Korea, late 1953,
after the truce signing. As an artillery forward observer with D-2-11,
I was assigned to the First Provisional Platoon. It was a unit made up
of elements of the Seventh Marines, the Eleventh Marines, and Amtracs.We
were situated on the "wrong" side of the Imjin river with orders to hold
off any advance of the enemy in our sector while major units on the other
side of the river set up in their defensive positions. Then we were to
head back accross the river in Amtracs. Needless to say , we were very
concerned about any activity taking place on the other side of the DMZ.
On this particular evening, I had just returned from patrolling the land
lines to outpost Martini. While on these patrols, I always carried my .45
loaded and with a round in the chamber. Upon returning to the compound,
I hung up my pistol belt prior to getting ready for chow call. Unknown
to me, one of the troops in the tent picked up the pistol and was admiring
the handgrips.(They were black with the outline of Korea in mother of pearl.)
Suddenly I heard a loud explosion, and looked to see my soap dish disintegrate
before my eyes. He had inadvertantly thumbed back the hammer a squeezed
of a round! I quickly exited the tent to see what action the firing had
initiated. Marines were running out of their tents and bunkers in various
stages of dress, but all had weapons and bandoliers. An officer yelled
to me"Arty F.O. are you guys o.k.? I said we were and he hollered back
"Shots fired; get the Fire Direction Center on line!" I was embarrased
and didn't know quite what to answer so I just said"Aye aye sir!" I went
back into the tent and called up the FDC for a "radio check". After about
twenty minutes, things calmed down and a stand down was called. The next
morning the scuttlebut around the platoon was that it must have been "those
guys in Amtracs screwing around"! It stayed that way until I was out of
the Corps and finally confessed in the First Marine Division newsletter.
During this same
time( while I was with the First Provisional Platoon) we welcomed our first
chicom defector, a horse. He came to us through a minefield, carrying rolls
of Chinese com wire. His ribs were sticking out and he was a thoroughly
miserable looking nag! Obviously they hadn't treated him very well and
therefore his desertion. We built a shelter for him, procurred some grain
to feed him, and eventually as he grew stronger we put him to work carrying
supplies to the outposts. Although he never became famous like "Reckless",
he served us well and flourished. When the Division left for home, we turned
him over to the Army with instructions to treat him well or we would return
to take our revenge. We named him "Blaze of Glory" as he had a large white
blaze on his forehead and it was a glorious day when he came over to us!
( Note: This vignette is presented in the form of
a letter to Mike Adelt GySgt USMC Ret., WebMaster: Gunny Mike's Salute
website).
Hey Mike:
Well, it's been only a
little more than 6-7 months since I found your name on the Marine GuestBook.
At that time I hadn't seen you or corresponded with you since some time
in the early '70s. I think it is likely that if we hadn't gotten together
again through Marine GuestBook we may never have established our own Marine
WebSites, huh?
Thanks for sending the
copy of that April 1972 postal roster put out by HQMC Postal Affairs Branch.
Lots of people on there that I'd all but forgotten about. Some of them
have passed on, and I'd heard scuttlebutt of others passing on, but not
sure.
Sure would like to hear
from some of these guys. I'm a bit disappointed that only a little more
than a squad of them have signed the GuestBook on the Postal WebSite, thus
far. But... they may still straggle in later. I was real happy when Capt
Frank Cox signed aboard a few weeks ago. Would like to see all of the OldTimers
from postal in that guestbook.
Henderson Jones, Garmon,
Walt New, and a whole lot of others are on that roster, too.
McGrogan, too. Mac and
I came out of PI together in 1952, with about 10 other boots with orders
for OJT 0161 at Pendleton. I served with Mac again at Cherry Point in '58,
and Quantico in '63, and again at DaNang '70-71.
Richard Rhode is on that
roster, and Benny Card--all three of us retired about the same time, 30
September 1972.
Here's some more names
you probably remember, Mike--Moses Lanoza, Cary Davis, Tom Yates, Bill
Arnold, Dave Beach, Ernie Hellums, Michaud, Mortland, Vader Stultz, Larry
Yannizzi, and the list goes on and on. Of course, the real oldtimers were
long gone long before that list ever came out. And the young people, too.
They're the ones that I cannot remember the names of, or even get the right
face matched up with the right name.
Oh yeah, O'Donnell's name
is there, too. Now there was a character. Just have to wonder what ever
happened to them all. I attempted to do some searches on quite a few of
them, and even sent out a bunch of snail-mail and e-mail, both. No responses!
Either I did a lousy research job on all of them, or else they're not interested--what
do you think?
Marine GuestBook is still
my best source of information for finding old postal hands.
Seem to be doing a lot
better with the Marine Vignettes aspect of my website. And it's good therapy
for an old Marine. I know you feel the same about your Gunny Mike's Salute
website.
Well, drop me a line and
let me know what you think and/or maybe your ideas on contacting some of
these jokers.
Semper Fi!
Dick
E-Mail:
GunnyG@HotMail.Com
#24
Re:
Postal Remembrances
By Mike Adelt
February 11, 1998
Hey Dick, You know
Dick, we have known each other going on forty years, got looking at the
last message you sent me with regard to no contact since the early 70's,
but then I remembered a phone call while I was living in Holyoke, MA, from
you informing me that your beloved Cathy had passed away. How you found
me then, is really a mystery. You see, when I retired from the Corps back
in '78 I fell out, bought some 50+ acres in Maine, grew a beard, let my
hair grow, figured I'd go fall out somewhere man. Just like the hippies
and a few others we know. Thought I could get away from Vietnam, the Corps,
recruiting, all those things, but then again to hear your voice when Cathy
died, probably brought me back to reality. Been through a couple of wives
and a lot of booze. Finally found something near and dear to my heart that
brought me back to reality and what I use to be.
Spent some 20 years
in the Corps Dick, a good portion of them in Postal. Remember a lot of
the old timers, and when I say old timers, we're talking guys that were
"China Hands", we're talking guys that fought in WWII and Korea. As we
all know, didn't matter what you MOS, you're still a Marine Corps rifleman.
You were one of the first to bring a Marine Corps Post Office to DaNang
and probably close to one of the last to bring one out. Where in the hell
are these guys who served as the troops for us, above us, and our contemporaries?
People like Ezra Garmon, to whom I have sent snail mail you wouldn't believe
and all I got is one letter back from his wife, not him. Are they out there
just watching us Dick, cause neither one of us are politically correct?
Or are they not advancing into the electronic age? I would like to believe
the latter, but then again, I know of one, a fellow by the name of Henderson
B. Jones, maybe he's out there watchin' us. The list goes on. I really
can't, after looking at the roster I sent you, believe that these people
with all their intelligence and capabilities in that era could not or would
not apply themselves to computers.
I can only say this,
Dick, let's you and I continue to march, you with your website and me with
mine and maybe someday these damn fools will make themselves known.
