TSO in Senegal with the USMC
Dude, totally badass trip, and I take back most the bad things I ever said about USMC. Dudes were awesome. My one thing I’ve always had against the Marines was the rigidity to their rank structure, refering to someone by the full “Staff Sergeant Joblo” and such. Well, that doesn’t happen in a Recon unit. You got a task that takes 3 people, it’s the first three guys to jump up. No shirkers, no figuring out who the low three men were etc. The Major in chanrge of this unit was straight up badass all around. Incredibly smart (WAY smarter than me) and about as frenetic an individual as you will ever meet. A guy on the ride down referred to the Major (He has a team of 15 USMC and 4 USN guys) as a “True Believer.” He was that, in all the good ways.
How I managed to do 2 embeds with two amazingly awesome units is beyond me. I did two deployments with knuckleheads in charge. If I’d deployed with this Major (will release his name later with my story) or Captain Stewart from my A-stan embed, I never would have gotten out.
Anyway, our video guy made this up this morning. The song was his selection, and is incredibly tongue in cheek, since it wasn’t a “terrible land” in any way, shape or form. In fact, want to know how bad I slummed? Take a look at the pictures of the resort that I stayed in.
Embed with high speed US personnel AND I get to stay in a private thatched roof cabana? Yes please.
A special thanks to my PAO and fellow Citadel Alum, LT Pitrone for making this happen. Others as well, but I will get to them in my article.
Category: Politics
“The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Glad to see you made it back from what looks to have been a real hardship tour. (smile) Looking forward to seeing the article.
Welcome back. If you are ever around the Atterbury area the first beer is on me.
@3, amazingly, considering I live in Indy, I’ve never been to Atterbury. Might have to travel there at some point to check it out!
Have Jonn shoot me an email and I can let you know when the next large unit is coming through so you can check them out. I don’t want to post that info on an open blog. The whole OPSEC thing.
The bbq joint outside of atterbury, YUM. Made for an awesome time driving back in an uparmored humvee. I love those little windows. Haha
@6 arrghhhh, now I can’t wait for tomorrow which is chicken bacon swiss day.
That’s what I had the last time I was there. Just about the only thing I miss about going to Atterbury.
Try being stationed here. Wedensday’s at Hickory Hills is the only thing keeping me out of a straight jacket.
Sorry to hijack your topic TSO.
Bwana? Have you turned? Are you now singing “From the halls of Montezuma….” instead of “Over hill, over dale…”? Say it ain’t so. Please say it ain’t so.
Are we turning this into a food blog instead of a milblog?
@11. Julia Child is happy. Plus, she was an OSS spy during the big one so it’s okay.
@12: COOL!
Now — do any of you jarheads know anything about Khe Sanh hash?
I only ask because long-since jerk ex-boyfriend said something about it, but since he was not trustworthy …well…. I would like accurate information.
Thank you.
TSO, Our “rigidity” to our ‘rank structure’ is one of the many traditions that define the Marine Corps. Of course I’m talking of my experience of 30+ years ago. As for our rank structure, I am a Sergeant (E-5) my last Plt. Sgt was GUNNERY Sergeant Charles Phillips, he was a GySgt not a Sgt. One of my best buds was STAFF Sergeant Mateo Fuimaono, the biggest Samoan ever born. He was a SSgt not a Sgt. There are so many other customs we continue to observe. Again, in the day, when leaving the presence of an officer it was always, “Sir, by your leave”. Another was “As you please” or “At your leisure” Sir. Another, my favorite, was calling a dipsh1t Boot Louie “Mister” rather than ‘Lt’!!! As the Marines are “Department of the Navy” it was quite proper! Used to drive ‘Mister’ Stanford NUTS!?! 🙂
@14, yeah, I totally get that, and have nothing against that tradition for the USMC. I should have made clear that I just don’t care for it.
It’s like Ranger versus GB stuff. Would I rather get off the bus to a dude screaming at me, or to the Company Commander of the SF unit that I went to try out for who shoved his hand out and said “I’m Bob, nice to meet you.” Both work, it’s just I do better with the second.
TSO- if you go to Atterbury, make sure to wear itch cream. That place has more poison ivy than any camp I’ve ever been to. Went there in the 70’s and 80’s and once late- 90’s.
Back then, it was hot, sweaty, and primative. I hear it’s changed.
BTW, welcome back… did you do a reptile check of the luggage?
What!!! King beds, flush toilets, hot and cold running – that is not an embed, that is a “cultural experience.” A cultural experience (like 5 cities in Europe in 4 days) differs from a vacation only in that it has a schedule that does not allow you to sleep as late as you may like.
It is not an embed if there is not at least a 50% chance you will hear shots fired in anger.
Glad you are home, but hell, Mrs. TSO could have gone with you on that trip.
@11-I seem to recall a certain Ex-PH2 and cookie recipes.
TSO: You’re El Cid? That explains everything! Sr. Sgt ’63.
@14
I almost took a whooping in boot regarding the “by your leave” bit.
For those who don’t know, in boot camp if you’re going to pass a drill instructor from behind, you have to ask permission by saying “by your leave” and waiting for an affirmative response.
Well, it was in first phase and we were doing the initial Physical Fitness Test to basically see where we were and how far we had to go to. I’d spent the last 4 years of high school in cross country and track. Needless to say, I did fairly well in the run portion of the PFT.
As it happens, it was early in the run portion and I approached one of my DI’s from behind and bellowed out “BY YOUR LEAVE, SIR”. To this day, I don’t know what possessed me to do that, but I did. He responded with “Go on smartass”.
He never did anything about it. The subject was never broached again. Actually I got the impression he kinda liked me from that point. Whenever there was some not-completely-shit duty to be done, he gave it to me. In fact, during mess and maintenance week, he told me to go report to the Chaplain. We won the range, so we had maintenance while the other platoons had mess duty. I dare say I had the best job of all, just chilling out with the Chaplain doing, well, not much.
Anyway, the “By Your Leave” bit just sparked that random memory.
@Twist, I was only inquiring for supporting information. 🙂
I don’t remember ever saying by your leave, but I remember learning it in boot.
Great job. Hope to see you on te contiennt. For more more info, check out our Facebook fan pages:
Franch
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Commandement-des-Etats-Unis-pour-lAfrique-AFRICOM/115538028551234?sk=wall
Arabic
http://www.facebook.com/pages/%D8%A3%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85-%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7-/203804992983520?ref=hl