[river rat]

This "historical background" was written by a reporter embedded with the 3rd Battlion, 4th Marine Regiment (3/4) out of Twenty-Nine Palms, California...

Our family was following the Bn. very closely -- due to the presence of a young Marine Lt. that was mounted at the tip of the spear as it struck into Iraq....

We were all blessed to receive him home...safe.

This series should be worth following...5 more segments to follow..

Happy Birthday, brothers!

Semper Fi

[river rat]

This should be a very interesting series...
From an embedded reporter that rode with 3/4 all the way into Baghdad...

Semper Fi

[clintonh8r]

Happy Birthday and Semper Fi!

[MEG33]

Thank God he made it home safe...Happy Birthday Marines.

[NormsRevenge]

my solar plexus is throbbing as I read parts of this... :-\

Diego - summer of '72

Sgts Updike and Rajala were snipers(never heard how many kills they had), SSgt Route , the lead DI, was a tunnel rat. One DI was threatening to torch a recruit in a wall locker and got relieved of duty.

Funny thing, none of them seemed like the type that would relish killing to me, but no doubt, some if not all of them did their duty when they had to directed. and completed their miisons as d.

Somehow, our platoon managed to make these battle hardened Marines proud.

Lucky for us, they would have PT'ed us to death if we hadn't.

Just some reminiscing of my darkside connection; that part about fixing radios and bargirls in okinawa (and korea and the philippines) hit a chord too. ;-)

I need to go back and read the whole thing but the first few minutes reading hit home in more ways than one.

Thanks for the post, Marine, and Happy Birthday.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Great post!

[The Shrew]

I was Alpha Company 1st Tanks about 100 years ago it seems.

Thank you for posting this and please ping me to any additional segments.

I'm glad your Lt. made it back safe. Sounds like he was in a heckuva unit.

Semper Fi,

TS

[opbuzz]

Happy Birthday Marines.

[JOE6PAK]

GO MARINES

Semper Fi

'nuff said.

[Valin]

Consider yourself flagged.

[Lurker]

"My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby harp seals. We will hit them with everything we have."

1/8 bump.

Semper Fi.

L

[MissAmericanPie]

I don't know that I can wait for the five segments. What a great read, please ping me for the other's if you don't mind.

[river rat]

This is Lt. Col. Bryan P. McCoy, commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

And these are his Marines......

Semper Fi

[EternalVigilance]

What a great post!

I enjoyed every bit of it tremendously.

[hosepipe]

What I wanna see is.........

1) The guys thats capture terrorists
2) bug them with traceing equipment, wireing for sound, let them go
3) track them to find where they end up (make notes)
4) raid those locations, capture more, break things
5) GOTO 2).

Bravado is such a waste when what you're after is species extinction..

[RaceBannon]

God Bless the Marine Corps!

[oh8eleven]

Breakfast is runny scrambled eggs and a long white sausage the guys call "camel dick."

LOL - anyone else remember "horsecock" sandwiches?
Many thanks for the post. Semper Fi ...

[VeniVidiVici]

bfl

[dighton]

Installment II