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PFCJon
09-26-05, 06:35 AM
I'm guessing that just like the Bootcamp Stories thread, there are a lot of embarassing and funny stories about your first experience with your unit in the fleet. Or, maybe I'm the only one who managed to embarass myself after checking in, haha. I'll share a quick story:

Our first roll call- I was put in 3rd squad in the back. I waited as our Sgt read off names, but not mine. He finished reading his roster and asked who he did not call. I raised my hand and said, "Right here Sgt." Someone said, "What, we have a new guy in the platoon?" The Sgt asked who I was, and going on what the Marine in front of me had just said and assuming he wanted to know where I came from rather than my name, I responded "New guy sir" This got a bunch of mutters, "So it's sir is it? Come on up here PFC Newguy"

The moral of the story: don't be stupid.

GySgtRet
09-26-05, 06:53 AM
After coming off of boot leave in 73 I reportrd into my first unit at Cherry Point North Carolina. I was driving a 1969 chocolate brown laquered finish 3 speed on the floor Chevy Chevelle. When I got to my unit a person in civiees showed me his ID and it was a CID agent a CWO CID agent. He asked if he could look at my trunk I said Yes Sir... of course. What was I going to say No Sir...when going through a gate you see a sign that states that you and your vehicle are subject to search and seizure. Well, he looked at my trunk and found no evidence of what he wanted of course. I didn't bother asking what he was looking for, as it was non of my business anyway. And of course some Marines in the unit watched what was happening and I got grilled as to what I was doing spwaking with a CID agent just getting here and all of that. The Marines that asked me were trying to find out if I was a narc or something. This went on for about a week and went away.

Semper Fidelis

MillRatUSMC
09-26-05, 07:15 AM
It wasn't my first, it was my second one, on reporting to Charlie Company 1st Bn 5th Marines.
I had just got assign a platoon, I heard a loud yell "What are you doing without your "pogey rope"on?
I turn to face one mad 1st Sergeant, who than informed me to report to supply to get one "pogey rope".
After getting that "pogey rope" I walked back to the compny area.
It was than that I noticed these signs over all the hatchways "ALL THE WAY".
So the first person I saw, I had to ask what "ALL THE WAY" meant.
I was than informed it meant "ALL THE WAY" on your two feet FOOL!
Never will forget that check in...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

PS
Does this make older than dirt?

Old Marine
09-26-05, 08:23 AM
Was anyone ever sent to get 50 yards of firing line from the Armor.

Or, if reporting for duty with the wing----sent to pick up a bucket of prop wash.

Old Marine
09-26-05, 08:27 AM
Originally posted by GySgtRet
After coming off of boot leave in 73 I reportrd into my first unit at Cherry Point North Carolina. I was driving a 1969 chocolate brown laquered finish 3 speed on the floor Chevy Chevelle. When I got to my unit a person in civiees showed me his ID and it was a CID agent a CWO CID agent. He asked if he could look at my trunk I said Yes Sir... of course. What was I going to say No Sir...when going through a gate you see a sign that states that you and your vehicle are subject to search and seizure. Well, he looked at my trunk and found no evidence of what he wanted of course. I didn't bother asking what he was looking for, as it was non of my business anyway. And of course some Marines in the unit watched what was happening and I got grilled as to what I was doing spwaking with a CID agent just getting here and all of that. The Marines that asked me were trying to find out if I was a narc or something. This went on for about a week and went away.

Semper Fidelis

That Chevelle would have been OK, if you were reporting to Camp Pendleton in California, but in North Carolina you are supposed to drive a Pick-Um-Up Truck with a lot of primer on it and it should be 4 wheel drive, with a coon tail on the antenna.

Phantom Blooper
09-26-05, 08:33 AM
with a coon tail on the antenna.

I agree with the Pick-Um-Up Truck ,but I prefer panties or a bra on the antenna!

Semper-Fi! "Never Forget" Chuck Hall:banana:

GySgtRet
09-26-05, 09:40 AM
Hey I couldn't afford a pick-um-up Truck back then. I had to have style. I got to get gurr qualified at Cherry Point. We had starched sateens and we had gurrs on our covers. Well you were blindfolded and you got your axe quals out of the way. Of course if you did a good job you din't have a serviceable cover anymore. And the Marines around you were also very helpful in hitting your target....!!!!

Phantom Blooper I think that I would have liked the decorations for the antenna.

Old Marine. Did you ever have to get 1000 feet of flight line...???

Semper Fidelis

Old Marine
09-27-05, 08:40 AM
Only once, and it ended up being only 999 feet.

GySgtRet
09-27-05, 08:44 AM
Old Marine,

Cherry Point always had a lack of 1000 feet of flightline too. Get you A$$ chewed for afailure to comply. Disobediance to orders...!!!

Semper Fidelis

jgorosco
09-27-05, 09:21 AM
When I 1st reported for duty at MALS24 ORDNANCE, Once I arrived to my unit after a 1hr drive in the back of a CUTV(sp) in my Alphas (95 degree heat in Hawaii) I was told by SSGT BORJA that I needed to get the keys for the 5ton because it needed pneumatic fluid. I was all excited to get my 1st duty with my unit!! If anyone gets this, then it will be pretty funny imagining a Boot Marine running around in his Alphas in the ORDNANCE Compound not knowing what the hell was going on and why all the other Marines would laugh their azzes off when I asked for the keys for the 5 ton and the pneumatic fluid, till I got to my CO MJR Swanson laughing his azz off and finally telling me the real deal and welcome to ORDNANCE and the games to come. Good Times!!!

SEMPER FI
IYAOYAS

oconnoraw
09-27-05, 09:25 AM
A PRC E-7, or a NAVMC Form Id-10T.

1st Duty Station check in, MB Cecil Feild, FL. Told to report in Service Alpha (summer). Who wudda thunk that in sunny FL they switched to Service (winter) on Nov 1st like the rest of the Corps (it was a balmy 92 degrees). Seabag drag out the winter Alpha and look like the only bird that doesn't FLY! 1stSgt wasn't impressed and it took 2 years to get that 1stSgt to treat me like a Marine. Thanks SSgt Sepatao (ITS Platoon Sgt)!!

O'C

outlaw3179
09-27-05, 10:37 AM
As a boot was sent to retrieve.....

100 yards of flighline...

the keys to the hummer.....

batteries for the chemlights.....

gridsquares from the armory.....

and a couple times when talking to a corporal, a sgt. or a ssgt. I was sent to ask for a Pric E-4, 5, or 6.

Being a boot sucked!!!!! LOL

oh and there was also e tool qualifications !!

testforecho2112
09-27-05, 11:22 AM
New boots to the Airwing always ended looking for a bucket of rotor wash. They usually ended up on the flight line with a bucket in each hand, waiting for the CH53 to come in. Watching them get their asses blown across the flight line was always entertaining.

Lots of bandaids got used.

Bill

miguelito
09-27-05, 05:35 PM
when I checked in we were informed to bring our cammies to change into so we didn't look like the new guys walking around in Alphas all day. When it came time to change I realized I didn't bring a green skivvy shirt and so I was stuck wearing Alphas all day looking like the typical new guy. Wasn't a good first impression obviously.

DBROWN72848
09-27-05, 06:49 PM
My first duty sta.was the 7th Marine regt. in Viet Nam on New years eve 1967. All went well till about 2100 when we had a
sniper attack there on hill 37 I ran to the trench at the top
of the hill. Doing this, i miissed running into a tank at the top of
the hill. Jumping into the trench my hand somehow got under my
boot and chewed it up pretty good

charlieshort
09-27-05, 07:49 PM
Early 1958, fresh out of ITR. Half dozen of new-guys heading for 29 Palms. Assigned to 3d 155mm Gun Battery (Self-Propelled with the enclosed cab). We joined the unit while they were on a live firing exercise. We were to attend an ammo handling class, being held behind one of the guns. The Sgt, giving the class, was up on the gun, and had a live 155mm round for everyone to see. He emphasized how dangerous these rounds were and how to handle them properly. The class proceeded, but he kept coming back and emphasizing the danger of mis-handling these rounds. Being the new-be's we listened to his every word. But he always came back to how dangerous these rounds were. Near the end of the class, the Sgt was squatting down near the round he was using, and as he stood up, he brushed against the round and knocked it off the back of the gun. Needless to say there were *******s and elbows flying, trying to get away from what we knew would be an exploding round. The old-timers sure got their kicks and even the CO & XO cracked a smile. Artillery rounds will take some abuse, as long as they don't have the fuze inserted.

Joseph P Carey
09-27-05, 09:24 PM
I don't know! I guess the only time I was ever 'worked on' by someone who thought he was salty was when I arrived at 7th Marines HQ at Chu Lai, and after getting the 'Welcome Abord' from Col Peatross, and walking out of his tent, there was a 'Mule' waiting at the front of the tent.

The Driver said he was from Kilo Company, and he was to take us (both me and L/Cpl Higgins) to the Battalion LZ for an operation. This I knew from the Colonel's Office, that we were going in immediately, and it came as no surprise to me. What did surprise me was that the Company Driver threw a M1 Carbine to the L/Cpl, and he said that he had a .45 on him, that I would have to wait until we killed a VC, or until one of them were taken out of action to arm myself.

The guy played his role to the hilt! There was a five mile ride across sandy flatland from the Air Base to the Hills west of Chu Lai to the Battalion CP and the LZ. All the time he kept Higgins going from side to side checking for VC along the way; he even went so far as to slow-down by a truck that was having a flat fixed, warning that these guys might be VC in disguise, and it really pi$$off the Marines changing the tire to have an M1 Carbine pointed at them.

There is nothing like good old Marine Corps Humor!