GyG1345
03-11-03, 01:53 AM
From :
David J Lindstedt <semperfidave@juno.com>
To :
gunnyg@hotmail.com
CC :
semperfidave@juno.com
Subject :
Re: Fw: Fw: Marine Palm Pilot
Date :
Mon, 10 Mar 2003 22:32:41 -0500
Reply Reply All Forward Delete Printer Friendly Version
Hi Dick;
Just returned from 8 wonderful warm weeks on Clearwater Beach,
FL.
For the record , group seen of the movie "Battle Cry" were
filmed on
Vieques Island, Puerto Rico in 1954. The individual "troops" in
the
group seens were members of 1st Bn, 10th Marines out of the 2nd
MarDiv
and Camp LeJeune. I joined the unit latter that year, just
after my 18th
birthday. The beared Marine in the film was our Battalion Sgt.
Major on
Richard R. (BIG RED) Ebert. Big Red as he was known to all was
truly one
of the most impressive Marines I have ever met. A coal cracker
from the
Wilks Bare / Scranton area of PA. Red was both a WWII and
Korean War
(combat) veteran. A giant of a man, he stood about 6 foot 3 or
4 and ran
about 270! Single, full of **** and vinegar, willing to fight
at the
drop of a hat, he would blush and turn red when he spoke to a
woman.
Saturday night he would be drinking with the best of them. But
Sunday
morning would find him kicking bunks of all the Catholic troops
and
herding them off to Mass. Red was as Irish as patty's pig.
Sundays you
could catch him in the empty Battalion HQ. calling his mom back
in PA.
In 1959, I had married and returned to LeJeune, Big Red was Sgt
Major of
4th Bn 10th Marine, I made a point of looking him up. Several
years back
(1998), I located Big Red living in a mobile home park near
Wilks Barre
(717) .. now 570 823-2725. Red had retired in 1971, served in
Viet Nam,
with THE AIR WING. "He said, imagine that, me a cannon cocker
with the
air wing!" We talked for about 20 minutes and he had to hang up
as he
was off to visit his mom, now in her 90s, and in a nursing home.
Red
was certainly one of my "sea daddys" and a finer MARINE never
wore the
uniform!
Another note on 1/10 ... I was first assigned to "C" battery,
which was
then commanded by a young Captain named Benjamin BLAZ. Ben Blaz
was born
and raised on Guam. He went on to retire as GENERAL Ben BLAZ.
Upon his
regiment he served for 8 years in the US House of
Representatives as the
Representative from Guam. I have the distinct pleasure of
finding his
e-mail address a few years back and have exchanged several
e-mails,
reminiscing of his classes he was famous for on Vieques of how
to shell a
coconut using only a pick mattock! I might add that the CG of
the 2nd
Mar Div was none other than the legendary "CHESTY" Puller.
The S-3 officer of 1/10 was a Captain Harlan C. Chase. Capt.
Chase had
come from I&I duty in Long Island City, NY where my uncle S/Sgt
Joe
Pillar (WWII Army vet) was acting company GySgt. Harlan C.
Chase went on
to command the 7th Marines in Viet Nam retiring as a "bird"
Coronel. He
also is on my e-mail list.
Let me do a little bragging .... March 1960 LEATHER NECK
Magazine on page
59 you'll find me listed for a "Leather Neck Award" for having
fired a
230 out of a possible 250 on the range. That score earned me a
slot on
the MCB Camp LeJeune rifle team where I was paired with a new
shooter
one Cpl. David LUKE. Dave LUKE went on to becoming a 2 time
National
Service Champion, getting a field commission to Captain and
being
reverted to Warrant Officer 3 prior to retirement. Our team
Captain was
Sgt Eric England. Eric went on to become a Viet Nam sniper
school NCOIC
and is said to have had the 2nd highest kill count in Nam.
I left the corps in 1965, after 12 & 1/2 years. Reasons were
many! #1
was the E-8 E-9 rank structure having been a Sgt E4 the been
promoted to
Sgt E5 I felt cheated out of my "rocker", I had worked so hard
for. #2
Was a wife and 3 children and a nation and politicians that
didn't give a
**** about the troops. They were some of the greatest years of
my life,
with renewed friends and buddies some 40 & 50 years after the
fact! In
1976 I joined the Army Reserve as a Spec-4. In 1977 I recruited
my
oldest son. I retired as a M/Sgt in 1996. The plate on the
rear of my
car says "US Army Retired" the plate on the front reads 'ONCE A
MARINE
ALWAYS A MARINE".
My oldest son is currently on active duty, as a personal
security team
leader assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Sec. of Defense.
Early on
he was assigned to Marine General Peter Pace. Upon meeting the
General,
the General said "I see you were born at Camp LeJeune." He
replied "Yes,
Sir". My son said I seem to be assigned to General Pace more
than any of
the others. I couldn't be prouder!
Semper fi;
Dave
========
On Sun, 09 Mar 2003 15:29:45 -0500 "Richard Gaines"
<gunnyg@hotmail.com>
writes:
> Hey Dave--tried to e-mail you several times a month or so ago,
but
> your
> e-mail was being returned.
>
> I recall one time that you had remarked that you had known the
> Marine in the
> movie, Battle Cry--the bearded Marine on the beach at
Guadalcanal
> (who was
> actually a Marine)--several weeks/months ago, I had mentioned
that
> on the
> Sgt Grit messageboard, and there had been inquiries to me
regarding
> that
> Marine's identity--if you can now provide any info on that, I
will
> be happy
> to pass it on.
>
> Glad to see your e-mail turning up again.
>
> Best wishes,
> Dick Gaines
>
> Semper Fidelis
> R.W. "Dick" Gaines
> GySgt USMC (Ret.)
> (1952-1972)
> ***************
David J Lindstedt <semperfidave@juno.com>
To :
gunnyg@hotmail.com
CC :
semperfidave@juno.com
Subject :
Re: Fw: Fw: Marine Palm Pilot
Date :
Mon, 10 Mar 2003 22:32:41 -0500
Reply Reply All Forward Delete Printer Friendly Version
Hi Dick;
Just returned from 8 wonderful warm weeks on Clearwater Beach,
FL.
For the record , group seen of the movie "Battle Cry" were
filmed on
Vieques Island, Puerto Rico in 1954. The individual "troops" in
the
group seens were members of 1st Bn, 10th Marines out of the 2nd
MarDiv
and Camp LeJeune. I joined the unit latter that year, just
after my 18th
birthday. The beared Marine in the film was our Battalion Sgt.
Major on
Richard R. (BIG RED) Ebert. Big Red as he was known to all was
truly one
of the most impressive Marines I have ever met. A coal cracker
from the
Wilks Bare / Scranton area of PA. Red was both a WWII and
Korean War
(combat) veteran. A giant of a man, he stood about 6 foot 3 or
4 and ran
about 270! Single, full of **** and vinegar, willing to fight
at the
drop of a hat, he would blush and turn red when he spoke to a
woman.
Saturday night he would be drinking with the best of them. But
Sunday
morning would find him kicking bunks of all the Catholic troops
and
herding them off to Mass. Red was as Irish as patty's pig.
Sundays you
could catch him in the empty Battalion HQ. calling his mom back
in PA.
In 1959, I had married and returned to LeJeune, Big Red was Sgt
Major of
4th Bn 10th Marine, I made a point of looking him up. Several
years back
(1998), I located Big Red living in a mobile home park near
Wilks Barre
(717) .. now 570 823-2725. Red had retired in 1971, served in
Viet Nam,
with THE AIR WING. "He said, imagine that, me a cannon cocker
with the
air wing!" We talked for about 20 minutes and he had to hang up
as he
was off to visit his mom, now in her 90s, and in a nursing home.
Red
was certainly one of my "sea daddys" and a finer MARINE never
wore the
uniform!
Another note on 1/10 ... I was first assigned to "C" battery,
which was
then commanded by a young Captain named Benjamin BLAZ. Ben Blaz
was born
and raised on Guam. He went on to retire as GENERAL Ben BLAZ.
Upon his
regiment he served for 8 years in the US House of
Representatives as the
Representative from Guam. I have the distinct pleasure of
finding his
e-mail address a few years back and have exchanged several
e-mails,
reminiscing of his classes he was famous for on Vieques of how
to shell a
coconut using only a pick mattock! I might add that the CG of
the 2nd
Mar Div was none other than the legendary "CHESTY" Puller.
The S-3 officer of 1/10 was a Captain Harlan C. Chase. Capt.
Chase had
come from I&I duty in Long Island City, NY where my uncle S/Sgt
Joe
Pillar (WWII Army vet) was acting company GySgt. Harlan C.
Chase went on
to command the 7th Marines in Viet Nam retiring as a "bird"
Coronel. He
also is on my e-mail list.
Let me do a little bragging .... March 1960 LEATHER NECK
Magazine on page
59 you'll find me listed for a "Leather Neck Award" for having
fired a
230 out of a possible 250 on the range. That score earned me a
slot on
the MCB Camp LeJeune rifle team where I was paired with a new
shooter
one Cpl. David LUKE. Dave LUKE went on to becoming a 2 time
National
Service Champion, getting a field commission to Captain and
being
reverted to Warrant Officer 3 prior to retirement. Our team
Captain was
Sgt Eric England. Eric went on to become a Viet Nam sniper
school NCOIC
and is said to have had the 2nd highest kill count in Nam.
I left the corps in 1965, after 12 & 1/2 years. Reasons were
many! #1
was the E-8 E-9 rank structure having been a Sgt E4 the been
promoted to
Sgt E5 I felt cheated out of my "rocker", I had worked so hard
for. #2
Was a wife and 3 children and a nation and politicians that
didn't give a
**** about the troops. They were some of the greatest years of
my life,
with renewed friends and buddies some 40 & 50 years after the
fact! In
1976 I joined the Army Reserve as a Spec-4. In 1977 I recruited
my
oldest son. I retired as a M/Sgt in 1996. The plate on the
rear of my
car says "US Army Retired" the plate on the front reads 'ONCE A
MARINE
ALWAYS A MARINE".
My oldest son is currently on active duty, as a personal
security team
leader assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Sec. of Defense.
Early on
he was assigned to Marine General Peter Pace. Upon meeting the
General,
the General said "I see you were born at Camp LeJeune." He
replied "Yes,
Sir". My son said I seem to be assigned to General Pace more
than any of
the others. I couldn't be prouder!
Semper fi;
Dave
========
On Sun, 09 Mar 2003 15:29:45 -0500 "Richard Gaines"
<gunnyg@hotmail.com>
writes:
> Hey Dave--tried to e-mail you several times a month or so ago,
but
> your
> e-mail was being returned.
>
> I recall one time that you had remarked that you had known the
> Marine in the
> movie, Battle Cry--the bearded Marine on the beach at
Guadalcanal
> (who was
> actually a Marine)--several weeks/months ago, I had mentioned
that
> on the
> Sgt Grit messageboard, and there had been inquiries to me
regarding
> that
> Marine's identity--if you can now provide any info on that, I
will
> be happy
> to pass it on.
>
> Glad to see your e-mail turning up again.
>
> Best wishes,
> Dick Gaines
>
> Semper Fidelis
> R.W. "Dick" Gaines
> GySgt USMC (Ret.)
> (1952-1972)
> ***************