Tidbits

THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE MARINES!

A Story of Creation In the beginning was the word, and the word was God. In the beginning was God... And all else was darkness and void, and without form. So God created the heavens and the Earth. He created the sun, and the moon, and the stars, so that light might pierce the darkness. The Earth, God divided between the land and the sea, and these He filled with many assorted creatures. And the dark, salty, slimy creatures that inhabited the murky depths of the oceans, God called sailors, and he dressed them accordingly, with little trousers that looked like bells at the bottom and with cute little flaps on their shirts to hide hickeys on their necks. He also gave them long sideburns and shabby looking beards. God nicknamed them "squids" and banished them to a lifetime at sea so that normal folks would not have to associate with them. To further identify these unloved plain creatures, He called them petty and commodore instead of titles worthy of red-blooded men.

And the flighty creatures of the land, God called soldiers. And with a twinkle in His eyes, and a sense of humor that only He could have, God made their trousers too short, and covers too large, and pockets to warm their hands. And to adorn their uniforms, God gave them badges in quantities that only a dime store owner could appreciate. And he gave them emblems and crests... And all sorts of shiny things that glittered... And devices that dangled. (When you are God, you tend to get carried away in a big way!)

On the 5th day, He thought about creating some air creatures for which he designed a Greyhound bus driver's uniform especially for fly-boys. He discarded the idea during the first week; and it was not until years later that some apostles "resurrected" this theme and established what we know now as the wild blue yonder wonders.

And on 7th day, as you know, God rested. And on the 8th day, at 0730 hours, God looked down upon the earth and was not happy. Yes God was not happy!. So He thought about His labors, and in his divine wisdom, God created a divine creature, and this He called Marine. And these Marines, who God had created in His own image, were to be of the air, and of the land, and of the sea. And these He gave many wonderful uniforms. Some were green, some were blue with red trim. And in the early days, some were even a beautiful tan. He gave them practical, fighting uniforms, so that they could wage war against the forces of Satan and all other forces of evil.

He gave them service uniforms for their daily work and training, that they might be sharp and ready... & He gave them evening and dress uniforms...sharp, stylish, handsome things, so they might promenade with their ladies on Saturday night, and impress the shit outta everybody!!! He even gave them swords so that people who were not impressed could be dealt with.

And at the end of the 8th day, God looked down upon the Earth and saw that it was good. But was God happy? NO!!! God was still not happy! Because in the course of his labors, He had forgotten one thing... He did not have Marine uniform for Himself!!! But, He thought about it and thought about it, and finally satisfied Himself in knowing that, well...
NOT EVERYBODY CAN BE A MARINE!!!

How many of you remember these "Cook Books"?

Recipe for "The Marine Breakfast" From Dave Zaslow
(Serves eight or two hungry Marines)

½-pound ground beef (ground chuck for flavor)
1-tablespoon bacon fat (lard/Crisco or butter)
3-tablespoons flour
2-cups whole mile (add more milk if you want it thinner)
1/8-teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
8-slices of dry toast

Using a large skillet (12-14 inches), crumble and brown the ground beef
with fat and salt.  Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
Mix in the flour until all of the meat is covered, using all of the
flour. Replace the skillet on the heat and stir in the milk. Keep
stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens (boil a minimum
of one minute).  Serve over the toast. Salt and pepper to taste and
enjoy!!!


Now for Dave Zaslow's favorite recipe for SOS without all that high fat
cholesterol:

1, lb. Of very lean (98%fat free, almost like a steak without the fat)
ground beef.
1, 10,3/4 oz of Mushroom soup (condensed) and add 1 ½ can of water.
1, tablespoon of minced garlic 
1, medium onion (shopped small)
1, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste

Using a large skillet, and just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of
the pan, crumble and brown the ground beer, add the onions and garlic
cook it for about 1 or 2 minutes, add the salt to taste and black pepper
followed by the already mixed Mushroom Soup with water.
Cover and cook at low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve over toast and country fried potatoes. (prepared in
advance...everyone should know how to cook country fries, if you don't
know, you take 3 or 4 potatoes, peel them cut them in small cubes, add
some chopped onions, some green chopped bell peppers and some crushed
garlic, salt and pepper to taste. (about 15 minutes of cooking the
potatoes.

For toast I like the "SHEPPER" brand bread. Large slice,

To serve, place the toast on bottom of large plate, add potatoes on top
of toast and cover entire dish with SOS. 

Talking about a hearty breakfast....you won't be hungry until late that
evening.  This one was one of my favorites when I was with the Marines.
TRY IT you will like it.  I am sure...without all that fat floating on
the soup.  It's also a good winter breakfast.  Heck!  It’s great
anytime!!!

Did you know that the first statue dedicated to women in the military was for the Women Marines?

Molly Marine is an eight foot tall, cast concrete sculpture of a woman Marine. Created by noted New Orleans sculptor, Enrique Alferez, Molly was erected in 1943 as a tool to aid local recruiting efforts. The elements, traffic, and passersby had taken their toll over the years. Local entrepreneur and philanthropist, Patrick F. Taylor, himself a former Marine, took up her cause and contracted for her restoration in 1999.

Molly was treated to a low pressure (40 psi) baking soda blast, then coated with an epoxy paint, and finally sealed.

The Marine Corps was then presented two full size bronze copies, one to be placed at Parris Island, SC and the other at Quantico, VA. Regrettably, the artist, my friend, passed away at the age of 98 less than a month before the dedication ceremony in South Carolina.

TRIBUTES

An Anonymous Canadian Citizen:

Marines are about the most "Peculiar Breed" of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it were some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their commandant almost as if he was God, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest SOB's I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and generally speaking, of the United States Marines I've come in contact with, are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have had the pleasure to meet.

General Douglas MacArthur, US Army:
". . . these Marines have the swagger, confidence and hardness that must have been in Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Shenandoah. They remind me of the Coldstream Guards at Dunkirk."

LtCol T R Fehrenbach, USA, in "This Kind of War":
"The man who will go where his colors go without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in a jungle or a mountain range, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to democratic America. He is the stuff of which legends are made. His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionnaire, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world ... today he is called United States Marine."

General Douglas MacArthur, US Army:
"I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front. There is not a finer fighting organization in the world!"

General John J "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army:
"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle! "

General Mark Clark, US Army:
"The more Marines I have around the better I like it! "

General Johnson, US Army:
"I can never again see a United States Marine without experiencing a feeling of reverence. "

LtCol Oliver North, USMC (ret):
"The only people I like beside my wife and kids are Marines."

Eleanor Roosevelt - 1945:
"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps."

MajGen J N Mattis, CG, 1st MarDiv - Iraq, March 2003:
"You are part of the world's most feared and trusted fighting force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon. Share your courage with each other as we enter the uncertain terrain north of our Line of Departure. Keep faith in your comrades on your left and right and Marine Air overhead. Fight with a happy heart and a strong spirit. For the mission's sake, our country's sake and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in past battles -- who fought for life and never lost their nerve -- carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a United States Marine."

"Ensuring Our Legacy Through

Reunion, Renewal, Remembrance."

"The Best Reunion Just Happened."

2005

Philadelphia

2003

Seattle

2001

Minneapolis

1999

Washington, DC

The Medal we probably all rated but never got!

THE PAIN IN THE ASS MEDAL

GRUNT

Term of affection used to denote that filthy, sweaty, dirt-encrusted, foot-sore, camouflage-painted, ripped-trousered, tired, sleepy, beautiful, little son of a bitch who has kept the wolf away from the door for over two hundred years.

from "Green Side Out" by Maj. H. G. Duncan USMC (Ret.)

TANKER

That dusty, crusty, grease-covered, dirty, sweaty, bright-eyed, fuzzy-faced, haircut-needing, beer-drinking, underrated, over-worked, underpaid, oversexed, little shit, who can take a tank and do more battlefield damage in ten minutes than a Grunt squad can do all day.

from "Brown Side Out" by Maj. H. G. Duncan USMC (Ret.)

THE UPPER RANKS AS SEEN BY THE LOWER RANKS

THE GENERAL
Leaps tall buildings with a single bound.
Is more powerful than a locomotive.
Is faster than a speeding bullet.
Walks on water.
Gives policy to GOD.

THE COLONEL
Leaps short buildings with a single bound.
Is more powerful than a switch engine.
Is just as fast as a speeding bullet.
Walks on water if the sea is calm.
Talks with GOD.

THE LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Leaps short buildings with a running start and favorable winds.
Is almost as powerful as a switch engine.
Is faster than a speeding BB.
Walks on water in indoor swimming pool.
Talks with GOD if special request is approved.

THE MAJOR
Barely clears Quonset hut.
Looses tug of war with switch engine.
Can fire a speeding bullet.
Swims well.
Is occasionally addressed by GOD.

THE CAPTAIN
Makes high marks when trying to leap building.
Gets run over by locomotive.
Can sometimes handle a gun without inflicting self injury.
Dog paddles.
Talks to animals.

THE FIRST LIEUTENANT
Runs into buildings.
Recognizes locomotives two out of three times.
Is not issued ammunition.
Can stay afloat if properly instructed in the use of Mae West.
Talks to walls.

THE SECOND LIEUTENANT
Falls over doorstep when trying to enter building.
Bays “Look at the Choo-Choo.”
Wets himself with a water pistol.
Plays in mud puddles.
Mumbles to himself.

THE NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER
Lifts buildings and walks under them.
Kicks locomotives off the tracks.
Catches speeding bullets in his teeth and eats them.
Freezes water with a single glance.
HE IS GOD.

Original author unknown.

Items of interest to Tankers available from Sgt. Grit.

Subject: 2006 Military Terminology for Joint Service Duty Orientation

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

NAVY / USMC	ARMY	AIR FORCE
Head	Latrine	Powder Room
Rack	Bunk	Single with ruffle and duvet
Mess Deck / Chow Hall	Mess Hall / Mess Tent	Dining Facility/Cafe'
"Cookie", stew burner	Mess Cook	Contract Chef
Coffee/Mud	Cup of Joe	Vanilla Latte'
Bug Juice	Kool-Aid	Shirley Temple
Utilities	BDU's	Casual Wear
Seaman/Private	Private	Bobby or Jimmy
Chief/Gunny	Sergeant	Bob or Jim
Captain/Skipper	Colonel	Robert or James
Captain's Mast	Article 15	Time Out
Berthing/Barracks	Barracks	Apartment
Skivvies	Underwear	Tee Shirt & Panties
Thrown in the Brig	Put in confinement	Grounded
Zoom Bag	Flight Suit	Business Casual
Cover	Beret	Optional
Ship's Store / PX	PX	AAFEs - Shopping Mall
TAD	TDY	PCS with family
Cruise / Afloat	Deploy	Huh?
Ground Grabbers	Athletic Shoes	Flip-Flops
Boondockers	Jump Boots	Berkenstocks
Low Quarters	Low Quarters	Patent Leather Pumps
SEAL/RECON	Special Forces	Librarian
Oooh-Rah !	Hoo-Ah !	Uh-Oh !
MRE	MRE	Happy Meal
Grinder	Drill Field	What?
Ge-Dunk/Slop Chute	Snack Bar	Chucky Cheese
Midshipman	Cadet	Debutant
Hard-Core	Steak	Way Too Serious