USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center

[SlingerDun]

I carried one of those cheap Kodak 110 cameras.... Best camera ever made.

I haven't seen anything digital that can compare. I had a 110 that never suffered a dunking but bounced around in my saddle bags with fencing pliers, sandwich's and the stainless schnapps canteen during a cold snap... -40 maybe -50.... The thing still worked once the moving parts thawed out

--->Dave

[colt59]

Here's a better photo off of that album page and a few more

[colt59]

Here's some more. An explanation of the MP in the prior post. We were getting busted for be in an unauthorized area (The Big Rock).

[colt59]

notice the sign by the corner of the truck mirror 7000 ft altitude. Another base camp shot from higher up. A snow hooch, The small sign says Wolf Creek (remember the song by CW McCall?), The big sign is for Pickel Meadows,

[colt59]

Here's the aforementioned 7000 ft altitude truck mirror picture and some more. Cpl Tharpe and the too tall tent. For some reason the center support posts for this tent were a foot taller than the others. It was a bear to put up for just two guys (me and him). Sgt Bustamante fearlessly (notice he's standing on a canvas and wood tent) putting out a fire in the heater stack. The fearless warriors getting ready to hump into the mountains. And yours truly casually leaning against a generator.

[colt59]

The plane courtesy of our friends the Air Force, loading in the rain, crammed like sardines, Fallon NAS at sundown, beautiful, and finely back to sunny Camp Lejeune (Oh My God more snow!!)

[colt59]

Here's some more. An explanation of the MP in the prior post. We were getting busted for be in an unauthorized area (The Big Rock).

The blurred shot is a 50 mph drive down an 8% grade with the nutcase Peterson pictured by the 5 ton with the open hood. Notice his crazed expression, The party picture is the one prior to me throwing up in my sleeping bag, "snow baths"

[ameriken]

Great pics Colt, thats they way I remember it. Today it looks like a college campus.

I was there from 79-80, your name rings a bell.

[colt59]

Great pics Colt, thats they way I remember it. Today it looks like a college campus.

I was there from 79-80, your name rings a bell.

They all look like college campuses now. I visited Lejeune about two years ago, No more wooden squad bays. All the barracks look like hotels. Even Jacksonville had changed drastically, I wanted to show the old lady Court Street. It was gone!! There were shopping malls! Where are all the titty bars, tattoo parlors, and pawn shops? Where is Louis Wilson? After he left as commandant, the Marines started to change into a more PC outfit. Hence my change in career paths to civilian. Couldn't re-up, because the Corps wanted to have a cleaner image. I knew plenty of Staff NCO's that were scared to death, because they had to get GEDs or retire. DSMs, Silver Stars, it didn't matter, NO GED = your history.

[GruntDoc8404]

Thanks Colt59!!! Great flashbacks!! Got More??

It was great being "permanent party" at Pickel Meadows!! Got away with lots of stuff!! No MP's back then--- just a crotchety Colonel that would skin your ass alive if need be! We learned his limitations pretty fast and gave him a wide berth!! You guys had the tents down below, we had the Quonsett Huts up on the terraced hill!!

We reopened it from being a "mothballed" base back in '74-'75... Things certainly HAVE changed!! Drove by there a few years back and I didnt recognize it!


...don't like it, either!! This PC crap is for the birds! It's gonna be our "un-doing"

[colt59]

I'm going to shoot the moon with my pictures. I'll try and explain most. Some are just scenery. I can't tell you exact places most were taken, just "up in the mountains". A little history. I was part of the advanced party to prepare for a training operation for what was to become MSSG-36 (we went to Norway (another story, another thread). We came into Pickel Meadows in October 79 and left, (I believe) in early January 80. There was supposed to be about 6 million feet of snow, but the region had experienced a particularly dry season and the only snow was in the mountains. Cold on the other hand was abundent. It was relatively nice during the day, but at night, below zero (alot like Norway, constant cold is Fort Drum NY, again another thread another time). Two sleeping bags and fully dressed sleeping weather. I was with the Engineers and operated heavy Vehicles = dump trucks, low boys. We set up the base camp (lots of tents) and got to participate in training as well (double the fun). I walked in snow shoes (you'll need them), dragged an Akio (hopefully correct spelling), and learned not to walk in the snow where you are going to sleep (kind of like sleeping on cobblestones). We got liberty once to Carson City. We were told by the First Sgt before we left, "You won't need no civilian ****. There ain't know liberty". Anyway, we needed civvys and there was a little PX on base and I bought a pair of Levi's, kept the tags on them, went to Carson, drank and *****d, and returned them the next day. Drinking and whatever, were what we did the most to pass the off time. There is nothing like burning ****ter's with a bad hangover. The night sky was beautiful, there were so many stars!! I remember one night, me and a couple buddies in an enhanced state, just stood and looked at the sky for what seemed like hours. Huge trees, pine cones as big as melons. Anyway, here goes, I might dupicate some. Sorry. I'm starting with the trip out and ending with the last days. The first pictures are at supply, drawing gear at Lejeune, the flight out from some Air Force base in NC. (1) Cpl Tharpe, Lcpl Peterson, (2) Lcpl Fairchild, (3) In the distance, the colorful Cpl Royce (4) Lcpl Fairchild again (5) loading into the ass-end of a Air Force C-141 in the rain.

[colt59]

(1) PFC Bill Page and the C-141, (2) permanent base, (3) more permanent base Quonset Huts, (4) mountains across the valley from our tent (5) more mountains. The pictures don't do them justice, These were HUGE

[colt59]

(1) Mountains from the chopper pad, (2) a view of the base from a mountain side, (3) somebody in permanent personnel's Harley chopper, (4) A CH-53 dusting us. This place was super dusty. When the choppers came in it was especially bad. (5) Scenery

[colt59]

(1) scenery, (2) There is a cross on this hill (the exact reason, I don't remember, I think a chopper crash or someone dying, anybody now?) (3) The burning stack (4) the burning stack getting worse (5) The big rock

[colt59]

(1-5) All of these rae from or of the big rock. There is a photo of an MP busting us for being on this rock in an earlier posting. For GruntDoc -We brought these guys with us, they weren't part of permanant personnel.