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
Show Me My Money
July 28th, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Five-Ring Shirt
There’s something about an ATM machine that I don’t like! Yeah, I know … it’s handy and saves a lot of time, etc. But, there’s also something to be said about saying “Good Morning!” to a bank teller, and not pushing a bunch of numbers on a machine to get cash.
So, I’m in a short line inside the bank, and a guy says, “That’s a great-looking shirt!” I thank the man, and he says, “Semper Fi! Where can I get a shirt like that?!”
Well, I told him it was a Five-Ring and that he could get one of his own atLeatherneck Square. Then, he says, “Ya know, I love coming into the bank, and I never care how long the line is! It always reminds me of when I had the duty every two weeks at Camp Lejeune in the 6th Marines as the paymaster!”
BOOM! I had a “flashback” to the pay line …
We got paid in cash, and a lieutenant sat at a table with an enlisted man next him with his sidearm at the ready! Monthly pay was around $80.00, with a savings account reduction, etc., so you got about $25.00 to last you two weeks! The “slopchute” took most of it, and many a jarhead would borrow a few bucks from another jarhead until the next payday. So, twenty feet away from the table were the “vultures” waiting for their payback … which included interest! If you borrowed five bucks, you’d pay back six bucks, sometimes more. I borrowed one time and that was enough for me, but many Marines did it just about every two weeks! My parents would slip a couple of bucks in an envelope, along with a letter, and mail call was always a joy … especially when a couple of one dollar bills were included!
Off to the slopchute to toast Mom and Dad, and dream about making Corporal so you could take about thirty bucks every two weeks from the paymaster!
Well, the other old Marine was waiting outside, and come to find out he was on Guadalcanal, as I was. The Marine Corps is a small world, and here were two old jarheads who hit the beach at “The Canal” just about 70 years ago! We made plans to meet soon at The Marine Corps League. I’m sure we’ll exaggerate about our many years in The Corps, and we’ll both have many flashbacks that day!
Oh, I told my new Marine friend to stand by for the great new HBO series early next year. “The Pacific” will cover the 1st Marine Division during WWII in their ten-part series. I’m sure it will be great because Capt. Dale Dye, a highly-decorated Marine from The Viet Nam War, is the senior military advisor for the series. He was the advisor for “Band of Brothers” for HBO, and the advisor on the movie “Platoon”, and wrote the novel based on that film script.
Since Guadalcanal was our first big push in the Pacific, I’m sure it will be covered.
Can’t wait!
Keep your interval … and … stay away from those damn ATM machines!
Semper Fi ….. The Gunny
AKA The Slaughtering Second
July 21st, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Signature Polo
Trigger woke me up at 0330 the other day, at least an hour before he usually does. I figured it was because when we came back from our forced march of a few miles yesterday, he was too tired to eat his dinner and sacked out early. So, I mixed up my own special dog recipe for S.O.S., and he went crazy when he saw it! Like any Marine, he licked the plate clean!
A couple of hours later, I took him out for a little “troop & stomp”, and put on my new LSquare Signature Polo, a no-nonsense polo that feels great, looks great, and wears great. Brought me right back to when…
I was back on board the President Jackson headed for Guadalcanal with the 1st Bn., 2nd Marines of the 2nd Mar.Div. We knew we’d he climbing down the nets into a landing craft in two days, and some ingenious jarhead came up with a new twist. He had some coffee bean sacks, and made helmet covers out of them … and we followed suit! This may not be gospel, but I’m pretty sure that was the first time a Marine had a helmet cover in WWII!
So I left the barracks (I mean house!) with Trigger. A half-mile into our patrol, a smile came from within as I thought of our old outfit, “The Slaughtering Second”…
We were dug in along the Lunga Track Jeep Road on “The Canal”, and a unit of the 1st Marines came past. A member of my machine gun squad, “Old Man” Kober (he was 30-years-old, so old to us!), asked one of the passing Marines, “What outfit is that?”
The jarhead replied, “’Fighting First!’ What’s your outfit?” “We’re “The Slaughtering Second”! said Kober … and that’s who we were from then on!
Let’s head back to the barracks, Trigger. Maybe I’ll remember why we were called, “The Take No Prisoners 7th”!
Semper Fi … The Gunny
Beer in the Boondocks
July 14th, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Raider Jacket
Wanted to look my very best in D.C. when visiting the Marine Corps Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, along with the wonderful W.W.II masterpiece in honor of the troops.
There was a chill in the air, so on went my MR-1 Raider battle jacket design from Leatherneck Square, The leather is prime quality, thick and strong but still lightweight, and soft with a broken-in feel “right out of the box”. …sort of like a set of “dress blues” for casual wear!
After a few hours on patrol at the memorials, I headed over to my favorite “slopchute” in D.C. on Wisconsin Avenue … “The Dancing Crab”. Ordered an ice-cold draft, and their famous crab cakes. Slipped off my L.S. jacket, drained half of the frozen mug of beer, and had a “Flashback” … I was a corporal back at Camp Lejeune on a five-day operation in the boondocks with our eight-man S-2 Section.
Our officer in charge, Lt. Kimball, was one of the greatest Marines I ever served with … but at the time, since he had run us into the ground for ten or twelve hours, he wasn’t our hero! We set up our shelter-halves, got out our C-rations, and were about to chow down, when dust rose from an old dirt road intersection way out there in no-man’s land. The Lieutenant ran over to the Studebaker automobile, and a very attractive woman open the door so he could lug two cases of cold beer back to his troops!
“I’ll be back at 0500 tomorrow. If you think today was fun, wait until tomorrow!”
Lt. K. must have given his wife the co-ordinates on the map of where we’d be, and there she was with two cases of cold ones! From that moment on, Lt. Kimball was ingrained in our hearts as one great Marine! He drove off with his wife, and was back at 0500 ready to move out! The two empty cases went back into the car, and our Lieutenant never said a word about them … it was back to business as usual.
Pick up some gear from Leatherneck Square, and have your own “Flashbacks”!!
Semper Fi … The Gunny
Dog Walking Marine Meets Marine Walking Dog
July 5th, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 0 Comments
The Gunny
Road Runner Shell
Spring was in the air and “Trigger”, my favorite bulldog ever, had a different jauntiness to his step. Sort of like when you pass in review with the Marine Corps hymn playing … sends that feeling down you spine that says to your feet, “This is extra special. Do your stuff!” Trigger and I were on our favorite wooded trail, and I could let him off his leash because no one was around at 0:630.
Had on my Leatherneck Square Road Runner Shell, as the slight chill would be with us for the next half- hour or so. The lightweight pullover, with large pockets and the classiest Marine Corps emblem you’ve ever seen, was perfect for the trail. Had an apple in one pocket and a dog bone for Trigger in the other pocket, and all was well as we moved out.
Four or five hundred yards away in an open area came another dog walker, and Trigger got all excited about it! If we had been on patrol in no-man’s land, you wouldn’t have needed a “scope” to hit the target. H’mmm … why do old ground pounders still think in terms of combat situations? Well, Trigger took off to check out the approaching dog very carefully, as our four-legged friends always do.
The woman with the dog was no spring chicken, but neither am I, and she moved out at a fast clip. Her eyesight had to be 20/20, for at a fairly good distance she said, “Semper Fi!”
In my best Gunny voice I sent back the same greeting. A ten-minute conversation is more than enough time for two Marines to get practically a life history. She had joined the Marine Corps eight years after I did, and served honorably for twenty years … then, became a schoolteacher, and was now retired. Marines aren’t bashful, and before parting we set up a dinner date, which added a new jauntiness to my step to match Trigger’s!
Then, I had a “Flashback” … to many years ago when I met another wonderful woman. Our relationship lasted for over fifty happy years. Who knows … perhaps it’s time for two old Marines to join the same outfit, walk our dogs together, and exaggerate about our days in The Corps. I’ll keep you posted!
Oh, … have a “Flashback” of your own! The new summer line is ready. You’ll look great in all our gear, and who knows what that L.S. look will lead to?
Semper Fi … The Gunny
The Baltimore Kid
June 23rd, 2009 by Jack Orth | FLASHBACKS | | 3 Comments
The Gunny
Old Salt Cap
Just got back from a four-day mission to Parris Island! Hung around with about three hundred (or more) Marine East Coast Drill Instructors at our annual reunion. Some of us have more hash marks in the so-called “golden years” than we had in our twenty-plus years in the Corps! But, … we’re all still above the ground, which is good unless, of course, you’re receiving incoming!
I wore my Leatherneck Square Old Salt Cover with the Marine K-Bar Leatherneck’s logo, as well as my SV-1-NCO Sword Vest (a real light-weight pullover vest with that great logo that incorporates the Marine NCO Sword!) Every D.I. at P.I. asked where I got both, and I gave ‘em all the L.S. website, www.leathernecksquare.com. I should be on commission for all the “jarheads” I’ve referred to those Marines who run the company!
There were, of course, a lot of P.I. “remember when” stories flying around the island for a couple of days, and naturally some became a little exaggerated over the years. A bunch of Marines yelled over to me, “Gunny A.J., what’s your favorite D.I. story?”
Well, I had a “Flashback” … but not about a D.I. It was about a young Marine boot when I, too, was a boot at P.I. The Marine-to-be was from Baltimore, and during our 12-week stay in Paradise he became one of our all-time heroes!
It was mail call, and our D.I.’s were screaming out our names to run up and get mail if we had it. The kid from Baltimore had received a very small package, and anything larger than a regular envelope was always just another excuse for D.I.’s to apply the needle. The “Baltimore Kid” was told to report to the D.I.’s house to pick up his mail!
Now, ya gotta remember, in those days the old wooden, non-air conditioned barracks and Quonset huts were the sleeping quarters. Also, whether a D.I. slept in wooden barracks, a Quonset hut, or a shelter half … it was always referred to as his house!!
Well, the Marine goes to the Quonset hut, which was only a few Quonset huts away from our Quonsets, and knocked on the door.
Of course, a loud, “I can’t hear you!” came from the inside. He knocked again, louder … the same response. He pounded on the door … same response from inside. Then, it happened!
In a perfect imitation of a D.I.’s guttural voice, the boot screamed out “Then, how do you know I’m out here?”
Well, the door opened faster than a jarhead can chug-a-lug a cold one … and the kid disappeared inside!
From that day on, our fellow boot with the brass —– was our hero! He had given us a giant lift in a time of strife … he was the king!
Every D.I. within earshot of my quick boot camp story broke up! I’ll bet they all had “flashbacks” to way back when, when they were active duty D.I.’s at P.I.!
You’ll be surprised at all the flashbacks you’ll have when wearing Leathernecksquare Marine Corps Gear. Order something, and see for yourself. Now, that’s not a direct order from an old D.I. … It’s just a polite invitation to join forces.
Semper Fi … The Gunny
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