Vietnam I Corps Marines 1965-1975 - Blogs - Marine Corps - USMC Community
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Gy7ras

Vietnam I Corps Marines 1965-1975

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Growing up on the south side of Chicago was my whole world as a kid. I came from a poor Mexican American family so going to school and hanging around the neighborhood was pretty much the extent of my life experience.

Marine Corps Boot Camp was my first real experience outside of mommy and daddy's house. When I look back at it now I think to myself, what a way to get started in life. Talk about a rude awakening and culture shock. Nothing like a Marine DI to knock you into manhood and get you there fast.

I say all that just to say that Vietnam would be even tougher than that. Culture shock was a mild way to express what Vietnam would be. It would be like Dorthy stepping out of her house in the land of OZ, only the Munchkins would be little yellow people called Viet Cong and they would not be giving us the key to the city.

That famous line from the movie the Wizard of OZ, you know the one that says; I don't think we're in Kansas anymore finally hit home in Nam. Here I was in a place that the only thing that would be familiar to me would be my fellow Marines and the situation that we were now in.

In the days ahead hot humid days and miles of trekking the lowlands and mountains of South Vietnam would be my life. Day patrols and day Ops would be most of my days and Ambushes would make up most of my nights. The Characters I would meet along the way would add a little to mind and help mold who I would become. I just thought of something that someone said to me when I landed in Nam; "welcome to Vietnam Sweet Pea."


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  1. Vietvet1968's Avatar
    Gy7ras,

    Vietvet1968 here! Am still "feeling " my way around the site.
    Served with G-2/4 3rdMarDiv in RVN 20July'66-15Aug'67. Have a bad case of CRS of my tour, wish it were otherwise. Don't even recall any of my buddies & that's a shame.
    If you don't mind me asking who did you do your tour with & when? Am always looking for someone possibly served with.

    SEMPER FIDELIS BROTHER,
    Vietvet1968@comcast.net
    Roger D. Stewart
  2. Gy7ras's Avatar
    Roger!

    I did my tour with Delta 1/7 at LZ Baldy, Lima 3/5 at hill 34, and Golf 2/1 at Marble Mountain. I serve in Nam from July of 1970 till April of 1971, mostly in Quang Nam Province. I did make it up to Hue City and Quang Tri a few times. I was an 0311 Squad leader my whole time there and was wounded in action twice.

    I retired out of the Corps September 1st 1991 after 22 and a half years. Like most grunts of time all I can really say about Nam is: Nam was a real trip."

    Semper Fi!

    Gunny S.
  3. marinevietvet08's Avatar
    3RDMARDIV Hue'-Phu-Bai 67-68 11th Marine Regiment wired the perimeter with ordnance and trip defenses. 1/69 FO Hill 55 South of Danang 1970 Qual PLC flight program 3 years NAS Pensacola
  4. ZUES18's Avatar
    ooorraah! USMC I Corps. Vietnam. My Uncle was a sniper in I Corps. God Bless You Marines!
  5. Spike0911's Avatar
    I arrived in Danang on 6 July 1969. My MOS was 2851 Aviation Radio Repairman. I was a corporal assigned to Ist MAW, MWHG-1, First Comm Squadron. Not much action other than a few rockets and mortars every couple weeks and a truck hit a land mine just outside our wire in Dog Patch one day. There wad also a guy that was killed while on duty in the guard tower one night. No one knows how it happened. I'll never forget the Marines I served with. They and every other Vietnam vet will always be my brothers.
  6. DocSams's Avatar
    8404 "Doc", Arrived Nam Thanksgiving Day, 1967. Kilo/3/3 through June 1, 1968: At Gio Linh, Alpha-3, C-2, C-2-Bravo, Dat Do, Cua Viet, various operations, too much combat. Then 3rd Med Bn at Phu Bai and Quang Tri. Any other survivors out there looking for other survivors from same units, locations?
  7. Mackmarine's Avatar
    I served with 3/5 at An Hoa from 1968-1969. I was the driver going around the Delta defense perimeter on Feb 23, 1969 when the ammo dump was blowing up picking up our wounded along with Lt. Benz and the corpsman
  8. Remijan James's Avatar
    I arrived in-country on Jan. 28, 1968, two days before TET, and immediately sent up to Dong Ha several miles south of the DMZ. Stayed up there my entire 13 month tour.
    Somehow my Platoon Album has been misplaced and I'm looking for information on how to find another copy. I graduated from San Diego MCRD on Sept. 29, 1967, Platoon #1039, and if anyone can give me a lead I sure would appreciate it. Thanks so very much and Semper Fi. My email address is: remijan.james@yahoo.com