Anyone Burn Privies In Nam?

[jinelson]

Anyone who was below the rank of Corporal had the devine pleasure of cleaning the public toilets in the land of the Nam. They were somewhat different than we were accustomed to here in the world. 55 gallon drums cut in half and placed below a wooden bench with a hole in it, in a wood out house type structure. Hygiene being a necessity required them to be burned daily. So that required a detail of snuffies to pull the drum away from the structure and douse with 5 gallons of No. 2 diesel and toss in a activated flare or thermite grenade. Oh lord I can smell the aromatic stench to this day. They would burn for hours all over the country side lifting jet black plumes of smoke skyward.

Who amoung us has had this distinct honor to claim? Dang it was good to make Corporal no more burning shi1ters.

Aint memories great?

[ivalis]

rather burn sh!tters than be a corporal.

[greensideout]

You keep us guessing Ivalis, you may have been an officer for all I know.

Don't like corporals? Come on, someone has to run the everyday business of the Corps!


Never burned a barrel of sh*t, there was just our unit in Nam at the time and I have already told my out house story and the time on the three holer with the female war photografter.

Oh yes, memories----.

[ivalis]

e-nothings ran the crotch, NCOs just thought they did.

[Sgted]

In my area in 'Nam we had a 4 holer.
I had the distinct honor of pulling privie burning a couple of times before being promoted to Cpl. We used #2 fuel and a balled up wad of TP. Hot sh*t was the result.
It did take a long time to burn the contents depending on the menu at chow the day before. Ashes left over were dumped and the head was declared clean.

greensideout seems to be saying he shared his 3 holer with a female war photographer once.
My experience was different in that I was sittin on # 1 hole one morning and in walks an old beetle nut chewing mamasan (who worked on base) who sits on # 3. I turned red, got mad and shut down when this happened as I had never shared such an intimate function with a female before.
In our area (as in many others I imagine) if you only needed to pee there were p*ss tubes here and there. Old rocket lauching pods that were placed in a hole lined with stones & sand.

And the memories continue....

[greensideout]

Sgted, that's the way it was---out in the open, could see for miles---had to take a dump---here she came and sat beside me---lol---she rubbed her shoulder againest mine and said, "How ya doing Marine?" (She was older, much combat time---I think she was just having fun with a 19 year old kid.)

[Patdaly]

We had 4 holers and two sets of half barrels. You just pulled out the used one and replaced it with the clean one and the set it on fire with diesel. No lost ****ter time

[quakerboy74]

I cant say I was there......H#ll, i was still a gleam in my Daddy's eye, but oh how do I love to hear (read) all you "Salty Dogs" out there tell yer story.

Ooh-Rah and Semper Fi Marines.

[jinelson]

I got that trick message bro was that the new messaging deal that Jerrry the webmaster added today? And yeah I hate to admit it but these days I am a salty dog, but not so salty that I have forgotten my roots in the Corps.

Sempers Jim

[greybeard]

Had some 4 holers at Marble mtn too. More than once I was sittin there doin my business and open goes the sheet iro flap in the back and the mamasans go to pulling the cut off crap drums out.
Nothin like having your asx sandblasted from the wind blown beach sand.

[Sgted]

Another thing about those 2,3 or more holers.
I don't know if this is true but I remember being told to watch out for bamboo vipers and rats hiding out just below those sensitive parts when you were tending to business. Not to mention centipedes, spiders and other dragons.
I remember my having just the slightest discomfort at this thought always thinking that lil' Eddie and his friends were in danger.

Big Eddie.

[roady17]

Burning the sh*ter was one of my first duties in Nam. I remember having to stir them once in a while to make sure they burned all the way down. What memories!

[Riven37]

Originally posted by jinelson
Anyone who was below the rank of Corporal had the devine pleasure of cleaning the public toilets in the land of the Nam. They were somewhat different than we were accustomed to here in the world. 55 gallon drums cut in half and placed below a wooden bench with a hole in it, in a wood out house type structure. Hygiene being a necessity required them to be burned daily. So that required a detail of snuffies to pull the drum away from the structure and douse with 5 gallons of No. 2 diesel and toss in a activated flare or thermite grenade. Oh lord I can smell the aromatic stench to this day. They would burn for hours all over the country side lifting jet black plumes of smoke skyward.

Who amoung us has had this distinct honor to claim? Dang it was good to make Corporal no more burning shi1ters.

Aint memories great?


I was with Lima 3/1 1st Mar Div. When we were given this task you new you were getting short....had nothing to do with your rank..my buddy was Corporal as we both burn the pots...On the other hand nothing mattered did it....days later I was transfered to another unit to begin all over again.....so much for short time...****y job.

[thundercat]

Yea I remember that wonderful smelling job. I was awarded the destinction 1 week before I left the nam on my first tour. Actually it was that or still pull ambush and patrol duty on the dmz. I really only had the job 2 days as we burnt one of the heads to the ground. Accident of course. I found out you can return the barrels to the head too quick. Guess they needed to cool down. Oh well!!!!

[carlwd]

You really had to be in an artillery battery to properly accomplish the mission. Our Battery Gunny in G 3/12 in 1968(when I was a PFC and L/CPL) made us 'young Christains' understand that the only...

[Wyoming]

ivalis, I said it before - 'What the Hell is your problem?'

Methinks your meds need adjusted.

[Joseph P Carey]

Originally posted by ivalis
rather burn sh!tters than be a corporal.
e-nothings ran the crotch, NCOs just thought they did.

Ivalis,

There are many things that I wish I would never be in this world, being an ill mannered Sot like you is one of them!

As you are a member because you filled out an on-line registration only, might I remind you that you should be civil. Of course, if I were a pimple face dude with nothing to do, and no future, I would probably be just like you when the institution gave me computer privileges for the day!

For the record, Oh two year boy, if you can not hold your liquor, don't type on the site.

As far as doing the crapper detail, we had an e-tool and a path through the wire. We did not have one of those contraptions on the line! We just had to be careful at night that no one shot us! Now, wouldn't that be a letter home to our parents: "Your Marine was pumped while taking a dump!"

[Riven37]

Originally posted by bigalholmes165
ivalis, I said it before - 'What the Hell is your problem?'

Methinks your meds need adjusted.


I like to know, is this Ivalis for real or is he joking around ? I don't want to lock and load on someone without good cause.:rambo:

[jinelson]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/179311.jpg

Im so happy to see that the tradition continues decades later.

:D

[Ed Palmer]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/jinelson/179311.jpg

Im so happy to see that the tradition continues decades later.

:D
Whats he doing striking for cook

[ggyoung]

2 tours in Vietnam and niver had to burn a craper.

[Ed Palmer]

You know it does put a new meaning to shxt on a shingle

[SgtHopperUSMC]

Anyone who was below the rank of Corporal had the devine pleasure of cleaning the public toilets in the land of the Nam. They were somewhat different than we were accustomed to here in the world. 55 gallon drums cut in half and placed below a wooden bench with a hole in it, in a wood out house type structure. Hygiene being a necessity required them to be burned daily. So that required a detail of snuffies to pull the drum away from the structure and douse with 5 gallons of No. 2 diesel and toss in a activated flare or thermite grenade. Oh lord I can smell the aromatic stench to this day. They would burn for hours all over the country side lifting jet black plumes of smoke skyward.

Who amoung us has had this distinct honor to claim? Dang it was good to make Corporal no more burning shi1ters.

Aint memories great?I know this does not belong in this section but thought it was interesting to note that nothing much changed. We had the same crappy job in Desert Shield/Storm. Heck probably used your blueprints Ha! Semper Fi!

[FistFu68]

:evilgrin: IVALIS~WILL JUST BE FINE;STICKING TOO HIS DIET!A HALF BARREL OF MILLER A DAY,ALL THE CHEESE AND VENISON HE CAN EAT!!!BUT NO CPL./S~ALLOWED!!!(LMFAO)SEMPER~HO~HO!!!:D

[rktect3j]

I burned the ****ters but not in Nam. Did it in Kuwait. I doubt it was any more fun for that matter. Of course I burned them in 110 degree heat. Nothing smells worse then heat stressed ****.:sick:

[rktect3j]

Not a very good picture but then who really wants a good picture of this work?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/rktect3j/Re-exposureoflastscan.jpg

[BobTate]

never had the "pleasure" to stand guard over a honey bucket but I see things haven't changed much in 40 years....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/bobtate/misc/honeybucketburning.jpg

[semperfiman]

who has the marshmellows

[Daniel J Flynn]

I burned ****ters as a Sergeant! I had a disagreement with a Major, who took me to the CO, who had both of us tell our side of the story. He took my side.
Major Parker never forgot. He had ingenious ways of getting me assigned to details that Cpls and Sgts. did not do. In addition to burning ****ters, I rode 'shotgun' on the garbage truck, and filled many sandbags.

I suffered great indignities under that Major, and I swore that I would never be 'right' about anything when he was around. But I did survive. I still dislike the SOB, but it didn't do me any harm to burn ****ters.
Semper Fi.

[docusmcrvn]

i was in charge of burning the 4 holers,on hill 37,from dec 8,68-jan10,69.as a doc,i had the privlege to drive the mule and supervise the burning.i used to see how long i could them to...

[JungleJoe]

I only burned a couple of times..once at the main base(during the Siege) and once on Hill 558...The rest of my stay in sunny Viet Nam...I would rather walk point..so I was kept out of the working party stuff...:flag:

[jinelson]

These photos are courtesy of iamcloudlander and were taken in the MAG-11 compound in Danang.

Jim


http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/iamcloudlander/010.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/iamcloudlander/065.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/iamcloudlander/023.jpg

I bet theres a great story that goes with this photo lol. I hope there were no casualties when this burned lol. Please share it with us iamcloudlander.

[davblay]

Hence the term "**** DETAIL"! :sick:

[Osotogary]

Did this one under another title but I think it will work here.
I never understood why anyone would have clean anybody elses sh*t after the age of reason (7 years of age), figuring everyone over that age should clean up their own mess, but then again...sh*t happens. LOL

[Ed Palmer]

and you always thought that burning them was tough


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v733/Ed15Palmer/yourjobdontsuck.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v733/Ed15Palmer/lmaodog.gif