What about being "drafted" into the Marines?

[chieftain]

Well,

I only did 10yrs in the Corps.

2 tours in the Nam.

My draftee story follows:

during my second tour in the middle of 1969.

We were making an assault. I had been attached and assigned this chewed up squad of IIRC 5 guys.

We had to move out and they were holding back. I used a standard Marine encourgement.

"What the F**K, move out you all vollenteered for this."

One guy say's, "Sarge, I was drafted."

All I remember is that I never felt so bad for a guy in my life.

No body got hit that day.

But I realize with our casualties we needed Cannon fodder. But it isn't right.

Corps took more Casualties in Viet Nam than in WW II. Not dead, we didn't quite make it. Damn MediVacs kept us alive better than in WWII.

Fred

 

[noklue3]

telewinz:

No problem.....I'm sure that there are guys that think that...Most don't.

All the best

Art

 

[Detritus]

another group that i always wondered about in relation to "not getting what they bargained for". were the Navy Corpsmen who were trained and sent over as the field medics for the Marines...

i've always wondered how many of them DIDN'T volunteer for duty as a combat corpsman.! b/c if any were "selected" instead of being volunteers, that'd be one RUDE wake up call towrd the end of A school! "what do you mean i have to go to field training at camp lejune??!!?? i'm in the NAVY!! i'm gonna be WHAT!?? i knew i should've gone to the air force :banghead: "

correct me if i'm wrong but weren't the navy corpsmen the ONLY US troop "group" with both a higher rate of awards for valor AND higher fatality rate than the Marines over all??

 

[srschick]

GOOD LORD, we have some crusties on this board!
I wasn't even alive until '72

But I did my time in the Corps from '91 to '99

Here's some insight to why Marines believe they are worth a couple of Squids or Flyboys. (note, I didn't say soldier, as some of them can be pretty tough, different mission though)

Author Unknown
__________________________________________
Marine By God

The USMC is over 227 years
of romping, stomping, hell, death and destruction.
The finest fighting machine the world has ever seen.
We were born in a bomb crater,
our mother was an M-16 and our father was the devil.

Each moment that I live is an additional threat upon your life.
I am a rough looking, roving soldier of the sea and air.
I am cocky, self-centered, overbearing.
I do not know the meaning of fear, for I am fear itself.
I am a green, amphibious monster,
made of blood and guts, who arose from the sea,
festering on anti-Americans throughout the globe.
Whenever it may arise, and when my time comes,
I will die a glorious death on the battle field,
giving my life to mom, the Corps, and the American flag.

We stole the eagle from the Air Force,
the anchor from the Navy, and the rope from the Army.
On the 7th day, while God rested, we over-ran his perimeter and stole the globe, and we've been running the show ever since.
We live like soldiers and talk like sailors
and slap the hell out of both of them.

Soldier by day, lover by night, drunkard by choice,

MARINE BY GOD!!!

 

[ed dixon]

My uncle was a Vietnam draftee. The story I heard was that on the day he reported for induction, he was in a classroom full of guys, someone walked in, divided the room in half with his arm and welcomed the guys on one side to the Marines.

 

[sgtmaj13]

Detritus:

Your right. Navy Corpsman had the highest per capita rate of purple hearts of any group during the SE Asia games. As a USMC grunt w/two tours, I can attest to their courage and dedication. Another group I hold in high regard are the Army medevac pilots. Those 19yo hotshots came in more than once for our wounded when the USMC Rotorheads refused because the LZ was too hot.

SgtMaj13
65-89 USMC
Semper Fi

 

[DF357]

Navy Corpsmen and Army guys

I'm sure you're right about the Navy medics and their valor. A good friend of mine from school was a Navy Medic attached to a marine unit in 'Nam. He was awarded the MOH postumously- even had a ship named after him. His MOH citation was something to read ! I just thought he was one of the wimps everyone hangs out with in school and a guy that I had to watch out for cause he wanted my girl friend !

As far as one Marine worth 10 Army guys. Youse guys better lighten up on that one. My Dad and thousands of other D-Day vets -infantrymen mostly - rate a whole Heck of a lot better than that. Let's just say that everyone who served during that war was worth 10 of us !

Keeping on the gun subject I carried an M14 exclusively from 67-71 in the Army - never shot an M16 in 4 years.