Parris Island and San Diego BS

True Brotherhood...Thank You

Dear Sgt Grit,

Last evening my boyfriend PFC Andrew Carlson brought me out to dinner at the Wild Horse Cafe in Beverly Ma for Valentines Day. Andrew is currently on his 10 day leave after his Parris Island graduation and will be going to North Carolina next week. We were both dressed up, he in his uniform and I in a dress. We were seated and ordered our dinners in the quiet dimly lit restaurant. I could not help but notice that there were few people dining that evening primarily because it was the night before Valentines Day. After we ordered our dessert the waitress came up and said " I just wanted to let you know that your dinner has been paid for by a gentleman who was dining here earlier. He is a former Marine and noticed you coming in and has paid for your evening together." Both Andrew and I were in disbelief. She then added, "it is an honorable thing to be in the Marines and I thank you for your service." I asked if the former Marine left his name or number and she said he didn't leave anything but just wanted to pay for our dinner. Andrew and I could not believe the generosity and unselfishness this Marine gave to us. As we sat there almost feeling guilty Andrew said "That is the first time I've experience the 'brotherhood' of the Marines The only way we can thank him is to do the same thing for a Marine someday." I nodded and we sat at our table in silence holding hands and hoping that the Marine will know how much it meant to us. I am so proud of Andrew and his decision to leave his career at 28 years old and serve his country. I am amazed at the pride and bond that Marines have for one another even if they have never met. This bond was shown to us through the thoughtfulness of the Marine who paid for our dinner. We will never forget that and I only hope and pray that he knows how grateful we are.

Semper Fidelis,
Julia Lower and PFC Andrew Carlson

My 'pen pal daughter', PFC April Cheek

On Oct 20, 2005 I was reading my Sgt Grit’s American Courage Newsletter #108, http://www.grunt.com/scuttlebutt/newsarchives/2005/oct_20_ac.asp when I found a letter from a very determined young lady named April Cheek. (You can read her letter at the link, it's about the 10th letter in the newsletter).

Anyhow, I was genuinely touched by her determination and I wanted to let her know that, so I decided to write her. I only knew her first and last name from the newspaper, so I looked up the female recruit schedule and found that female recruits arriving Oct 10th would be in Papa Company. I sent my letter of support and promised her I would be her 'pen pal dad'. In the meantime my twin sons were preparing to go to boot camp, though they got set back 3 months due to strained quadriceps.

A few weeks later, I received my first letter from her! This old Gunny was smiling from ear to ear as I read her response to my letter, though I did have to wipe my eyes a few times. I wrote her back and we began to exchange letters. Everyday when my wife called my office, I asked her, "Did we get a letter from April?” In my letters to April I would always include photos of my sons and wife in whatever activities our family had recently. I just tried to keep things upbeat and encouraging as well as let her know there was a family that cared and supported her, not a stalker or whatever.

I had told her early that I would come to her January 6 graduation, but time was getting short and I hadn't received anything from her for about 5 weeks. I was unsure if she was going to graduate, but searched everywhere on the net to find out. The only hope I had was the mother of another recruit in the same platoon. She told me in email that her daughter was going to call on Christmas and I asked her to ask her daughter about April.

Then during Christmas we had another poolee and 'Grit Girl' come visit us from Pittsburgh, Stacy. Stacy took all charge of all our hearts.

The clock started ticking louder and louder as my sons' ship date, (Jan 9th, two days from now!), loomed larger and larger. We were trying to spend every second we could together before they left. Stacy decided to come back and visit with us the weekend before they shipped, so we decided it would be a great preview of recruit graduation as well as Parris Island for Stacy, and motivation for our sons to see April Cheek's graduation, though we didn't know for sure she was graduating or not.

I asked my sons' recruiter if she could find out if April was graduating. She called Parris Island on Thursday night and confirmed April WAS GOING TO GRADUATE the next day!

WOW - we were EXCITED! We left Jacksonville, Florida at 6:00 AM Friday morning and arrived at a very COLD and WINDY Parris Island for recruit graduation. We carried signs with April's name and Platoon number so she could see us and if any family was there they would be able to approach us. Mind you, WE HAD NO IDEA of April looked like! I walked around through the crowd holding the sign with her name as my family shivered in the bleachers. The mom of the other recruit told me she had talked with April on family day and told April that her 'pen pal dad' was coming and April was elated!

A guy saw the sign and waved me to come over. He was April's dad!! I told him that I was her 'pen pal dad' and I had been writing her and he was surprised as she hadn't mentioned it in any letters. He said "You've been writing to MY daughter"? With the tone in his voice that a good dad would have when he finds out a 53 year old guy was writing HIS 19 year old daughter!! I just smiled and told him our whole family was there FOR his daughter's graduation. Soon he introduced April's mom and brother and uncles and cousins and the whole entourage of 15 family members and friends who had traveled from North Carolina! Counting the 5 of us, April had 20 people in the freezing cold for her graduation!

We all laughed and hugged and took photos after the platoons were dismissed.

Loveland High School Graduate, Graduates again

Thomas A. Vormwald, PFC USMC - Graduated August 26th, 2005. From United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. He is the son of Thomas and Penny Vormwald of 136 Bridle Lane, Loveland, OH.

After Graduation he will spend 10 days on leave and 7 days on Recruiters assistance with the US Marine Corps Recruiting Office Eastgate. On 13 Sept. 2005 he will be stationed to Camp Geiger, North Carolina to attend the US Marine Corps School of Infantry. After which, his final duty station will be determined based on the needs of the United States Marine Corps.

He is preceded in the United States Marine Corps by his Grandfather PFC Ernest J. Vormwald (1941-1945) and SGT. Thomas E. Vormwald (1980-1990). He is a 3rd generation United States Marine.

Semper Fi,

Respectfully Submitted,
Sgt. T.E. Vormwald (USMC Former)
136 Bridle Lane
Loveland, Ohio 45140

Bootcamp

I thought someone may like to see this.
1960
Plt 116
San Diego, Ca

Semper Fi
L/Cpl James Hammond 2/60 to 2/65

Pictures at Parris Island

Boot camp photo

Had a good time at the "grit together" Saturday. Your photographer got a picture of you, me and my drill instructor. Here's a picture of us in 1968 at MCRD. The drill instructor is JC Allen, I'm the private in the Buddy Holly glasses. The only thing that makes our presence there (me & GySgt Allen) unusual is that he was my DI in 1968 and 37 years later we hang out together.
Dan Campbell

I'm the short, macho Drill Instructor with the 29" waist. Dan is the "Turd" with the heavy, black rimmed glasses. Time is not kind to old men.

J.C. Allen

Parris Island Plt. 191

Pictures from Plt. 191, which formed at Parris Island 14 December 1963. I checked the Viet Nam Memorial, and none of my three Drill Instructors was listed as KIA. Letcher E. Asher was my 17 y.o. bunkmate, whom we shephered through Boot Camp as he still needed to grow up, only to learn that he shot off his toe with an M-1 blank at RTR. Alton B. Biggs is deceased. John Tracy had a law degree, served six months active duty and returned to Colorado to practice law. Two of the guys went AWOL after we got to Lejeune, were caught in North Mississippi and returned to Lejeune. J.E.

Gardner had turned 17 a couple of days before we left. He was incredulous that the Drill Instructors would actually beat us. Bet me a dollar I was lying. He was the first man to be beaten. He was famous for being forced to eat a perfumed letter from his girlfriend after the Drill Instructors gave him sufficient time to stop her from sending them. He came home to Mississippi, married the little girl and was playing in a Rock band in the 60's. I returned to college, served 12 years in the USMCR and am active in the Marine Corps League now.

Lamar Reynolds

Platoon #155

I wanted to send my platoon picture (#155) and maybe you might post it. In addition, I took a couple of pictures on your website and ran them through Photoshop and I think I improved them. You be the judge.

Thanks

Richard Moore
Missouri

Depot Honor Platoon PISC MAY 1955

Graduated from PISC 50 years ago this coming week .....5 MAY 1955 Proudest moment of my life and the beginning of a great many memories. Semper Fi, Hump

Platoon 4007

Sgt Grit,
Incredible website that could have only been created by a Marine! One of my platoon members, Cpl Martinez, female Marine, left an email and a photo for you. We were proud members of Platoon 4007 in 1996. We were only the second class to have to pass the crucible to graduate. Never, in my life, have I been so proud, as the day we humped to the Iwo Jima Memorial on a rainy morning. Thank you for what you do, and I'm enclosing a Marine picture, and a photo of what I do now. Ooo Rah Devil Dogs!

Lcpl Michelle Martinson U.S.M.C. 11/1996-03/2001 under Senior Drill Instructor Davis.

Before and After

Hello Sgt Grit,
I have been driving past your store for almost a year and been wanting to stop by and see what you were all about. Well today, Christmas eve, my wife and I made the plunge and I can only tell you that you are doing an outstanding job Marine!!! We spent about 30 minutes looking around and visiting with Rowdy, that great looking bulldog of yours. I was able to break away some funny money from my wif and bought some goodies.

I enclosed two pictures. I call them the before and the after. The one on the left is my boot camp graduation picture from MCRD Parris Island in June 1966. The one on the left is my son's boot camp graduation picture from MCRD San Diego in March 1993. It was a proud day for my wife and myself. I served from June 1966 to November 1969, in VMGR 352, H&MS-13, and VMGR 152 as an Airborne Radio Operator (6725). My son Brian served from November 1992 until April 1994. His goal was to be a 0311 but he was hurt during boot camp and never fully recovered. He wound up with a medical discharge after almost completing SOI. We both live close by the store here in Oklahoma.

Keep up the great job of providing a way for us old and new Marines to share with each other. Semper Fi!!
Martin Weaver
SGT USMC

Cold War Era Boot Camp

PLT 81
MCRD SAN DIEGO
FEB, 1953
Me? 2ND FROM R
TOP ROW

Woman Marine at PI

Sgt Grit,
This is a picture of, at the time PFC Martinez, during Marine Combat Training in Parris Island 03/1997 ... one gear, one training, one shot, one kill, ooh-rah!
Semper Fi,
Former Cpl Martinez, Yesenia (U.S.M.C. 11/1996-03/2001)

PFC Drill Instructors?

Attached is our graduation photo taken in about early September of 1952 at MCRD San Diego. This is Honor Platoon #451 and the Drill Instructors were: Sgt. K. W. Wright, Cpl. D. W. Elkins, and PFC O. H.
McClelland. Documentation of PFC Drill Instructors?
T. W. Stewart #1318421

Parris Island Plt 47

This is my boot camp picture at Parris Island, Plt. 47, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. I am in the 2nd Row from top, next to the last in that row. Plt. 47 started in April 1947 and graduated in June 1947. Our DI's were SSgt. Albring (KIA Korea), SGT. Paul Schmid and Pvt. Jensen. I would then spend almost 23 years in the Corps, achieving rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant (E-9) and in 1966 was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Two tours of recruiting duty (NY/NJ [50-52] & Owensboro, KY [55-59]. As a SSgt. & TSgt. I served with ATA Plt., , Wpns. Co., 1st Bn., 5th Marines; H&SCo., 1st Bn., 5th Marines and Hq. Bn., 1st Marine Division in Korea (52-53). Also was a 2ndLt. and 1stLt. in Vietnam (66-67) as Asst. Div. Adj./Awards Officer of the 3rd Marine Division. The roster of my fellow boot camp Marines is included.

2nd Battalion Barracks

Sgt Grit:

Re: Mike Kunkel, Cpl 0331, 81-85 comment about musty smell and current state of 2nd Battalion Barracks.

The smell is not peculiar to just Parris Island. I go to NC/SC annually for vacation and that same smell permeates the air near the wetland areas. As far as the barracks go...I visited the Island in late December, 2003 and took the pictures I've attached. The old wooden barracks were being dismantled back in 80's when I visited then. The brick barracks shown in the picture were of 2nd Battalion.

During the visit I met a wonderful young woman who asked if I needed help finding anything. I explained I trained in 2nd Battalion and possibly with a bit of over zealous unit pride proclaimed the 2nd "the best damn Battalion on the Island" (no disrepect to the 1st and 3rd). She broke out in a huge smile........she explained she was the wife of a Drill Instructor in 2nd Battalion.....they were due back any time from the crucible.

Although I can't explain the origin of the smell I hope the pictures will bring back some memories.

R. Luciani
SSgt '66-70

MCRD San Diego

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