FORMER U.S. MARINES and the M! GARAND

[Ron H.]

Served from 1985 to 1991, will always consider my self a "3/7" Marine as that was my first assigned unit. Bought my first M1 in 1991,was hooked after having shot one that one of my Company Gunny's owned in 1988.

Semper Fi, Rob

Ah, San Mateo. I was in "Suicide Charley" 1/7 about the same time.

Semper Fi,

Ron H.

[comm pogue]

San Mateo, also was the home of the 28th Marines for awhile. i was with them for a few monthes, long enough to go to NAS Fallon NV for 10 days of cold weather training. when we returned i had WESPAC orders.so i'm one of a select few that had cold weather training before i went to Viet Nam Semper Fi Al

[Sgt. Rob P.]

Now that 7th Marines is out at 29 Palms, who's been staying in San Mateo lately?

comm pogue - you're one of the lucky 5th MarDiv members from its reactivation, a neat distinction!

Semper Fi, Rob

[Ron H.]

Now that 7th Marines is out at 29 Palms, who's been staying in San Mateo lately?

comm pogue - you're one of the lucky 5th MarDiv members from its reactivation, a neat distinction!

Semper Fi, Rob

Sir, the last time I was there in '91, the 5th Marines had been moved up to Mateo from Margarita. I was with the 1st Marines at Horno at the time. Who knows what changes there have been since then.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

[riverbottom]

In 74 while stationed in the 2/155 how btry at Camp Lejeune our arms building, little brick building in area 10 our armorers found 2 garands stashed up in the attic of the building. I got to look at them and aside from some surface rust they looked pretty good to me. I was trained on the 16 and didnt know then what I know about garands today. Semper Fi, John

[Joe W]

In 74 while stationed in the 2/155 how btry at Camp Lejeune our arms building, little brick building in area 10 our armorers found 2 garands stashed up in the attic of the building. I got to look at them and aside from some surface rust they looked pretty good to me. I was trained on the 16 and didnt know then what I know about garands today. Semper Fi, John

Hey, was that in, what at the time, was the M.T. area, across from the 10th Marines ? I think I put those Garands there sometime in the mid 50s.

[Capt Quahog]

Numerous friends and classmates went into the Marines during the 1965-66 period. They were issued the M14 at boot camp and sometime later were swapped out with the AR15/M16. Another guy who was a little older than myself joined the Marine Corps in 1959 and was issued the M1 Garand rifle. Would guess that the period for transition in the Marine Corps from the M1 to M-14 was sometime in the early 1960s. No doubt somebody on this board who directly served knows better. Being first line "shock troops", the Marines would have the latest weapons.

In 1962, while in High School we were doing the ROTC thing and used fully operational M1 Garand rifles. Don't recall firing them, but the rifles were complete and functioning with firing pins. This was in greater Boston, Massachusetts. Can we imagine how things have changed? Today if they saw a dozen or so male high school students marching around with shouldered rifles, an Emergency would be declared. The SWAT team and crisis intervention consortium along with a bunch of alphabet named Federal Agencies would appear on the scene and arrest us.

To recollection the Massachusetts National Guard had M1 Garand rifles up though early 1970s or perhaps later. A co-worker friend, who happened to be a Colonel in the National Guard side of 126th Yankee Division, offered to sign me up with an Officer's Commission. Holy Moly! He wanted me to be his right hand man aid. I would have been a 45-day wonder "2nd Louie"! Still don't understand how that officer enlistment thing worked, but it was totally different from joining as a ground level grunt. Suppose that if his drinking buddy, the General, signs off on the other pal's enlistment, then the appointed toad goes off for Officer Training to learn how to eat with a knife and fork?



I still regret not having seized the opportunity, but that's another story.

Anyway, I went down to Camp Curtis Guild in Reading, Massachusetts sometime in 1973 to schmooze with the Colonel, who was still trying to woo me to sign on the dotted line. Remember getting a grand tour and saw some National Guard troops drilling with M1 Garand rifles. There were no M14s anywhere in sight. Recall too the Colonel pointing at a bunch of M151 army jeeps. Was informed that as an officer in the 126th, I'd be able to drive around in my own assigned jeep as much as I could stand.

At the time, the only M1 Garands that we civilians could get our hands on were either the one per life time from the DCM, a scarce stray cat rifle that showed up or a questionable welded receiver piece.

[Joe W]

[ QUOTE] Would guess that the period for transition in the Marine Corps from the M1 to M-14 was sometime in the early 1960s. No doubt somebody on this board who directly served knows better. Being first line "shock troops", the Marines would have the latest weapons ]

Capt. Quahog - The Marines never got anything before the Army at that time. It may be different now, I am not sure. I believe the Army turned in the M1 for the M14 in 1959, but I was told by a Marine that he swaped his M1 for the M14 in 1963. As I heard it, the whole Marine Corps did not switch over to the M14 at the same time. Maybe a Marine that served at this time, 1962 - 1964, can let us know how the Marine Corps transitioned to the M14.

[nstoolman1]

This gave me goose bumbs when I read it.

The Title United States Marine

It Can Not be Inherited
Nor Can it Ever be Purchased
You or No One Alive
can Buy It for Any Price
It is Impossible to Rent
and It Can Not be Lent
You Alone and Our Own
have Earned It
with Your Sweat, Blood and Lives.
You Own It Forever
The Title "United States Marine"

Thank you

[snell]

I hit Parris Island in March of 1963. We were issued M-14s at that time.

After Boot Camp we went to Camp Geiger, NC for Infantry Training (ITR) and used some of the most beat up Garands I've ever seen. We had tree operated M1s (ram the op rod against a tree to cycle it), M1 operated M1s (place the butt on the ground and have your buddy butt stroke the op rod to ge it to cycle) and single shot M1s. I never would have expected Marine rifles to be in such poor shape. They shot ok but cycling was always a treat.

By the way, all the ammo we shot was AP. There were tungston penetrators lying all over the live fire ranges.

Once I got to LeJuene in September 1963 ( HQ Co 6th marines) I was issued an M-14.

Semper Fi !

Art