lovdog
05-16-06, 08:33 PM
In the Marines it seems that just when you thought that you met your most unforgetable character - another one would pop up out of nowhere moving right to the top of the list!! Like most of you, I've sure met a variety of gentlemen along the way - you just shake your head and mutter to yourself - I just don't believe this guy!! Some, you wonder what planet that they came from and others - you can't decide whether they possess brass balls or just "plain stupid"!! They made you laugh, drove you crazy, angered you when they decided to risk their life and you couldn't talk them out of their adventure no matter what you said - and how many times you swore up & down that you'd never go drinking with them again - ever!! And, the unfortunate truth is most were your friends so it was almost impossible to turn your back on them - I think this is the comradship that is truly the foundation of the Marine Corps mentality. Just a few of my - uh, friends.
1. "Animal" was a weird kind of individual who everyone feared because when you met him for the first time - he usually came after you and tried to bite you!! He usually went for the neck!! This guy was a real winner - you never turned your back on him!!
2. "Tiny" was a quiet soul - kinda like Hoss Cartwright - and could lift a 500 lb bomb off its cradle and snap it into the bombrack. Excellent friend to have along side of you during an argument - like, who was the idiot that knocked over our beer can pyramid!!
3. The "Golden Guinea" was a short, stocky guy who was from Long Island and had hair that was blond as all get out - and he was pure Italian. The Guinea always slept with a kabar under his pillow - someone made the mistake of trying to wake up the Guinea by shaking him one night. He almost cut the guy's throat before we got the knife away from him - he was still asleep! He tried to talk me into a "Mediterranean Cruise" for 6 months on a Carrier in his place - and I had 2 weeks left in the Corps!! How's that for a friend?
4. "Cousin Bill" was a West Virginian - also a quiet guy and a really good friend. Once had his whole knuckle torn off in a fight - some guy had his mouth open when he hit him. Phased him none in the least - he just wrapped up the bloody hand & hit the sack! If you look up "Tough" in the dictionary - you'll see his name!
5. "Earl the Pearl" was also a West Virginian - who professed to be "the cousin of Bill" but was really no relation. Picked a fight with a guy at the E-Club one night & asked me & Cousin Bill to help him out - we agreed! When we got outside the opposing party had 24!! We had 6!! Gotta love Earl the Pearl though, he made life interesting.
6. "Killer" was about 6'3", tall lanky guy from the hills of somewhere, nobody ever found out. Was one of those "Happy Drunks" - came back to the barracks & knocked out every light bulb on all three decks on a Navy Station with his fist. We subdued him and tried to hide him, but he left a bloody trail to his rack. His cover was about 3 sizes too small and he always had his head arched onto his back so his cover would look "squared away" from the front angle anyway. He was a real "piece of work"!!
7. "Cheech & Chong" were two inseparable buddies - came into the hooch one night - "drunk as skunks" and "smelling much worse" after going swimming in the "Quagmire" (the sh*t ditch that ran thru the back of our compound) - telling everyone that the water was great and that we should try it!! Took us 2 weeks to get the smell out of the hooch!!
8. "Red" - who was playing cards one night & someone gave him a grenade and told him it was a fake - so the idiot pulled the pin & threw it outside the door! We never saw him again after they took him away to the "Red Line Brig"! Shame though, he was a nice guy.
Oh, those characters - these Band of Brothers, surely made your stay in the Corps a "memorable time" that most of us wouldn't change for all the tea in China. SF
1. "Animal" was a weird kind of individual who everyone feared because when you met him for the first time - he usually came after you and tried to bite you!! He usually went for the neck!! This guy was a real winner - you never turned your back on him!!
2. "Tiny" was a quiet soul - kinda like Hoss Cartwright - and could lift a 500 lb bomb off its cradle and snap it into the bombrack. Excellent friend to have along side of you during an argument - like, who was the idiot that knocked over our beer can pyramid!!
3. The "Golden Guinea" was a short, stocky guy who was from Long Island and had hair that was blond as all get out - and he was pure Italian. The Guinea always slept with a kabar under his pillow - someone made the mistake of trying to wake up the Guinea by shaking him one night. He almost cut the guy's throat before we got the knife away from him - he was still asleep! He tried to talk me into a "Mediterranean Cruise" for 6 months on a Carrier in his place - and I had 2 weeks left in the Corps!! How's that for a friend?
4. "Cousin Bill" was a West Virginian - also a quiet guy and a really good friend. Once had his whole knuckle torn off in a fight - some guy had his mouth open when he hit him. Phased him none in the least - he just wrapped up the bloody hand & hit the sack! If you look up "Tough" in the dictionary - you'll see his name!
5. "Earl the Pearl" was also a West Virginian - who professed to be "the cousin of Bill" but was really no relation. Picked a fight with a guy at the E-Club one night & asked me & Cousin Bill to help him out - we agreed! When we got outside the opposing party had 24!! We had 6!! Gotta love Earl the Pearl though, he made life interesting.
6. "Killer" was about 6'3", tall lanky guy from the hills of somewhere, nobody ever found out. Was one of those "Happy Drunks" - came back to the barracks & knocked out every light bulb on all three decks on a Navy Station with his fist. We subdued him and tried to hide him, but he left a bloody trail to his rack. His cover was about 3 sizes too small and he always had his head arched onto his back so his cover would look "squared away" from the front angle anyway. He was a real "piece of work"!!
7. "Cheech & Chong" were two inseparable buddies - came into the hooch one night - "drunk as skunks" and "smelling much worse" after going swimming in the "Quagmire" (the sh*t ditch that ran thru the back of our compound) - telling everyone that the water was great and that we should try it!! Took us 2 weeks to get the smell out of the hooch!!
8. "Red" - who was playing cards one night & someone gave him a grenade and told him it was a fake - so the idiot pulled the pin & threw it outside the door! We never saw him again after they took him away to the "Red Line Brig"! Shame though, he was a nice guy.
Oh, those characters - these Band of Brothers, surely made your stay in the Corps a "memorable time" that most of us wouldn't change for all the tea in China. SF