POST SOLANT AMITY With Former Members of ―G‖ Company, 2nd Battalion, Volume 8, Issue 4

December 2010

nearly everything on earth. Their and the like. He‟d called his Boy Trivia Question 2: What was the Salty Language speech was flavored with Navy Scout equipment 782 gear, but PRC-6 portable radio nicknamed? words. Words culled from the [These are the space constrained he no longer used those terms as [See page 4, answer 2] folk who live on the seas and in they weren't in use at the Acad- thoughts of author Marine Col. That is why Marine is always writ- James W. Hammond, Jr. (Ret).] ports where our war-ships go.” emy. ten with a capital “M.” In the old Corps, the first time He was describing Marines who, In time, I spent a dozen years in We must be careful not to allow our a boot referred to a vertical like all professionals, have a lan- Annapolis on the Alumni Asso- culture to be corrupted by the words partition as a “wall” or said guage peculiar unto themselves. ciation of my alma mater. I grew of other services. The Army says he‟d spilled something on the appalled at the lubberly-ness of Languages evolve. And, as we go 1600 hours. We say 1600. It is a “floor,” he incurred the wrath the staff, faculty and midship- to still more different and distant small but subtle difference. Years of the drill instructor. The DI men climes, still more words creep in. ago, an over zealous police sergeant would smash his swagger stick Some don't survive. Marines still I am not concerned with Navy painted on the deck in front of a on the top of the boot's helmet go to the head to “pump bilges” though, rather our Corps. And regimental headquarters building: and provide—LOUDLY— but there was a generation who I‟m thinking now of a terse enduring advice, “That is a went to the benjo for the same gunny‟s reply to the lady who “NO PARKING AFTER 1600 HOURS.” bulkhead [or deck.] If you draw reason. Then there‟s the story of upon learning the quatrefoil on The CG came by and, seeing the the pay, you should speak the the Marine in an Athens bar or- Officers‟ covers stems from days offending sign, dashed into head- language!” dering a beer: “Garcon! Iddy-wa, when Marines in the fighting quarters, burst into the office of the As Soldiers of the Sea our con- una botella de cerveza bitte.” tops could identify their officers CO and began holding school-of- on deck by the chalked cross on versation should be sprinkled Over the years, however, I have the-boat—basic seafaring instruc- their caps and did not fire on with nautical expressions. The detected not just a lessening of tion—on the . them. “But what of the Navy late Marine Colonel John the use of nautical terms in the He said, “In the Army, it's 1600 Officers?” she had asked. Thompson Jr., in his introduc- naval services but an almost com- hours; in the Navy, it's 8 bells; in tion to his “Fix Bayonets” arti- plete lack of them. It is more than “Who cared?” snapped the the Air Force, I think it‟s „when cle for The Leatherneck, de- 25 years ago since my son came gunny. Mickey's big hand is on 12 and his scribed the men of the 4th Ma- home from the Naval Academy Language is both spoken and little hand is on 4,‟ but in the Corps, rine Brigade about to see action for Plebe Christmas. He‟d been written. "The Marines' Hymn" in the Corps, it is 1600. Get that at Belleau Wood in June 1918: raised on terms like deck, bulk- says, “We are proud to claim the abomination corrected immedi- “And there were also a number head, overhead, ladder, galley ately!” of diverse people who ran curi- title of Marines.” ously to type, with their drilled Trivia Question 1: What was used, There are Army officers and Most Marines knew the motto of shoulders, dark near bone-deep without assurance, to purify water soldiers, Navy officers and sail- our Corps before they went to boot sunburn and intolerant scorn of in the field? [See page 4, answer 1] ors, Air Force officers and air- camp. It likely attracted them. It is men, but WE are ALL Marines. —always faithful. Shortened to Semper Fi, it is a bond of respectful recognition between M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S M A R I N E S and among Marines. One Marine greets another with it. When they (Continued page 2, column 2) Strange Secret of Brit’s Secret Intelligence Service [SIS]

Professor Keith Jeffery of means for writing secret mes- commonly available and visible smell.” Queen's University, in Belfast, sages. The system used at the only when exposed to ultra- Should you have not already Ireland was given access to time became visible if exposed to violet light. Something that to- guessed it, the ink was semen! forty years of England‟s accu- iodine vapor and was clearly not day we see commonly used on mulated MI6's files. The result: something you want to have hap- television‟s CSI series. However, not explained in the A rather revealing 800 page pen in the midst of all the not so lengthy tome and two things over Stagg noted: “We thought we‟d which you might like to ponder: text entitled MI6: The History secret killing of 1915. solved a great problem.” of the Secret Intelligence Ser- 1. What were female agents to do After some time and a great deal However, it wasn‟t long after the vice 1909-1949. of research at London University, about ensuring an adequate and finding that the agent making the ready source of ink for their “top 1According to a diary written an alternative was eventually discovery became the butt of secret” correspondences? And during the First World War by found that was not discernible by numerous department jokes and Walter Kirke, SIS spooks work- any of the usual methods of de- was soon transferred, while at 2. Was the ironic use of “C,” as in ing under the command of its tection. One staff member close least one agent had to be re- “C-man,” a reference to the first first chief referred to as “C,” to Cumming, Frank Stagg, said minded with tongue-in-cheek to director of SIS, Mansfield CUM- Mansfield Cumming, were in he would never forget his bosses‟ ensure the freshness of the sup- MING, unintentionally yet comi- urgent need of finding an effec- delight at learning the ply as it, according to message cally related to the agency‟s use of ink…unlike its predecessor…was tive and readily available recipients, “acquired an unusual semen as an ink?

Copyright Post Solant Amity - December 2010

(Language—continued from page 1) Recognize the product and use? “Who was that Marine?” part company, each says to the Born on October 1, 1921 in White other, "Semper Fi." Informal Plains, New York he was edu- memos or e-mails between Ma- cated in Connecticut. A pre-law rines usually are signed "Semper student at Yale and member of Fi" or just S/F. On the other Skull & Crossbones Club, he hand, used by Marines to mem- graduated with a BA. He joined bers of the other services or civil- the Marines in „44. When dis- ians, “Semper Fi, Mac,” said with charged, he studied acting under a sneer has a less than polite the G.I. bill. 21Dec45 – Sergeant Lena Basilone connotation. Kudos came often and swiftly. By christens the USS Basilone (DD-824 ) Some of our words and phrases „48, his performance as Sgt. Ev- have found their way into com- “Keep marchin,’ Colonel.” ans in Command Decision gar- mon American usage. “Gizmo” nered the stage acting trifecta: Battalion 2-6 had been secretly for example. Some are of foreign Marine Honored Tony, Donaldson and Theatre designated to be the “Ready Battal- origin. Gung-ho from China. World awards. In „50, he won a ion,” at a time when an attempted Boondocks is Philippine, from A guided missile destroyer was Golden Globe and an Oscar nomi- communist coup in Santo Domingo the Tagalog "bundok," referenc- commissioned on November 13th, nated for his performance as Pla- was anticipated. Unaware of the ing their mountain jungles. Hon- in Port Everglades. It bears the toon Sergeant Kinney in Battle- pending assignment, the Battalion‟s cho is from Korea and Japan. name of a Marine Corporal from ground, a fictional account of the CO had made extensive plans for a Scio, New York. 101st Airborne at Bastogne. 100 plus mile, unit conditioning, Another word that is sacred to On April 14, 2004, the Corporal march from Lejeune to Fort Bragg. our Corps is “Doc.” At one time, His face and style filled theaters I had a battalion surgeon who was manning a checkpoint in and TV screens across America Unable to yet divulge the “Ready expressed a need to have Marines Karabilah, Iraq. An insurgent for six decades: The Asphalt Jun- Battalion” designation, the Divi- address him as “Doctor.” I told leapt from a car and began chok- gle and Them; various episodes of sion CO advised LtCol Bohn that him he was not ready to be ad- ing him. During the ensuing scuf- The Twilight Zone and Ben Casey. he was “not in favor of the march.” dressed as “Doc” inasmuch as the fle two members of his squad His Broadway portrayals of Will Astounded, the Battalion Com- title is the highest honor a Marine came to his assistance. Report- Rogers, Harry Truman and Teddy mander leapt into a defense of the can bestow upon a “squid.” edly, the last words from the Cor- Roosevelt in the 70‟s lent still every advantage to proceeding with poral were, “No, No! Watch his more to his reputation, the last of the venture and to outline the ex- While a landlubber may refer to a hands!” At that point, the insur- ship as “it,” a true soldier of the which getting him a second Oscar tent of detail gone into its planning. gent dropped a grenade in their nomination. In the 90‟s, he drew Gen. Simpson, seemingly swayed sea knows that a ship is a “she.” midst. The Corporal thereupon And it is inappropriate to precede still more accolades for his efforts by the Colonel‟s enthusiasm, ac- deliberately positioned his Kevlar in The Shawshank Redemption as ceded to his wishes and approved the name of a ship with a definite helmet and his person atop the article. Referring to the Lexing- an ill-fated prison parolee and, the march. And, the 1st of the 6th explosive device. later, an Emmy for a recurring was assigned as “Ready Battalion.” ton is as improper as referring to me as the Hammond. She is Lex- The blast seriously wounded all 3 role on TV‟s The Practice. Two days into the march, the crisis ington, independent of its use by Marines. Days later, 22 year old Yet, you may remember him first in the Dominican Republic erupted. professional editors and writers Corporal Jason L. Dunham died at and foremost as MSgt. “Mac” in LtCol Bohn, then and every two who are not naval professionals. Bethesda Naval Hospital from Battle Cry, the movie rendition of hours thereafter via radio, asked Lastly, with regard to ships, one wounds received in the incident. the book of the same name by General Simpson if 2-6 should serves in and not on a ship. In making the ultimate sacrifice, Leon Uris and based on his ex- return to Lejeune. “No, continue to How did this departure from salty he saved the lives of his fellow periences with the 2nd Battalion, march,” came the redundant replay. th language occur? Earlier, I alluded Marines. For his heroic actions 6 Marines of WWII. And so it was that one man‟s as- to my impressions of the change Corporal Dunham has been Remember him? No? See page sumed persuasive techniques elimi- observed at the Naval Academy awarded the Medal of Honor. four, Marine! nated the 2nd Battalion‟s chances where the emphasis had become for action in Santo Domingo. one of turning out graduates who Drop us a line and we’ll pass it on, Marine. could go on for advanced de- grees: “Techies.” And their bas- tardization of both English and naval jargon followed. This was compounded by flooding the faculty with academics holding advanced degrees from campuses of the '60s. A group of civilians which not only avoided being part of the naval culture but one which pretty much disparaged it. If those at the top don't lead the way, it is a military axiom that those below won't follow. Trivia Question 3: What does the five star cluster represent in both the But how then did the decline 1st and 2nd Marine Division insig- creep into our Corps? After all, nias? [See page 4, answer 3] ( Continued on page 3, column 4) Copyright Post Solant Amity - December 2010 2

Trivia Question 4: Only one Marine A Teacher’s Lament ease. All the while he sang, "From Trivia Question 6: Who suc- Commandant has ever led an Army the Halls of Montezuma, To the ceeded LG Buckner (USA) on Division. Who, what unit and when? I was testing children in my Dub- Shores of Tripoli." Okinawa? [See page 4, answer 6] [See page 4, answer 4] lin Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of Next day: A team of surgeons getting to heaven. I asked them, performed a frontal lobotomy on (Language—cont‟d from page 2) “If I sold my house and my car, the man. Again, they took him to drill instructors still impose had a big garage sale and gave all the river and said' “paddle.” upon recruits the important use my money to the church, would of nautical terms, though with a The corporal jumped in, took a that get me into heaven?‟ less physically emphatic way second to find his seat, and started than yesteryear. “NO!'‟ the children exclaimed. paddling with some difficulty. Again he sang, with a bit more Well, for one thing, more Ma- “If I cleaned the church every day, effort this time, "For Da Hails of rines are married these days, mowed the garden, and kept eve- Monte puma, to 'e hall inn mo- and live ashore Their use of rything tidy, would that get me nopoly." BUT, he made it up river salty language is one of the first into heaven?” and completed the task. casualties. They want to be Again, the answer was “NO!” "cool." Nautical talk is not cool. Amazed at both the Marine‟s Computer talk and jive talk are. Division Insignias By now, I was starting to smile. endurance and determination, it Authorized 15Mar43, the shoulder “Well then,” I said, “if I was kind was decided to push the envelope How can we restore this eroding sleeve insignia [aka: Battle Blaze] to animals and gave sweets to all one more time. Surgeons removed tradition? At the top: Senior of the 1st MarDiv was designed by the children, and loved my hus- the rest of the Marine‟s brain. officers should use salty lan- LtCol Merrill Twining, in February band, would that get me into Stunned, they watched as a man guage, then, by example, so too 1943. The blue diamond bears the heaven?” without a brain and any way to should staff NCOs. think logically drove himself to stars of the Southern Cross and a Again, there came a clearly de- Yet, clearly, you can‟t “direct the river! There, he fell out of the red numeral one in the middle, clarative “NO!” order” tradition. It must have denoting the division's first action car and began singing “Off we go, solid roots to survive. Marines At this point, I was just bursting on Guadalcanal. into the wild blue yonder....”

The 2nd MarDiv had a similar with pride for the lot of them. Love that word-smith stuff? should want to show that they battle blaze with a red snake in the And, with just a tinge of exaspera- are a different breed and be shape of a "2" reading GUADAL- tion in my voice, I asked them  A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking. willing to demonstrate their CANAL. By late 1943, it was finally “Well, how then can I get uniqueness at every opportunity changed to the now more recog- into heaven?”  Dijon vu: Same mustard as whether among other Marines nized version of a hand holding a That‟s when one of them with a before. or among civilians. That's what torch amidst a red field, surrounded measure of exuberance reserved personal pride in being a Marine by the Southern Cross constellati