Some personal history (abridged)

I joined the Marine Corps out of high school in May 1977 and left for boot camp at MCRD Parris Island, SC the end of September 1977. After 12 weeks of famous Marine Corps training, as a member of "D" Company, Platoon 2218, I graduated a few days before Christmas as a PFC.

After a short leave for Christmas I reported to the Marine Detachment at Ft. Knox, KY for my training as a tank crewman (1811) in January 1978. From there I reported to Camp Pendleton, CA and was assigned to "A" Company, 1st Tank Battalion. While with "A" Company I was promoted to LCpl, Cpl and Sgt (all meritoriously) before October 1979. I re-enlisted in October 1979 and received orders for Marine Security Guard School.

I arrived at MCB Quantico, VA at the MSG Battalion and was a member of class 2-80. After completeing the school and graduating I recieved my first post assignment at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. After spending 15 months in India I originally received orders for my second posting in Jiddah, Saudia Arabia. Just prior to my departure I was asked by the company commander, Major Muth, if I wanted to accept orders to Moscow, U.S.S.R instead. I was on the way to Moscow where I spent 18 months. The last half of my time in Moscow I was the A/NCOIC and was selected for promotion to SSgt on my first selection board.

Upon completion of embassy duty I returned to "A" Company, 1st Tank Battalion. I was ready to settle in and get back to my MOS. I was asked to take a float out for 3rd platoon at the last minute as another SSgt had family issues and could not go. After 30 days leave I came back and left on what turned out to be an extended float with the 31st MAU. I ended up in Beirut, Lebanon for 31 days in October 1983 with the deployment of the 31st MAU to the area for support. We returned to Camp Pendleton a few days before Thanksgiving.

I was selected to become the new 1st Tank Battalion Career Planner, a position I held for almost two years. I then attended the SNCO Academy at MCAS El Toro, CA. Upon completion of that I received orders to attend recruiters school at MCRD San Diego, CA. After graduation I was assigned to RS Chicago and was assigned as the NCOIC of RSS Ottawa, IL. I completed my tour as a recruiter, enlisting 102 future Marines while a recruiter.

When I returned to 1st Tank Battalion I was sent back to Ft. Knox, KY for advanced tank school.

I left active duty in October 1988 and was in a reserve unit for two years out of South Bend, IN.

Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon

The Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon is a Marine Corps military award was established by order of Secretary of the Navy John Howard Dalton on July 15, 1997. The award recognizes those Marine Corps personnel who have served as Security Guards and is retroactive to January 28, 1949.

To be awarded the Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon, a service member must hold the Marine Corps military occupational specialty (MOS) 8151 Marine Corps Security Guard and must have served twenty-four months of service at an American Embassy or Consulate. The award is only awarded to Marine Security Guards for their service at American Embassies or Consulates in a foreign country.

Additional awards of the Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon are denoted by service stars except for those awards which are retroactively presented, in which case the Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon is a one time only decoration.

Marine Embassy Guard Duty

As a former Marine Embassy Guard, I hold this duty very close to my heart. It was THE best duty, bar none, I had the privilage of being selected for.

The Marine Security Guard Battalion, now known as The Marine Corps Embassy Security Command, mission is to exercise command, less operational control of the Marine Security Guards, in that it is responsible for their training, assignments, administration, logistical support, and discipline.

The Marine Security Guards primary mission is to provide internal security services at designated U.S. Diplomatic and Consular facilities to prevent the compromise of classified information and equipment vital to the national security of the United States of America. The secondary mission of Marine Security Guards is to provide protection for U.S. citizens and U.S. Government property located within designated U.S. Diplomatic and Consular premises during exigent circumstances, which require immediate aid or action.

(* Mission is the general term for embassy, consulate or legation; commonly referred to as a "post".*)

MSGs focus on the interior security of a diplomatic post's building(s). In only the most extreme emergency situations are they authorized duties exterior to the building(s) or to provide special protection to the senior diplomatic officer off of the diplomatic compound. MSGs carry a certain level of diplomatic immunity in the performance of their official duties.

Marine Corps Bases

Arizona
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Yuma, Arizona

California
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Twentynine Palms, California
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Lake Forest, California (closed)
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Miramar, California
Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, Tustin, California (closed)
Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Barstow, California
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (HQ Western Recruiting Region), San Diego,
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California
Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton
Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California

Georgia
Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, Albany, Georgia

Hawaii
Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kāne'ohe Bay
Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Camp H. M. Smith

Kentucky
Fort Knox Marine Corps Detachment

Missouri
Fort Leonard Wood Marine Corps Detachment

North Carolina
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Havelock, North Carolina
Marine Corps Air Station New River, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Marine Corps Base Camp Geiger, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Marine Corps Base Camp Johnson, Jacksonville, North Carolina

Pennsylvania
NASJRB Willow Grove, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania

South Carolina
Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, Beaufort, South Carolina
Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island

Texas
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas

Virginia
Marine Corps Base Quantico, Quantico, Virginia
Headquarters Marine Corps, Arlington, Virginia

Washington, D.C.
Marine Barracks 8th & I
Henderson Hall

Japan
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa (multiple locations)
Camp Courtney
Camp Foster
Camp Gonsalves
Camp Hansen
Camp Kinser
Camp Lester
Camp McTureous
Camp Schwab
MCAS Futenma
Camp Fuji (mainland)

Africa
Camp Le Monier, Djibouti

Famous Marines

A
Joseph M. Acaba — first Puerto Rican astronaut
Don Adams — actor
Eddie Albert — actor. Eddie deserves an honorable mention, because he served as a lieutenant in the Navy with the Marines at Tarawa and even earned a Bronze Star with combat 'V' for rescuing 70 Marines during the battle.
Mike Anderson — NFL football player
Walter Anderson (editor) — author; PARADE Magazine editor; Parade Publications CEO; GED spokesperson
Paul Arizin — basketball player
Bea Arthur — actor

B
F. Lee Bailey — lawyer
James Baker — former U.S. Secretary of State, elder statesman, advisor and friend of the Bush family
Leslie M. "Bud" Baker, Jr. — Chairman of the Board of Wachovia Bank.
Nick Barone — boxer (1950s)
Monte Barrett — heavyweight boxer
Carmen Basilio — world champion boxer, Boxing Hall of Famer
John Basilone — Medal of Honor recipient
Hank Bauer — baseball player
Bob Bell — Bozo the Clown (TV)
Patty Berg — LPGA golfer
John Wayne Bobbitt — Famous for his dismembered member.
Charles F. Bolden, Jr. — space shuttle commander
Carol Bongiovi — model, mother of Jon Bon Jovi
John Bongiovi — hairdresser, father of Jon Bon Jovi
Robert Bork — retired federal judge, law professor, and Supreme court nominee.
Blackbear Bosin — artist
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington — WWII pilot ace
Hugh Brannum — "Mr. Green Jeans" on Captain Kangaroo
Daniel B. Brewster — U.S. Senator from Maryland
Art Buchwald — humor columnist
Dale Bumpers — U.S. Senator from Arkansas
Conrad Burns — U.S. Senator from Montana
Smedley Butler — two-time Medal of Honor recipient

C
Enrique Camarena — murdered Mexican-American DEA agent
Vincent Capodanno — Medal of Honor recipient, Chaplain to USMC in Vietnam
Philip Caputo — author, journalist
Rod Carew — baseball Hall of Famer
Drew Carey — comedian
James Carville — political strategist and manager
Roberto Clemente — baseball Hall of Famer
Jerry Coleman — baseball player, announcer
Eddie Collins — baseball Hall of Famer
Charles Colson — White House special counsel, convicted Watergate felon, evangelist
Mike Connors — actor
Donald Conroy — author Pat Conroy's father, the model for "The Great Santini".
John Corzine — Governor of New Jersey.
Bill Cowan — hostage rescue expert, television news commentator
Louis Cukela — recipient of both Navy and Army Medal of Honor
Alfred Cunningham — First Marine Aviator.
Walter Cunningham — Apollo 7 astronaut

D
Daniel "Dan" Daly — only Marine to be awarded two different versions of the Navy Medal of Honor
Sarah Deal — first female Marine Corps helo aviator
Brian Dennehy — actor
Lou Diamond — "Mr. Leatherneck," namesake of actor Lou Diamond Phillips
David Dinkins — Mayor of New York City
Art Donovan — football Hall of Famer
Terry Downes — world boxing champion
Buster Drayton — world boxing champion
Barbara Dulinsky — first female Marine deployed to a combat zone
William L. Durkin — earned fame for rescuing billionaire Howard Hughes from an aircraft accident
Dale Dye — actor, Hollywood military advisor.

E
David Eigenberg — actor, Sex and the City
R. Lee Ermey — actor, TV show host
Don Everly — musician member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Phil Everly — musician member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
John A. Eastman - NFL football player, actor, writer, motivational speaker

F
Hussein Mohamed Farrah — son and successor of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mike Farrell — American actor
Jesse Ferguson — American heavyweight boxer
Bill Fitch — basketball coach
Glenn Ford — actor
Joe Foss — Former Governor of South Dakota, first Commissioner of the American Football league and former NRA President
James Franciscus — actor
Rose Franco — first Hispanic female Marine officer
Mark Fuhrman — LAPD detective who became famous during the O. J. trial
Bob Ferguson — song writer, record producer, and historian

G
Nathan Gale — murderer of guitarist Dimebag Darrell and several others
Bill Gallo — cartoonist, journalist
Christopher George — actor
Wayne Gilchrest — Republican U.S. Representative from Maryland
John Glenn — astronaut, first American to orbit Earth, oldest man in space, U.S. Senator
Scott Glenn — actor
Josh Gracin — singer
Clu Gulager — actor

H
Gene Hackman — actor
Fred Haise — NASA astronaut (Apollo 13 & Space Shuttle Enterprise)
Nathaniel Dawayne Hale — rapper
Hugh W. Hardy — pioneer of the 3D seismic method
Gustav Hasford — author of The Short-Timers, the Vietnam novel on which the movie Full Metal Jacket (1987) was based.
Carlos Hathcock — Marine Sniper
Sterling Hayden — actor
Ira Hayes — in the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima photo
Archibald Henderson — Grand old man of the Marine Corps. The longest-serving Commandant of the Marine Corps (1820-1859).
George Roy Hill — Cargo pilot during WWII and jet night fighter pilot during Korean War. Oscar-nominated director for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as well as winning an Oscar for directing The Sting.
Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch — football Hall of Famer
Gil Hodges — baseball player

I
Mike Ilitch — founder of Little Caesars Pizza.
John Donald "Don" Imus — talk radio host

J
Keith Jackson — broadcaster
Bill Janklow — Governor of South Dakota
Opha Mae Johnson — first female Marine
George Jones — country music star

K
Bob Keeshan — "Captain Kangaroo"
Harvey Keitel — actor
Brian Keith — actor
Raymond W. Kelly — police commissioner of the City of New York
Skip Kenney — Men's Olympic Swim Coach, Head Swim Coach at Stanford University
Ted Kulongoski Governor, State of Oregon
Brian Gerard James TNA/WWE Superstar The Road Dog Jesse James

L
Mills Lane — boxing referee and TV's People's Court judge
Jim Lehrer — journalist, host of the PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
John A. Lejeune — 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps
Alfred Lerner — financier, Chairman of MBNA Corporation
Joe Lisi — actor
Clayton J. Lonetree — spied for Russia in the mid-1980s
Tommy Loughran — world boxing champion
Jack Robert Lousma — NASA Astronaut
Jack H. Lucas — Medal of Honor recipient, Iwo Jima
Robert A. Lutz — Chairman of the Board of Chrysler

M
John F. Mackie — First Marine Medal of Honor recipient.
William Manchester — author and historian
Mike Mansfield — U.S. Representative and Senator, Senate Majority Leader, U.S. Ambassador to Japan; co-author of the Douglas-Mansfield Bill (1951) supporting the Marine Corps
Lee Marvin — actor
Charles B. Mawhinney — sniper, 103 confirmed enemy kills
Ed McMahon — television personality
Sid McMath — Governor of Arkansas
Steve McQueen — actor
Ray Mercer — world boxing champion
Zell Miller — Governor of Georgia, U.S. Senator
Billy Mills — Olympic gold medalist (1964), 10,000m
Tom Monaghan — founder of Domino's Pizza
Jim Mora — NFL head football coach
Robert S. Mueller III — director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Jimmy Murray — former GM of Philadelphia Eagles and co-founder of Ronald McDonald House charities.
John Murtha — U.S. Representative
Mike Montler — professional NFL football player, Buffalo Bills
Marco Martinez First Hispanic to recive the Navy Cross since Vietnam [Operation Iraqi freedom 2003]

N
Samuel Nicholas — First Commandant of the Marine Corps
Carlos I. Noriega — NASA astronaut
Oliver North — officer who became famous in the Iran-Contra affair
Ken Norton — world champion boxer, Boxing Hall of Famer

O
Presley Neville O'Bannon — (1776 – 12 September 1850) famous for his exploits in the First Barbary War.
Kenneth O'Keefe — anti-war activist
Lee Harvey Oswald — assassin of John F. Kennedy
Randy Orton — professional wrestler

P
Peter Pace — first Marine to hold the billet of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005- )
Sam Peckinpah — director
George Peppard — actor
Frank E. Petersen — first African-American General in the U.S. Marine Corps
Bum Phillips — NFL Head coach
Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller — most-decorated Marine in history
Lewis Burwell Puller Jr. — author, Pulitzer Prize winner
Tyrone Power — actor

R
Lawrence G. Rawl — CEO of Exxon (1988-1993)
Ben Reed — writer
Donald Regan — U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chief of Staff (Reagan administration)
Robert Remus — "Sgt. Slaughter" in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Buddy Rich — musician
John Ripley — Navy Cross recipient.
Scott Ritter — former United Nations arms inspector, intelligence officer, outspoken opponent of the Bush administration's foreign policy.
Manuel Rivera — first Puerto Rican and U.S. servicemen to die in Operation Desert Shield
Charles S. "Chuck" Robb — Governor of Virginia, U.S. Senator, married to Linda Bird Johnson (daughter of President Lyndon Johnson)
Pat Robertson — evangelist
Rick Romley — attorney general
James Roosevelt — son of FDR, former Marine Raider
Barney Ross — world champion boxer, Boxing Hall of Famer
Josh Rushing — news reporter for Al Jazeera network
Ken Ryker — gay pornographic movie star

S
Angela Salinas — first Hispanic female General in the Marine Corps
George Schultz — economist, U.S. Secretary of State, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of the Treasury
George C. Scott — actor
Tom Seaver — baseball Hall of Famer
Gerald L. Shaffer — created Leatherneck.com
Shaggy — musician (rapper)
Bernard Shaw — CNN news anchor
Mark Shields — journalist
John L. Simon — US swimming coach
Oliver Sipple — Saved President Gerald Ford's life during an assassination attempt.
Frederick W. Smith — businessman, founder of Fed Ex
W. Thomas Smith, Jr. — author, journalist
John Philip Sousa — composer, conductor/orchestra leader
Johnny Micheal Spann — CIA officer, first American killed in combat in the war on terror
Leon Spinks — world boxing champion
Richard Steele — boxing referee
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger — publisher of The New York Times
Charles R. (Chuck) Swindoll — evangelical Christian pastor, radio preacher
Anthony Swofford — author of the book Jarhead

T
Steven W. Taylor, Oklahoma Supreme Court justice
Jerald terHorst — press secretary (1974) for President Gerald Ford
Craig Thomas — U.S. Senator from Wyoming
Bernard Trainor — retired 3-star general, currently a foreign policy analyst and author.
Lee Trevino — PGA golfer and member of the Hall of Fame
Gene Tunney — world boxing champion, Boxing Hall of Famer

V
Pedro del Valle — first Hispanic 3-star general, played key role in the seizure of Guadalcanal during World War ll.
Bill Veeck — baseball team owner, baseball Hall of Famer

W
Robert Wagner — actor
John Warner — U.S. Senator from Virginia
Mike Weaver — world boxing champion
James Webb — former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, author.
Chuck Wepner — boxer; often pointed as the inspiration for the Rocky movie series
Bing West — author and former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration.
Jo Jo White — basketball Hall of Famer
Charles Whitman — University of Texas at Austin Tower sniper (1966)
Montel Williams — television show host
Ted Williams — baseball Hall of Famer
Jonathan Winters — actor, comedian
Pete Wilson — former Governor of California
Ed Wood, Jr. — film director

Z
Anthony Zinni — Former 4-Star General, CINC US CENTCOM, and Foreign Policy Analyst.

Former Marines

Marines and those familiar with Marine Corps tradition will often object to the use of the term "ex-Marine," Marines are inculcated with the Marine ethos "Once a Marine, always a Marine." Former Marine refers to an individual that completed their service and has received an honorable or general discharge from the service. Marines who have retired are commonly called "retired Marines", "Sir/Ma'am" - out of respect, "Marine" - which they still are, or according to the "Commandant's White letters" from Commandant General Gray until present - by their earned rank.

Sergeants Major of the Marine Corps

Wilbur Bestwick 1957-05-23 – 1959-08-31
Francis D. Rauber 1959-09-01 – 1962-06-28
Thomas J. McHugh 1962-06-29 – 1965-07-16
Herbert J. Sweet 1965-07-17 – 1969-07-31
Joseph W. Dailey 1969-08-01 – 1973-01-31
Clinton A. Puckett 1973-02-01 – 1975-05-31
Henry H. Black 1975-06-01 – 1977-03-31
John R. Massaro 1977-04-01 – 1979-08-15
Leland D. Crawford 1979-08-16 – 1983-06-27
Robert E. Cleary 1983-06-28 – 1987-06-26
David W. Sommers 1987-06-27 – 1991-06-27
Harold G. Overstreet 1991-06-28 – 1995-06-29
Lewis G. Lee 1995-06-30 – 1999-06-28
Alford L. McMichael 1999-06-29 – 2003-06-26
John L. Estrada 2003-06-27 – present

Commandants of the Marine Corps

1. Samuel Nicholas (28 Nov., 1775 – 27 Aug., 1783)
2. William W. Burrows (12 July 1798 – 6 Mar., 1804)
3. Franklin Wharton (7 Mar., 1804 – 1 Sept., 1818)
3. Archibald Henderson (acting) (16 Sept., 1818 – 2 Mar., 1819)
4. Anthony Gale (3 Mar., 1819 – 8 Oct., 1820)
5. Archibald Henderson (17 Oct., 1820 – 6 Jan., 1859)
6. John Harris (7 Jan., 1859 – 1 May 1864)
7. Jacob Zeilin (10 June 1864 – 31 Oct., 1876)
8. Charles G. McCawley (1 Nov., 1876 – 29 Jan., 1891)
9. Charles Heywood (30 June 1891 – 2 Oct., 1903)
10. George F. Elliott (3 Oct., 1903 – 30 Nov., 1910)
11. William P. Biddle (3 Feb., 1911 – 24 Feb., 1914)
12. George Barnett (25 Feb., 1914 – 30 June 1920)
13. John A. Lejeune (1 July 1920 – 4 Mar., 1929)
14. Wendall C. Neville (5 Mar., 1929 – 8 July 1930)
15. Ben H. Fuller (9 July 1930 – 28 Feb., 1934)
16. John H. Russell, Jr. (1 Mar., 1934 – 30 Nov., 1936)
17. Thomas Holcomb ( 1 Dec., 1936 – 31 Dec., 1943)
18. Alexander A. Vandegrift ( 1 Jan., 1944 – 31 Dec., 1947)
19. Clifton B. Cates ( 1 Jan., 1948 – 31 Dec., 1951)
20. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. ( 1 Jan., 1952 – 31 Dec., 1955)
21. Randolph M. Pate ( 1 Jan., 1956 – 31 Dec., 1959)
22. David M. Shoup ( 1 Jan., 1960 – 31 Dec., 1963)
23. Wallace M. Greene, Jr. ( 1 Jan., 1964 – 31 Dec., 1967)
24. Leonard F. Chapman, Jr. ( 1 Jan., 1968 – 31 Dec., 1971)
25. Robert Everton Cushman, Jr. (1 Jan., 1972 – 30 June 1975)
26. Louis H. Wilson, Jr. (1 July 1975 – 30 June 1979)
27. Robert H. Barrow (1 July 1979 – 30 June 1983)
28. Paul X. Kelley (1 July 1983 – 30 June 1987)
29. Alfred M. Gray, Jr. (1 July 1987 – 30 June 1991)
30. Carl E. Mundy, Jr. (1 July 1991 – 30 June 1995)
31. Charles C. Krulak (1 July 1995 – 30 June 1999)
32. James L. Jones (1 July 1999 – 12 Jan., 2003)
33. Michael W. Hagee (13 Jan., 2003 – present)
34. James T. Conway (Pending Confirmation)

What is the Marine Corps?

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military, responsible for providing power projection from the sea, utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces to crises around the globe. Along with the U.S. Navy, it falls under the United States Department of the Navy.
Originally organized as the Continental Marines in 1775 as naval infantry, the Marine Corps would evolve its mission with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. Owing to the availability of Marine forces at sea, the Marine Corps has served in every conflict in U.S. history. It attained prominence when its theories and practice of amphibious warfare proved prescient, and ultimately formed a cornerstone of the Pacific campaign of WWII. By the early 20th century, the Marine Corps would become the dominant theorist and practitioner of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond to regional crises has made and continues to make it an important tool for American foreign policy.
The Marine Corps, with 180,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2005, is smaller than the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force. Only the U.S. Coast Guard is a smaller military service than the Marines.

Welcome

Ohhh Rahh! Welcome to The few, the proud... This is a blog about the Corps, yesterday, today and tomorrow. It is about my time in the Corps, my time since the Corps and the future of the Corps as viewed through my eyes and experience. The views and opinions expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect current Marine Corps, Department of the Navy or DoD policies. I hope you will enjoy this blog and feel free to leave comments on what you read and view here. Semper Fidelis!

This week in Marine Corps history

25 August 1940: Birth date of Captain James A. Graham who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Vietnam War.

26 August 1942: Ira Hayes enlisted in the Marine Corps. Corporal Hayes would go on to help raise the flag on Mount Suribachi during the battlefor Iwo Jima.

27 August 1790: Major Samuel Nicholas, the first officer commissioned in the Continental Marines died in Philadelphia, PA.

28 August 1893: Birth date of Lt. General Pedro Augusto del Valle who served in World War I, Haiti Nicaragua, the Banana Wars of the 1920s,and Guadalcanal.

29 August 1916: The Marine Corps Reserve was founded.

30 August 1945: 1st Battalion 4the Marines landed at Yososuka, Japan and occupied the airfield at the naval base there.

31 August 1934: Marines end 19 year occupation of Haiti