Recon Reflections Issue 34

Reconnaissance Company, Headquarters Battalion (Reinf), 1st Marine Division (Reinf) Fleet Marine Force Pacific
1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force Pacific
MORE THAN A HALF CENTURY COLLECTION OF HISTORY, TRIVIA, SEA STORIES, HALF-TRUTHS, SCUTTLEBUT AND WHITE LIES
Issue #34
-"Take me to the Brig. I want to see the real Marines."
-Lt General Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller-
1November 2012
HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS
Washington, November 1, 1921
The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th
of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will
be read upon receipt.
(1) On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress.
Since that date many thousand men have borne the name “Marine”. In memory of them it is fitting
that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the
glories of its long and illustrious history.
(2) The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military
organizations in the world’s history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps
has been in action against the Nation’s foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines
have won foremost honors in war, and is the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after
generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.
(3) In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with
the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to
signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
(4) This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from
those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit
which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark
of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found
equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation
will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as
“Soldiers of the Sea” since the founding of the Corps.
John A. Lejeune,
Major General Commandant
Lejeune was born on January 10, 1867 at the Old Hickory Plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. He attended the preparatory
program at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge from September 1881 to April 1884, leaving to prepare for the entrance exam for
the U.S. Naval Academy. Subsequently, he secured an appointment as
a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, from which he
graduated in 1888, ranking second academically in his class of thirtytwo midshipmenAt the completion of a two-year cruise as a midshipman, he did not want a Navy career, but rather chose the Marine
Corps. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps
on 25 July 1890.
1890s
After receiving his Marine Corps commission, Lejeune reported to
Marine Barracks, New York on 31 March 1890 for Marine Corps
"indoctrination and instruction. "He reported for duty to the Marine
Barracks, Norfolk, Virginia, on 3 November 1890. While in Norfolk,
he met Ellie Harrison Murdaugh; they were engaged just before he
began his sea duty. From 1 October 1891 to 28 July 1893, Lejeune
served on board USS Bennington and was promoted to first lieutenant
on 26 February 1892. On 28 August 1893, he reported for duty at the
Norfolk Barracks, where he served until 31 July 1897. While
stationed in Norfolk again, he married Miss Murdaugh on 23 October
1895.
On 2 August 1897, Lejeune assumed command of the Marine
Guard of USS Cincinnati, where he served throughout the SpanishAmerican War. He was detached from the Cincinnati on 17 February
1899, and on 18 February 1899, joined USS Massachusetts to
command the Marine Guard. He was promoted to captain on 3 March
1899 and left his position on Massachusetts on 10 May 1900.
1900–1916
From 3 July 1900 to 12 November 1900, Captain Lejeune performed recruiting duty at Boston, Massachusetts, and on 22 November 1900 reported at the Marine Barracks, Pensacola, Florida, to command the Marines. From 12 January 1903 to 21 January 1903,
Captain Lejeune was on duty at the Norfolk Barracks, going to recruiting duty at New York City on 26 January 1903. He was promoted
to Major on 3 March 1903 and was on duty at Headquarters Marine
Corps in Washington, D.C. from 15 May 1903 to 8 August 1903.
On 8 August 1903, Major Lejeune was ordered to USS Panther to
command the Marine Battalion on board that vessel, joining 16
August 1903. On 23 October 1903, the battalion, with Lejeune in
command, was transferred to USS Dixie. From 16 December 1903 to
21 December 1904, Major Lejeune was on duty ashore on the Isthmus
of Panama in command of this battalion, leaving there on the latter
date on board USS Yankee.
From 27 January 1905 to 20 May 1906, Lejeune served at the
Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. He then returned to Panama in
command of a battalion of Marines from 29 May to 6 July 1906, the
battalion being transported both ways on board USS Columbia. This
was detached duty, and on 29 March 1907, Major Lejeune was
detached from command of the Washington Barracks and ordered to
the Philippines. His family — his wife and three daughters accompanied him on this overseas duty.
Arriving in the Philippines on 2 May 1907, Lejeune assumed
command of the Marine Barracks and Naval Prison, Navy Yard,
Cavite, on 6 May 1907. He assumed command of the First Brigade
of
Marines on 15 June 1908 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 13 May 1909. He was detached on 8 June 1909 and ordered to
return to the United States. He then attended the U.S. Army War
College, graduating in 1910.
Lieutenant Colonel Lejeune embarked on board USS Ohio on 26
May 1912 with the Second Regiment, First Provisional Brigade
Marines for Cuba. He disembarked at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on 8
June 1912 and was in command of the District of Santiago from 9
June, to 14 July 1912. On 15 July 1912, Lejeune embarked on board
USS Prairie and sailed for Colón, Panama. July 18–29, 1912 was
spent at Camp Elliott, Panama.
After returning to the United States, Lejeune was again called
upon for expeditionary duty. He sailed from Philadelphia, 20 February 1913 as second in command of the First Regiment, Second Provisional Brigade Marines and disembarked 27 February 1913, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Then-LtCol Lejeune began the Marine Corps
Association with the goal of professional advancement among Marines. He returned to Philadelphia on board USS Prairie on 2 May
1913.
On 27 November 1913, Lejeune sailed from New York with the
2nd Advanced Base Regiment, his ultimate destination Veracruz,
Mexico, but returned to the United States to receive his promotion to
colonel on 25 February 1914. Colonel Lejeune and his unit eventually landed in Mexico on 22 April 1914 and participated in the United
States occupation of Veracruz. He returned home in December 1914,
this time to report to Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington,
D.C., to become assistant to the Major General Commandant of the
Marine Corps. He was promoted to brigadier general on 29 August
1916.
World War I
With the outbreak of World War I, Lejeune assumed command of
the newly constructed Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia; however, his overseas service was inevitable, and in June 1918, he arrived
at Brest, France. He was promoted to major general 1 July 1918.
Upon reporting to the commander of the American Expeditionary
Forces, he was assigned to command a brigade of the 32nd Division
and assumed command of the 4th Brigade of Marines of the 2d
Division immediately following the attack of the division in the Battle of Soissons. On 28 July 1918, Major General Lejeune assumed
command of the 2nd Division and remained in that capacity until
August 1919, when the unit was demobilized. He was the second
Marine officer to hold an Army divisional command (BG Charles A.
Doyen was the first), and following the Armistice he led his division
in the march into Germany.
(Continued on next page)
- Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune -
(Continued from previous page)
During that war, he was recognized by the French Government as
a strategist and leader, as evidenced by the Legion of Honor, and the
Croix de guerre bestowed upon him by France. From General John J.
Pershing, he received the Distinguished Service Medal (Army). The
Navy Distinguished Service Medal was conferred upon him when he
returned to the United States following the occupation of Germany.
In October 1919, he again was appointed Commanding General,
Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia.
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Lejeune was appointed as Major General Commandant of the
Marine Corps on 1 July 1920. Subsequent to that time, he left his
headquarters at Washington several times for tours of inspection in
Haiti, Santo Domingo, Cuba, Puerto Rico, to the West Coast and
elsewhere. Upon the expiration of his second term as Commandant,
Lejeune indicated his desire not to retire from the Marine Corps, but
was relieved as Commandant in March 1929.
Retirement and VMI
On 10 November 1929, Lejeune retired in order to accept the position of Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI),
serving there over eight years until October 1937. In February 1942,
he was advanced to the rank of lieutenant general on the Marine
Corps retired list.
Lejeune died 20 November 1942 in the Union Memorial
Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, and was interred in the
Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors
H. Campbell Photo—2011
This magnificent monument, dedicated to Lieutenant General
Lejeune, is the first of many monuments encountered during a walk
through the Semper Fidelis Memorial Garden at the Museum of the
United States Marine Corps at Triangle (Quantico) Virginia.
On November 10, 2000, a life-sized bronze statue of Lejeune was
unveiled on the grounds of the Pointe Coupee Parish Courthouse in
New Roads, Louisiana. Patrick F. Taylor, chairman and CEO of Taylor Energy Company, along with the retired Marine Corps Major
General Ronald G. Richard (former commanding general of Marine
Corps Base Camp Lejeune) were in attendance. Taylor, who financed
the Lejeune statue project, joined the Marine Corps Officer Training
program as a student at Louisiana State University, but a heart problem kept him from receiving his commission. Taylor commissioned
sculptor Patrick Dane Miller to fashion it to be historically accurate.
Statues of Lejeune also stand outside the National Museum of the
Marine Corps in Virginia, in the center of the traffic circle aboard
MCB Camp Lejeune NC, and the Louisiana War Memorial in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana next to the destroyer USS Kidd.
H. Campbell Photo—2011
H. Campbell Photo –1955
Recon Company miserables aboard the high speed transport
USS WANTUCK with UDT 12 somewhere in the frozen
Bering Sea in January of 1956. Left to right...Sgt Clinton,
Amaro, “Buzz” Penland, Bruce Axberg, Jim Severson and
seated, reading his latest copy of Boy’s Life Magazine , a studious Bill Hay.***.
***
I lied... Bill, bucking for corporal, is really studying his
Marine Corps Institute lesson on Field Hygiene.
HU
Someone recently asked me what my most memorable
meal was while on active duty. It took me two seconds to
remember my first encounter with veal cutlets from a field
kitchen at Case Springs at Camp Pendleton in 1955.
My answer was not what the inquirer wanted…….he immediately asked me what I thought about SOS (“Shit On A
Shingle”). Without hesitation I confessed that I relished it
when it was presented.
No doubt about it...SOS is probably the most notorious
item that ever appeared on the menu at a Marine mess
hall…………..but I have heard few Marines speak negatively
about it. Almost universally accepted as a wholesome and
tasty meal.
Given, that Marines have a propensity to criticize that
which they secretly relish, what would be the least appreciated
meal while on active duty. I had an answer to that question
immediately…………….beans for breakfast.
Who, the enquiring innocent asked, would serve beans for
breakfast ? The United States Navy, I replied, and I have
gagged on them more than once while at sea on a Navy vessel.
Several years ago I received a recipe for SOS from Captain
Eugene Breeze, USMC (Ret), formerly SSgt. Eugene Breeze of
Recon Company, HqBn, 1stMarDiv. Gene sent us a recipe for
SOS from the official 1940 USMC Cooks and Bakers School
Cookbook. We reproduce it here along with two others that
have gained notoriety.
HU
We were unable to find a picture of it on a stainless steel mess hall tray
Leatherneck's World-Famous SOS Recipe:
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1 1/2 pounds extra lean hamburger or ground chuck
2 tbsp. oleo or butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. granulated garlic
2 tbsp. soy sauce (or less to taste)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
sliced bread
Brown the meat, then drain. Add oleo. Stir in the onions and cook
until you can see through them. Add flour, stir and cook two to three
minutes. Add garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and mix thoroughly. Add milk and stir until it thickens. Serve over bread.
Camp Lejeune's SOS Recipe for Manly Men
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1 lb. lean hamburger
3 tsp. beef stock powder
3 tbsp. plain flour
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 pint whole milk
Brown hamburger. Add beef stock powder, flour, salt, pepper and
then cook. Add Worcestershire sauce. Add milk and stir over low
heat until thickened. Serve
on burnt toast.
SIT—PRAY—EAT….CHOW DOWN AND ENJOY !
(CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MAY HAVE HEARD RECENTLY)
The bayonet is believed to have originated in France
in the 17th century. The term comes from a French
word, baionnette, which was used to describe a sword,
knife or spike attached to a musket or rifle at the muzzle. The gun becomes a spear-like close combat or last
resort weapon when the bayonet is attached.
The bayonet, when shaped like a knife and not attached to a gun serves as a utility knife or general purpose cutting instrument. Some modern bayonets also
serve as wire cutters.
The United States Navy attached bayonets to single
shot pistols before the American Civil War. The combination was short-lived when it was found to be useless.
Before World War One the use of the bayonet was
thought to give the soldier greater ability if it was long and
fixed upon a long rifle. This increased his reach beyond that
of his enemy, thereby giving him a tactical advantage.
This doctrine prompted the U. S. Authorities to issue the
M1903 bayonet, with a sixteen inch long blade, for use on the
M1903 short rifle. A sword bayonet was later issued for the
M1917 Enfield rifle.
During the trench warfare of the First World War the long
bayonet proved ungainly for close combat. The result was a
new emphasis upon training to repel a lunging enemy bayonet
attack by parrying or blocking his thrust. The preferred weapons for close combat soon became the pistol, entrenching tool,
trench knife and grenade.
Soldiers found ample use for the bayonet as a knife when
it was not attached to the rifle. Many bayonets were shortened to make them more versatile as utility knives or closequarter weapons. During World War II bayonets were shortened into knife sized weapons to allow their use both as
Military tactics in the 1700’s and 1800’s included the
employment of fixed bayonets on muskets. The bayonet
was often used in massed troop assaults. A classic
example of this tactic was the bayonet charge. Such
charges usually were undertaken over short distances
and designed to overrun the enemy or break up his troop
formations.
20th century warfare made the bayonet less useful.
During the American Civil War the bayonet was responsible for less than one percent of battlefield casualties.
“Cold Steel”, however had not seen its day when it
successfully caused the enemy to retreat in numerous
encounters during the American Civil War producing
decisive victories for the bayonet chargers.
The last recorded bayonet charge by the US Army
occurred during the Korean War when Lewis L. Millett
led soldiers of the US Army's 27th Infantry Regiment in
taking out a machine gun position with bayonets. Millett
was awarded the Medal of Honor for this action.
Contemporary bayonets have been modified to fit a
variety of uses. Bayonets are often multi-purpose knifes
such as the American M7 bayonet which is also an effective fighting knife or the Soviet AKM bayonet which was
also a ground breaking survival knife that can be used as
a wire-cutter when combined with its scabbard. Some
bayonets can also be used as utility knifes, bottle openers or can even be used by troops to cut their way free
through the relatively thin metal skin of a crashed helicopter or airplane. Also, issuing one modern multipurpose bayonet/knife is obviously more cost effective
than issuing two or three specialty bayonets and knifes.
Although today the bayonet is rarely used during one-onone combat, it remains an important offensive as well as
(Continued on next page)
M1905 Bayonet on M1903 Springfield Rifle
M1 Bayonet on M1 Garand Rifle
M1905E1 Bowie Point (cut down) Bayonet on M1 Garand Rifle
M4 Bayonet on M1 Carbine
(Continued from previous page)
defensive weapon for the modern soldier . Despite its
limitations many modern assault rifles (including bullpup designs) retain a bayonet lug and the bayonet is still
issued by many armies. Also, the bayonet is still used for
controlling prisoners and as a weapon of "last resort". In
addition, some authorities continue to insist that the
bayonet serves as a useful training aid in building morale and increasing desired aggressiveness in troops.
"Americans have the right and
advantage of being armed - unlike the
citizens of other countries whose
governments are afraid to trust the
people with arms"
-James Madison-
(The Fedaralist Papers #46 at 243-244
The American M16 rifle used the M7 bayonet which
is based on earlier designs such as the M4, M5, & M6
bayonets. All of which are direct descendants of the M3
Fighting Knife and have spear-point blade with a half
sharpened secondary edge. The newer M9 bayonet has a
clip-point blade with saw-teeth along the spine, and can
be used as a multi-purpose knife and wire-cutter when
combined with its scabbard. The current USMC OKC-3S
bayonet bears a resemblance to the Marines' iconic KaBar fighting knife with serrations near the handle.
HU)
Ontario OKC3S USMC Bayonet Knife with Scabbard
M9-Bayonet used as Wirecutter
The M9 bayonet and others in the series have been
manufactured for the military by several companies,
including Buck Knives and the Ontario Knife Co. The
weapon attaches to the M16 rifle’s M4 carbine. It also can
be used with the Mossberg 590 Special Purpose shotgun.
Marines carry bayonets in the field, and all must complete
training with the hand-to-hand combat staple. The Army’s infantrymen also have long used bayonets, though that branch has
scaled back on bayonet drills in recent years. Although the last
U.S. bayonet charge was in Korea in 1951, a British soldier was
recently honored for leading a bayonet charge against the Taliban in 2011 in Afghanistan.
The official Marine.com website touts the bayonet with the
words:
“From 500 yards, every Marine is accurate with a rifle. Attach
the OKC-3S Bayonet, and the weapon becomes just as
(Continued on page 9)
https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp?
48 hours special liberty to the first man to answer correctly.
Those of us who have never visited Camp Lejeune
have not been priviliged to view this Statue of
Marine Lieutenant General Lejeune located in
center of traffic circle at the Camp in North Carolina.
William HAY pHOTO
We have published this photo before but the names were all
wrong. Bottom row: L-R Taylor, Bruce Axberg. Second row:
L-R Jim Severson, John J. “J.J.” Evers, Bill Hay. Third row:
“Buzz” Penland. (Probably on the WANTUCK January 1966)
RECONNAISSANCE COMPANY, HQBN (REINF), 1ST MARDIV( REINF), FMFPAC
M5 Bayonet
(Continued from page 7)
effective in close combat situations.
Also a Marine's multi-purpose fighting knife, the OKC3S is the weapon of choice when shots can't be fired. Every
Marine receives bayonet training in the Marine Corps Martial
Arts Program (MCMAP) and on the Bayonet Assault Course in
Recruit Training.”
Ontario Knife's version of the M9 bayonet, the OKC3S, is
13.25 inches long, with a serrated blade of hardened steel, a
zinc phosphate nonreflective finish and an ergonomically
grooved handle made of a lownoise polyester elastomer. It
clicks onto the rifle via fitted internal stainless steel springs, and
comes with a "Molle-compatible sheath designed for superior
stealth."
Lee Enfield rifle No 5 MK 1 Bayonet
M6 Bayonet
Retired Maj. Gen. Ed Usher, president and CEO of
the Marine Corps Association & Foundation has
said:
"Bottom line: The bayonet remains part of the
individual Marine equipment issue and Marines are
trained to use it."
“We take pride in our military products and it’s an honor and
privilege to supply these weapons/tools to the US military,” said
Ken Trbovich, president and CEO of Ontario Knife Co., “The
military deploys our products for a wide range of combat and
field operations. These include, but are not limited to, breaching
devices, rescue tools and combat weapons.”
The place of bayonets in history is assured. When all the
bullets were fired, the deadly blades turned rifles into spears in
the Civil War and World War I, when fighting rages from trench
to trench at close range.
Veterans also have been known to reminisce about using
the versatile blade to toast bread, open cans, scrape mud off of
boots and even dig latrines.
In the current edition of the Marine Corps Gazette, an article
titled "‘Fix . . . Bayonets!’ Spanning the spectrum of lethality" by
retired USMC Col. Michael Belcher praises the utility of bayonets throughout history and today.
Belcher wrote "In counterinsurgency operations as in combat, the bayonet has proven itself to be an effective offensive
and defensive weapon, one that produces kinetic and nonkinetic effects well beyond its size and across the spectrum of conflict."
H. Campbell Photo –1956
M7 Bayonet & M8A1 Sheath
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
(Plot: Section 6, Lot 5682, Grid V/W-22.5)
Nit Pickers Anonymous is alive and well.
Our attention has been called to the last paragraph of the
article on 1st Marine Division Ground Reconnaissance on
page 6 of the last issue of Reflections. The paragraph leaves
the reader wondering if it took a whole army to replace the
Marines on New Britain.
The last word of the paragraph is missing………..insert
the word “units” after the last word to make the article end
by conveying the idea that the Marines were relieved by
Army units.
HU
A green phantom stalks these lands,
Thirty Ought Six in a Master's hands.
Chamber a matched, perfect round,
Slide home the bolt, forward and down.
Stay detached, loose and cool,
Time your breathing, remember the rule.
Get them now, kill them clean,
before they can hurt another Marine.
The first dies quick, the second has looked,
that one dies fast, a third has booked.
Number Three goes down, sight on Number
Four,
this one's for my Brothers, Brothers of the
Corps.
Even now at home, I remember that scene,
the four of them and a young Marine,
I would do it again, once more with pride,
to protect my Marines, the enemy has died.
By Robert W. Baird, U.S.M.C. Sniper
The mailing list for Reflections is huge. We find it difficult to believe that all those on our list had no experiences
while in the Corps that are worth telling others about.
Please….anything large or small, pictures and/or text, will be
given careful consideration for publication.
Put on your thinking caps, take keyboard in hand and
contact us at:
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