1st MAW Disbursing Office to Dog Patch
I was a 3421 working the Disbo Office at 1st MAW. After a party at the 1st MAW EM Club about 10 of us went on a skivvie run to Dog Patch. After having fun all night it was time to try to get back on base. It was about 4am and there was NO traffic to hitch hike. We all were really drunk and didn't know what to do. So, as drunken logic would dictate the best way to get back on base was for all of us to all march arm in arm, down the main street of Dog Patch singing the Marine Corp Hymn, to gate 12. Our drunken logic was that there would be safety in numbers (parade??) and the MP's at the gate would salute us as we marched in (have you stopped lauphing yet...).
The gates slamed shut, jeeps came up from all directions, numerous weapons were pointed in our direction and we all went to the brig.
As luck would have it our logic worked in a way we hadn't considered.
Payday was right around the corner and the disburing office needed each and everyone of us. Instead of leaving 1000's of Marines go unpaid (pretty ugly...) the decision was made to release us from the brig and leave the repremanding to our Captain!!
So, in the end there WAS saftey in numbers!!! ;) :banana:
Damn the rockets! Full speed ahead!
Then there was the time when two buddies of mine and I were in the vill for some fun. I was in the rack going at it with my girl when we started taking incoming. The room lit up when a rocket had exploded just behind the house. Everyone scrambled for the bunker.....but us. I was having too good a time and REALLY didn't want to stop at that moment. I kept on going. She was giggling like crazy. A few minutes later we reluctantly went to the bunker which was only a few feet away.
It's all coming back to me now!!
Sitting here thinking about Dog Patch is bringing back LOTS of memories!!
One morning as we woke up in Dog Patch I heard a lot of noise out on the street. I looked out the front door onto the main street of Dog Patch and saw a six-by with a bunch of locals running behind it with buckets. The Marines on board were pouring slop out of 55 gal barrels. I recognized those barrels from when we would clean our plates in the Mess Hall!! This freaked me out!!
Back on base I asked around about this.
Apparently, distributing the waste food from our mess halls to the people of near by villages was part of the rent the U.S. paid for the use of the DaNang Air Base!!! Incredible if true!!! :scared:
4th of July in Dog Patch!!
My buddies and I headed out to Dog Patch on the 4th of July. Having never been in DaNang for the 4th of July I had no idea what to expect. We just went on partying and drinking as usual and by midnight we were in prime shape!! When midnight came the skies lite up! It seemed like every Marine on base and off starting firing their weapons.
At that time all the colored flares meant nothing. Red, Green, White, hell every flare imaginable was going into the sky celebrating the 4th.
Although I was "off limits" I had to join in the celebration. I laid on my back behind the house and set off a mag of rounds into the air from my M-16 into the air in the direction of an open field.
It was a beautiful sight that night in Dog Patch!!! :marine:
Bob Home comes to Dog Patch, err Freedom Hill
I was just watching TV and they were showing re-runs of when Bob Hope came to Freedom Hill. I remember being one of the 1000's that attended that one.... :)