Swagger Stick

[Old Marine]

Does anyone know why the Marine Corps Officer's and SNCO's no longer carry the Swager Stick.

[kentmitchell]

Yeah. I was there.
In about 1958 or 59 the new Commandant, Gen. David M. Shoup, told all USMC officers something to the effect, "I catch you carrying one, I'll shove it up your ass."
Had to like the Gen. One tough Marine. He got us at a low point and started bringing us back.
As any Marine knows, you can swagger pretty well without a stick.

[dibob]

Commandant General Randolf McCall Pate was the instigator of the swagger stick. What Commandant Shoup actually said was that if a Marine felt he needed a swagger stick then he could carry one. Of course this reverse psychological statement meant that no one ever carried on again.

Commandant Pate also replaced Landing Part Manual close order drill with Squad Drill, straight out of the 1920's and 30's. The conversion was a nightmare. Millions of man hours were spent learning how to do Squads Right movements and where to place the file closers. By the time the "new" old drill was becoming somewhat understood Commanndant Shoup arrived and cancelled the order and we went back to LPM drill.

Back in those days it seemed that every time you turned around the tie was being changed from narrow to wide and back again. Of course with each change, the purchase of a new tie clasp was necessary. During that period, I believe, they also changed the color of the tie clasp and belt buckle from black to gold.

[kentmitchell]

We did eight-man squad drill at PI. Some platoons that followed did 13-man squad drill. Talk about a goat-f***.
I heard the LPM was reinstated pretty soon.
From all I've read about Pate, he was a part of the 1st Division Old Breed club, but never served in a command position in combat. He was a staff officer. I KNOW we need 'em but we need COMMANDERS as Commandant.
Thanks, dibob, for the enlightenment.
One of my highlights was when Gen. Shoup inspected my rifle during a dog and pony show on Okinawa when I was in the 9th Marines. He was 3rd Div. Commander then. A tough mother.
I had the old bronze tie clasp and yes, it was replaced by the gold one. We also got new belts and buckles. They look the same but are slightly smaller than the old ones. I still have two of the old ones.
I'm not sure if Shoup had anything to do with it, but somewhere about the same time we also quit wearing emblems on the collars of our khakis. Only wore them on our ****cutters after the change.
Lotta Marines going around with two little holes in each collar until those shirts wore out.
Still had the brown shoes and the rough-side-out boots and boondockers. We had to spitshine the shoes. Boots, too, which seemed stupid to me then and now. Just as stupid as starched utilities. Utilities are made to work and fight in, not dude yourself up.
Gunny made us wear khakis if we weren't working. Pain in the ass.
Brown bill on the barracks cover, too.

[greensideout]

Originally posted by kentmitchell
[B}
I'm not sure if Shoup had anything to do with it, but somewhere about the same time we also quit wearing emblems on the collars of our khakis. Only wore them on our ****cutters after the change.
Lotta Marines going around with two little holes in each collar until those shirts wore out.
Still had the brown shoes and the rough-side-out boots and boondockers. We had to spitshine the shoes. Boots, too, which seemed stupid to me then and now. Just as stupid as starched utilities. Utilities are made to work and fight in, not dude yourself up.
Gunny made us wear khakis if we weren't working. Pain in the ass.
Brown bill on the barracks cover, too. [/B]

Ya, I remember those days of the emblems on the collars of the tropicals, the brown lowquarters, the brown socks for them, the boots to shave and polish black, the black socks to go with them, the polished brown bill on our jar-head cover, the only belt buckle in the armed forces that would open a beer bottle and the utilities that we starched.

Dude-up? Naw, we just set ourselves apart from the rest of the military service. We broke starch because that's what we did.

Marines!

[cbqrr47]

In 1966, we had a company commander at Camp Lejuene, who carried a swagger stick (little purple one) and he would use it too!