Third Avenue! Meet me at noon at Toots’, and I’ll give you directions to meet me later at P.J.’s for a couple of cold ones and one of the greatest meals you’ve ever had!”
Well, he introduced me to Toots himself, and during lunch Frank Gifford and Pat Summerall of the N.,Y. Giants. Then, Jack Whitaker, the golf announcer, stopped at our table. Later on, at P.J.’s, it was the same .. this former Marine knew everyone, and he and every person I met was just like him .. friendly as hell, and they bent over backwards to make a Marine feel at home in N.Y.C.!
The Marine from ABC, now a civilian, told me something I’ll always remember, and it was straight from his heart .. “Ya know, Gunny, with all the people I’ve met in civilian life, both in business and socially, they can’t compare with the Marines I served with. No matter where I go, I run into former Marines, and we have an instant friendship .. something in common that most don’t have. I’m proud to be a Marine, as I know you are!”
Well, I have a few flashbacks that are a little hairy, but most, like this one, make my day .. even though I had to shave myself today! Fall out on the Company Street with a smile today!
Semper Fi ….. The Gunny
S.O.S. USMC Style
August 11th, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Old Salt Cap
Ya know, there are certain things from The Marine Corps that stick with you for life. My list is long, but as strange as it may seem to a few jarheads, near the top of the list is S.O.S.! Over the years I’ve chowed down at a number of first class establishments, many for breakfast, and I always wish they had Marine Corps S.O.S.!
Call me nuts, but to this day one of my favorite meals is S.O.S. on top of mashed potatoes .. not for breakfast, always have it on toast then .. for evening chow! I use the original Marine Corps receipe, and use red potatoes. Bought a bag a few days ago, and headed back to the C.P. to cook a batch of S.O.S. and mashed potatoes. Entered through the back door into the galley. Took off my OS-1 Old Salt hat wirh the great Leathernecks Ka-Bar logo, and before I even put the bag down had a “flashback” ..
There I was back at Parris Island in boot camp! We thought we were getting a little “salty”, as we’d been there for five or six weeks and were headed for the rifle range. At that time you spent the first week at the range on mess duty, and I lucked out with another “boot”. We were sent to “The Spud Locker”!
The S.L. was a small, stand-alone building well behind the old wooden barracks, and maybe a hundred yards from the mess hall. All potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and onions were prepared for cooking there. All day long we cut and peeled vegetables for the mess hall. However, it was great duty. No one .. and I mean no one! .. bothered us! We’d prepare and deliver huge pots of “veggies” during the day, and in between, we could sneak a cigarette!
One of us would be on sentry duty while the other had a weed. We very seldom had a smoke at P.I., but that week was different .. we were in heaven! But, not so fast .. at the end of the week, one of our D.I.’s approached the Spud Locker as we were wheeling two huge vats to the mess hall.
We stopped, stood at attention, and shivered when the corporal, a WWII Marine spoke. “Have you two maggots been field-stripping your cigarettes?!” His voice was extra loud and extra clear as he enunciated each word slowly with the famous gutteral sound. Then, “I can’t hear you, s— for brains!” “Sir! Yes, Sir!” we screamed loud and clear. “Who lit the smoking lamp for you two maggots?” “Sir! No one, Sir!” “Report at 1700 to my house. The smoking lamp that was never on is still not on!” “Sir! Yes, Sir!” Once again we were treated to the task of scrubbing the deck with toothbrushes for a few hours .. but, it was worth it!
Started to peel the potatoes, and smiled all the way through two pounds of spuds! The meal was sensational, and ya know S.O.S. is always better the second day on toast at morning chow! Life is good ..
Semper Fi … The Gunny
The Battalion Track Meet at Camp Lejeune
August 4th, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Elite T from Leathernecksquare.com
Threw on my great ET-2 Leatherneck Square ELITE T-shirt. You know, the one with the Ka-Bar Leathernecks logo. Perfect for where I was headed .. the fitness center to do 3-4 miles on the treadmill, but not like I used to. Now, I do 16 minute miles, but once in a while break the 15 minute barrier! C’mon, gimme a break .. the old Gunny has slowed down a little bit!
Well, I had a “flashback” that brought a visible smile to my face, not just an inward one. I was back at Camp Lejeune in a ten-man S-2 Section run by one of the great officers in the Marine Corps .. a WWII Guadalcanal veteran called back in for the Korean War, Peter Kimball, from the Boston area. He ran us into the ground week after week in the boondocks of Lejeune, and he was always in the lead no matter how many miles we did in a day.
After a week in the field leading compass marches, running patrols, etc., we force-marched back to the barracks, and the Lieutenant took Al Garbetti and me aside. “There is a battalion track meet in a couple of weeks, and I want you to run the mile, Squaredaway .. and Garbetti, you will handle the shotput.” I wasn’t known as “Squaredaway” yet in my Marine Corps career, but let’s pretend I was .. it really came later!
Garbetti and I said in unison .. “I never ran the mile, Sir!” .. “I never was a shot putter, Sir!” The fast response from Lt. Kimball was, “B.S.! You run all over this base with an M-1 and a pack on your back, and you can do anything you set your mind to. You’re 6′3″, Garbetti, and strong as an ox. Lt. Wozinski in Weapons Company was a shot putter in college, and he’ll set you straight on it. I ran track at Colgate, and I’ll fill you in on your strategy for the race, Squaredaway!”
Well, this turned into a big deal! Marines who were runners in high school or college were entered in the various races, and the track facility at Lejeune was jammed with those runners. Lt. Kimball took us aside, and gave us his instructions … “Squaredaway, your strategy is that you don’t have any! When the gun goes off, you run as fast as you can for the entire mile. No one is in better shape than you, so do it! Garbetti, you get three shot put attempts .. and most shot putters don’t go all out on the first try. I want you to give 110% on your first effort. Your competitiors will be in shock when you’re in the lead, and they’ll fold!”
Well, I took off like the Marine headed for the slopchute, and at the 1/2 mile post was a hundred yards ahead of everyone .. and won the race by fifty!! Garbetti finished 1st in the shot put!! Lt. Kimball gave us his “I told you so” speech along with arranging for us to have a three-day liberty pass!
It was off to New York for the long weekend. We, of course, told all of Garbetti’s relatives that it was the entire 2nd Marine Division track meet where we received the blue ribbons! Hey, all Marines exaggerate a little, and that doesn’t make us bad guys!
O.K. Get back on your treadmills. I’m sure you’ll do better than 15 minute miles!
Semper Fi … The Gunny
