I need a history lesson please

[navyocsDI]

Marines,

Almost 3 years ago I was given a slab of brass by a Naval Officer who was once a Marine Sergeant. He had seen them placed on the deck at the enterence of the hatch or in front of the desk of senior enlisted Marines. I too have grown up seeing the deck plates, highly shined. As with almost everything in the Marine Corps, there has to be a history, legacy, legend, or myth behind the brass and I am somewhat embarased to ask and ashamed not to know. I have searched everywhere but have found no answer.

Does anyone know the history behind these highly shined slabs of brass?

[USNAviator]

Marines,

Almost 3 years ago I was given a slab of brass by a Naval Officer who was once a Marine Sergeant. He had seen them placed on the deck at the enterence of the hatch or in front of the desk of senior enlisted Marines. I too have grown up seeing the deck plates, highly shined. As with almost everything in the Marine Corps, there has to be a history, legacy, legend, or myth behind the brass and I am somewhat embarased to ask and ashamed not to know. I have searched everywhere but have found no answer.

Does anyone know the history behind these highly shined slabs of brass?

Gunny

I'm stumped as well however this individual is an education specialist the USMC Museum

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=content height=18></TD><TD class=content height=18>David Fair</TD><TD class=content height=18>david.fair@usmc.mil (david.fair@usmc.mil)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Send him an email and let us know the answer, if any. I'll keep searching but I doubt I'll find anything

Dan

[Quinbo]

Possibly representitive of a Navy Quarterdeck?

[awbrown1462]

sound like the place you are to mark the spot you are to stand either in the hatch way or in front of the desk when reporting to the NCO

[USNAviator]

Marines,

Almost 3 years ago I was given a slab of brass by a Naval Officer who was once a Marine Sergeant. He had seen them placed on the deck at the enterence of the hatch or in front of the desk of senior enlisted Marines. I too have grown up seeing the deck plates, highly shined. As with almost everything in the Marine Corps, there has to be a history, legacy, legend, or myth behind the brass and I am somewhat embarased to ask and ashamed not to know. I have searched everywhere but have found no answer.

Does anyone know the history behind these highly shined slabs of brass?

Gunny

I thought I'd bring this back to the surface and see if any of the older Marines on board know anything about this. The odd thing is I'll be teaching a course at VMI in the Fall re. the History of the Corps. I'd like to incorporate some of the legacy and legends.

BTW, I did do further research and like you came up with nothing

Dan

[navyocsDI]

Maybe its just a simple matter of we Marines love to have shined brass everywhere. Ha~ Thing is, I work at a Navy Command and a Master Chief walked by my office and asked what the meaning behind it was. He said that when you see something more then once it usually has a story and he is right but I was stumped so I told him it was so that I could tell him to stay off the brass.

[USNAviator]

Maybe its just a simple matter of we Marines love to have shined brass everywhere. Ha~ Thing is, I work at a Navy Command and a Master Chief walked by my office and asked what the meaning behind it was. He said that when you see something more then once it usually has a story and he is right but I was stumped so I told him it was so that I could tell him to stay off the brass.

You're pretty friggin close with that Master Chief. I can't explain why it's brass but in the Navy in the 1890's, I found that enlisted went to the Senior Chief for what was called "brass plate advice"

Stands to reason that this would also be true regarding the Marine Senior Enlisted. The brass that was placed at the foot of the hatch or in front of the desk reflected a Navy tradition from the 1890's

I just found this after I sent my last post

Marines and brass, never could figure that out :thumbup:

Hope this helped

Dan