Marines doing that voodoo that we do so well (Post yours too)

Devil Doc said:
And the weather cooperated. After retiring from the USN and before my current job I worked in the same building as the general. I never had a conversation beyond the morning greeting but he always spoke and seemed like he upheld his reputation beyond his active duty years. I don't know if he "worked" there, maybe a board member or something. Anyway, his car license plate read, CMC 29.

Not long later I met the 30th commandant at his church where my daughter and I always bought our Christmas trees. I actually knew him well enough to have a conversation at the base gas station or wherever else we ran into each other. General Mundy was a gem of a man. His license plate: CMC 30.

While I'm name dropping, my son introduced me to the current commandant at the base gym one day a few years ago when he was in charge of MCCDC at Quantico. Probably the most impressive person I've ever had a conversation with. He and DS were deployed in the same AOR and stayed in touch ever since. Not a bad person to have on speed dial.
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It’s all family.

And haven’t you had encounters with Chesty (the bulldog)?
 
Capt MJ said:
It’s all family.

And haven’t you had encounters with Chesty (the bulldog)?
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I was walking back with Buster and a bulldog with no collar walked up to us. He and Buster sniffed in the middle of the street while I looked around for the owner. Didn't see one so we all three went back to my house. I got a spare collar and Chesty and I walked back down the street. It was a work day, I so no people, so I knocked on the only door I saw open. Nice lady answered and said, "Oh, that's Chesty. He just retired from the Marine Corps. He gets out all the time."

She told me Chesty lived with his owners, two Marine Band members. She took him and kept him until the owners got home. That evening the man owner returned the collar and said thanks. I love talking to retirees and my time with Chesty was extra special.

en.wikipedia.org

Chesty XII - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Devil Doc said:
I was walking back with Buster and a bulldog with no collar walked up to us. He and Buster sniffed in the middle of the street while I looked around for the owner. Didn't see one so we all three went back to my house. I got a spare collar and Chesty and I walked back down the street. It was a work day, I so no people, so I knocked on the only door I saw open. Nice lady answered and said, "Oh, that's Chesty. He just retired from the Marine Corps. He gets out all the time."

She told me Chesty lived with his owners, two Marine Band members. She took him and kept him until the owners got home. That evening the man owner returned the collar and said thanks. I love talking to retirees and my time with Chesty was extra special.

en.wikipedia.org

Chesty XII - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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“Spotty disciplinary record.” A good Marine.
 
It's common knowledge that General Gray is the only commandant who had his official portrait done wearing his cammies.

Toward the end of our careers, a friend was stationed at HQMC when the CMC's office was at the Navy Annex and I was at another HQ command. He took me down the Hall of the Commandants and I saw all the official portraits. One CMC is wearing a cape but I can't remember which one.
 
Devil Doc said:
It's common knowledge that General Gray is the only commandant who had his official portrait done wearing his cammies.

Toward the end of our careers, a friend was stationed at HQMC when the CMC's office was at the Navy Annex and I was at another HQ command. He took me down the Hall of the Commandants and I saw all the official portraits. One CMC is wearing a cape but I can't remember which one.
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That may have been the Officer Boat Cloak. I always thought it would be cool to have one of those, but alas, before my time. The color of the lining signified your community - I think Navy Nurse Corps had a special color.

OMG. The Marines (of course!) still have it. Red lining - of course. Optional. It’s worn with evening dress and some other uniforms. Not a casual combat look. 🤣 Why do I think GEN Mattis might have one.
Marine Shop has it. Read more about it there. Screenshot below.

IMG_6340.jpeg
 
And in the same rabbit hole I found an image of a vintage Navy Officer boat cloak, same exterior very dark blue-black. I also found some with blue-black lining to match the exterior and one with a gold lining. Guess the tradition of uniform changes has been going on since Noah took his first cruise.

IMG_6342.jpeg
 
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I remember him looking like this. I was an HM3 and we had both worked for the baddest corpsman in the navy up to that point. HMC Randy Bush, retired HMCM, ended up with ribbons up to his shoulder when he wore them all. I was late in my career and had made chief and would ask myself, "What would Randy do?" HM1 Bates was also that kind of leader. A go-to guy. Ronny's wife Linda was a nurse corps officer and pregnant with their second. They must be in their 40s by now and never knew their dad. I know Linda told then through the years what a great man their daddy was.
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This anniversary always brings back my memories of Beirut. They are never really gone but the
anniversary reinvigorates them in my mind.

One anecdote:

The five ships that were in Beirut from winter until summer of 83 spent most of our time about a mile off of the coast and the CO's of the ships along with the Commodore had nightly chat sessions over secure voice radio. Just about every Sunday afternoon, they would meet up in person
on a Captain's gig (small boat) and spend a couple of hours chatting along with food and even some beer. My ship provided the boat for this about every third week and afterward it was my skipper's practice to turn over the boat complete with the leftovers to his Department Heads
(those not on watch) for a couple of hours. The memory of cruising a hundred yards off of the beach with a beer in hand while gazing at the
war-torn landscape behind the beach is very vivid. There were often people on the beach and that sign of life with the backdrop of burned out
and exploded buildings was indeed memorable. We didn't have digital cameras (of course) and sadly were only able to take a few pictures but
my memories of those boat rides are like videos that I took a day or two ago.
 
Dang, it's November so you'd think my allergies are done for the year. And now they're back!
 
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