A Semper Fi "war story"....
I was telling a buddy of mine how much I enjoyed his stories about his Army days overseas in Italy and aboard troop ships getting there and coming back.
He crammed a lot of "unofficial" events into his military memory floggers.
Then, one day, I asked how long had he served and he said he was a 2-year draftee.
Wow, the tales he told about in that short time span.
My only Marine Corps time out of the United States was to an island off the east coast of Puerto Rico, which of course, is a territory of the US, along with Guam and, I think, Samoa.
In my four-month stint on the small island of Vieques, in 1960, I was attached as a photographer to a tank Battalion from Camp Lejeune.
It also included my only ocean voyage, but not aboard a fancy cruise ship.
It was the
USS Fremont, a flat-bottomed attack troop carrier from WWII and it bounced us down from North Carolina for 7 days, culminating with a USMC training pre-dawn landing.
It was like every war movie I had seen in my young life, tightening our helmet strap, donning a life jacket, hoisting our backpacks, and slowly climbing down the side of the ship on scratchy brown cargo nets.
We timed our release to drop down into the bobbing small landing craft and hoped it would not be surging up when our boots made contact.
The training was pretty authentic and we could see and hear loud explosions on the beach ahead.
My job as a combat camera toter was to wade ashore and race ahead of the landing troops with my camera.
(It helped a whole lot that nobody was actually firing at us!)
I remember there were quite a few LCP (Landing Craft Personnel) as daybreak slowly lighted up the beach.
We could see signed areas warning us to keep away from the planted explosions that were booming to create the sounds and noise of an actual combat landing of troops.
I heard later that two Marines had died when one of the LCPs had sunk. However, I don't recall that was actually ever confirmed.
It was my first view of a M
arine Corps Amtrack vehicle used in an amphibious landing.
Once ashore,
the tankers set up their Tent City rows of 5-man units like everyone later saw on tv in M*A*S*H.
As a photographer, I was issued a military field portable darkroom.
It was divided into a section for storage of equipment and a light-proof side for processing film and making contact b&w prints.
These were 4x5 inches, large enough to show the Colonel what I had taken that day of their training exercises with tanks.
The darkroom was protected from the sun with a large outer tent that provided shade from the relentless tropical sun.
The whole unit was quite a functional design.
It broke down into several large - but manageable - large crates.
I scavaged wooden pallets to provide a floor for my workplace and the middle section contained a cooling fan to kept film cool ... and it also was a cool place to store Cokes. As in Rum & Coke and cans of beer.
After a site was selected and the unit erected, I saw it was in close proximity to the area of the Officers Club (large tent).
I guess a young Lieutenant heard about my neighboring photo operation and he paid me a visit to see what was involved.
We became friendy (I was a 20-year old Cpl E-4, he was 23) and he was a very good amateur photographer.
We discussed a lot about taking photos and one Saturday morning, he requisitioned a jeep and we took off on a photo jaunt into the "jungle" outside our camp.
Not really a jungle and it had a few trails laughingly called roads.
As we climbed into the jeep with our cameras, I casually mentioned I had a
small .25 caliber pistol. that I would like to include in case there were animals that might be a threat. He said,
"Sure, that makes sense."
Yikes. He didn't ask why I had a non-disclosed, non-issued, weapon and I can't recall how I got it, why I had it packed in my gear and whatever happened to it later.
As we ventured in the opposite direction from the camp's recreational beach, he reminded me there was a lot of unexploded ordnance where we were headed inland.
The Navy used most of the uninhabited part of the island as a target for their guns and planes dropped bombs there.
I realized we really didn't have permission to go there but -
what the hell!
We took turns firing a whole box of ammo that I had.
None of the coconuts we shot in trees actually fell because it was a very small gun.
The other good news is we did not get blown up and nobody ever asked me about the trip we had taken and I am sure the officer never mentioned it either.
As I think about it now, he was complicit in the deed and it would have weighed more heavily on him.
I'm also thinking that the statute of limitations has long passed.
Labels: 4631 combat photographer, AKA, Camp Lejeune, LCP, Marine Amtrack, refuel at sea, the island of Vieques off Puerto Rico, unexploded ordnance, USS Fremont
A very happy Veterans Day....
Burp. I ate my way through
Veterans Day 2017.
There were invites by more than one eateries and I availed myself of a few.
I even received a vet's voucher for a free haircut!
Don't remember doing this before but it WAS the 60th anniversary of my becoming a U.S. Marine.
Living in Charleston back then, my Reserve Unit had merely shipped me down to Parris Island in 1957 on a Greyhound bus.
My lunch on Saturday was at
Chili's, a national chain restaurant that had a special menu to treat veterans.
My plans were to go have a free seafood dinner later so I chose the Old Timer burger. With cheese.
Very fitting...for me.
The restaurant was packed with happy - and hungry - vets and families.
I had no drink or desserts so no check was presented. I handed my server $5 as a tip and hope everyone else did so.
My choice for dinner was
Hyman's Seafood and I saw many G.I. haircuts as I sat at the bar downstairs.
I also saw some salty dudes with no hair.
"Thank you for your service" was heard all around me.
Hyman's offered a free entree up to $20. I chose to enjoy their Crispy Flounder at $18.95.
Along with a Palmetto Amber, the restaurant would not be losing much with the $20 freebie for vets.
I sat next to a nice-looking young couple and when I showed my red former service ID card, he asked if I was a Marine. I replied that I was and found he too was a Marine and his wife was Air Force.
They asked what I did in the Corps and I said my MOS was combat still photographer. They said they knew others with that title and I added Being in 1957-1960, I was fortunate never having been under fire.
Down the bar I saw a man with a David Letterman-like very full white beard.
Have no idea if he actually WAS Letterman but the retired talk show host had to be somewhere and Charleston would have been a good choice.
Hyman's places small brass plaques on tables showing what celebrities had sat there but I don't think they add those to the bar seats.
It was my first time NOT sitting at a table so I was enjoying being among the chattering crowd being seated or stepping inside on a brisk evening, waiting for their names to be called.
Nobody else seemed to think the bar patron was Letterman so I focused on my flounder, hushpuppies and the mac and cheese side.
Oh, and my local craft beer.
I had had my hair cut the day before and my regular barber noted it would have been free the next day.
He suggested I stop by on my way to my Veterans Day lunch and he would give me a voucher for a free haircut, to be used before the end of December.
I have had a beard for a year now so the picture shows me a few years ago, posing in front of his shop.
I usually have my hair cut every 5 or 6 weeks, so I am sure I will use this freebie before the end of the year.
(I am about to shave off my beard so this is a reminder to me of how I will look again.)
Hmmm, I also stopped wearing glasses after successful cataract operations so I won't look exactly like that again.
My evening ended when I stopped by the newest craft beer Brewery -
MUNKLE - and chatted with the Owner/Brewer R. Palmer Quimbly.
He opened a few weeks ago at 1513 Meeting Street Road and stated the only beer he would brew would be Belgian.
"No IPAs here, ever. They are too hoppy and burn your palette."
I mentioned I had been in Belgium, taking a train down from Amsterdam, and had enjoyed my time - and beers - I had in Bruges.
He poured me a tasty Bruges Brun (Brown ale) and pointed out his dog, sitting in the corner, was named Brugges, the Belgian spelling.
He also pointed out items of furniture he had refinished and showed me photos hanging on the wall of familiar Belgian sights and sites.
One included the famed Half-Moon brewery where I had continued my beer education.
I said I had been told there are more than 7,000 beers brewed in Belgium, with a special glass for each one.
"Quite possible," he said, pointing to his large collection of glasses on display.
He added they were here because his wife wanted them somewhere else. not at home.
Next week there will be a stout added to his offerings. I like stouts and porters and the cooler weather is a good time to brew and serve them.
I mentioned I had bought several of the Kwak glasses, with their distinctive wooden glass holders.
I also have a collection of much taller Yard of Ale glasses in similar holders.
They are daunting to clean (breakage) so not used very often.
When
Backstage Deli closed a few years ago in North Charleston near Otranto and Rivers, the owner was kind enough to give me a complete set.
These - including the wooden holders - started with the "
Yard," then the "
Half-Yard", the
"foot" and even the
"toe."
I have not seen the full array in any bar and would hesitate to ask for a "foot" or a "toe" of ale.
Glass displays are just that - something to show - although in Bruges, I did have beer in different shaped glasses.
Travel is so broadening.
I finished my Brown Ale at Munkle and, when I asked for my check, he said
"Thanks for your service" and I headed home.
What comes after a trifecta?
I had four good treats on this year's Veterans Day.
(Click on the links and photos for more details.)
Can't believe it was 60 years ago when I arrived at Parris Island.
I also can't believe I ever weighed only 140 pounds!
Semper Fi.
Labels: Camp Lejeune, domestic pub and brewery crawls, overseas beer tours, Parris Island, Semper Fi, the island of Vieques off Puerto Rico
Once ashore,
