Like The Alamo,
apple pie and July Fourth –
my best friend…rifle!*
*(of course not: I am my best friend (some of the time at least), and that fuss then on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas was an exercise in blind vanity and military stupidity exceeded only by that at Goliad, and like New Year’s midnight, July Fourth is an exercise often in cordite-fueled dangerous fake celebration, but tradition and rote recitation make it so true!)
The following listing is for those Marines who graduated November 22, 1967 at Parris Island, South Caroline’s Marine Corps Recruit Depot from Platoon 1047, 1044 Series, Company B, 1st Battalion, 1st Recruit Training Regiment. One day I hope to access available records to assess what happened to each during those tumultuous times. Many if not most of these recruits sometime in February or March of 1968 found themselves serving in rifle companies during the so-called Tet Offensive of 1968. When I got to Vietnam in 1970 and after about six months in-country I ran into my “Bunkie”, Larry Sirmans (I believe his name was Sirmons, but I could be wrong), whose first tour in 1968 was with 1st Recon Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and now was with 1st Force Recon, stationed outside of DaNang, he told me that in the first two weeks “we got butchered.” He went on to say at that brief reunion at the Freedom Hill Post Exchange located midway between the DaNang Air Force Base and Hill 327, headquarters for the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced), that there were just a few Marines from 1047 on that homeward jet plane flight out of DaNang airbase that he recognized from our platoon. Larry was our platoon’s only “Unk” (non-qualifier) at the rifle range. He had the nickname “Mr. Military Science” given him by our Drill Instructors sometime in the first week or two of our 65-day stay on ‘The Island.’
And, so, the men of Platoon 1047 about whom I have tried to capture some small portions of our time at Boot Camp.
Alvin L. Adams, Tommy D. Atkinson, Marcus W. Bargeron, Ronald M. Blackwell, Thomas A. Boston, Roy D. Bowling, James L. Brown, Ralph F. Capps, James C. Clements (of Sanford, Florida and our Fourth Squad squad leader), Ernest R. Clementson, Bernard Clifton, Jr., Richard R. Cloak, Robert E. Composky, Alan B. Craig, Harold D. Davis, Kenneth E. Davis, Bernard L. Emery, Donald G. Eye (obviously, “Private Eye” to all after a DI so said), Jack A. Fuller, Paris L. Fuller, Thomas F. Goodall, Kenneth L. Gordon, Joseph R. Gromfsky, Stephen J. Gusan, Terry J. Hansen.
Barry G. Higgins, Charles W. Hillery, III, Lawrence T. Hughes, Alan D. Jay, Charles D. Johnson, Alva L. Kee, John J. Lacz, Mark S. Long, James Malin, James B. Mitchell, Joseph Fl. Moeller, Robert F. Morrison, James Nock, Gerald E. O’Brien, James R. Parent (our Platoon Guide for all but 2 or 3 days either before or just after the rifle range, I seem to recall – he graduated Pfc meritoriously and was awarded the platoon’s Dress Blues winner), Robert A. Petit, Haverly J. Pomiabo, Gerald W. Pratt, Leon G. Renderio, “J” K. Richards, Robert A. Richard, Cryil J. Rhuland, Richard G. Saab, Mark E. Salisbury,
Russ J. Saucier, James T. Sells, John D. Shirley, Larry C. Sirmans (my “Bunkie”), Philip L. Snider, Clifford D. Speakman, Clarence E. Spoon, Jr. (“Bulldog” who was pulled by general acclaim to go up on stage with “The Coasters” during a final-week graduation concert in the PI auditorium as the group sang “Charley Brown” to him), Raymond St. Germain, Philip E. St. Germain, Daniel A. Taylor, Wilfred H. Terrill, II, Michael R. Thompson, Richard A. Thompson, Gerard E. Towle, Robert J. Twist, Richard J. Venditti, Gregory W. Watson, Timothy J Wineland, Jerry L. Wyre, Stephen P. Zirk, Rhonda D. Parsons*, Gary C. Crippen.
Parsons and Crippen’s names appear at the end of the listing as both joined Platoon 1047 later in our training cycle – after the rifle range. I thought there were more. Crippen was assigned to Fourth Squad, Larry Sirmans and my squad. He was particularly the point of the haiku about newly assigned “boots” with scared (perhaps scarred) eyes.
The Marines Who Trained Us
Staff Sergeant S.J. Barker, Senior DI; Staff Sergeant W. E. Dean (who joined 1047 after one DI was summarily reassigned to rifle-exercise/Physical Training duties after having brutal (martial arts punch-kick combination moves on opposite sides of the squadbay seemingly simultaneously) physical contact with two, possibly three recruits during the first week before actual training began); and, Sergeant R. W. Borgiorno (I believe that is a misprint: I distinctly recall with no humor whatsoever that the man’s last name was Bongiorno which I believe in Italian means Good Day – a colossal pun, indeed!) both Assistant Drill Instructors.
Their Bosses: 1st Sergeant G. W. Naquin (whose uniform shirt was the recipient of a bucket-load of urine tossed out of our second-deck window by one hapless and later identified – and terrorized and terrified – recruit who could not wait one early-training cycle night), Chief Drill Instructor; and Gunnery Sergeant R. L. Cannon, Series Gunnery Sergeant.
Their bosses: 1st Lieutenant J. C. Hallman, Series Officer; Captain L. M. Rummans (whom I misidentified(?) as Runnels I believe), Company Commander (whose 10 November 1967 Marine Corps Birthday speech to the gathered entire series, Platoons 1044, 45, 46 and 1047) I entitled “The Eyes of Glory Are Upon You,” gave us news-less recruits a taste of what was to come in the next few months of which we were blissfully unaware.); and Lt. Colonel R. J. Perrich, Battalion Commander (of whom we 1047 Platoon recruits were told “really likes and respects the winners of the battalion field meet Tug-o-War contest. We won. No problem. No choice. Our platoon won the meet, too. Our battalion entry in the Tug in the field meet was liberally sprinkled with 1047-team members and it, too, as well as our battalion won that meet).
Those recruits given less than memorable nicknames – needledick, bug-eye, etc., deliberately have been unidentified in this chronicle of The Marines of Platoon 1047. Other incidents that this sourcebook provided will be inserted into the record. Any inconsistencies, inaccuracies and omissions are mine entirely. J Kirk Richards, Sergeant of Marines 1967-1972.
“If A Thing Can Go Wrong, Dept.”
Burn the Fornicate
out of my left palm today
just before Drill Comp
so I hoist second unit’s
guideon for three days’ practice.
“Regimental Field Meet”
Jim Clements and I
take turns jogging half-mile track
for fireman’s carry.
(gets us an half-hour of ‘free’ time each day for a week. He ain’t heavy: he’s from Sanford! The event is a relay-team event in which one teammate lies down and the other runs 100 feet or so and puts him over his shoulders – no helping from the recumbent! – and races back to tag the next runner through four runners and then the process is repeated with the original runners now reclined…I carry Jimmy with some trouble, like a sack of potatoes: to him I am a sack of potato chips! Of course we win: we are Platoon 1047, First Battalion Field Meet Champs and our Battalion marches off with the top prize here as well!)
“Combat Readiness Test(3) – Fun In The Fall Sun”
pull-ups, step-ups, and
rope swing and rope climb, low crawl,
push-ups and sit-ups.
(fireman’s carry as well…all timed or minimums required. Fun in the Fall sun, before Joe Palumbo twisted knee and everyone pulled together – and, no, that is not what Gung Ho translates as…more like Strive For Harmony!)
“Combat Readiness Test(2)”
Three miles in full gear
forty days ago an ass-kick:
now, a half-hour stroll!
(despite Palumbo…who twisted his knee just before…we wore utilities, helmet, web gear, rifles, bayonets, magazines, boots, full canteen and first-aid pouch)
“Plans Are Made – By Us ‘Boots'”
Mess-N-Maintenance
almost gone and plans get made
to ‘treat’ our DIs.
Some steal uniform shirts and
others Smokey Bear covers.
(mechanics’ tools, duty belts, and, yes, a canteen or three of Staff NCO Club hootch)
‘Mess Week’ I strike gold!
Duty at Dispensary
answering Chief’s phone.
“Self-Adjusting”
I know what’s up:
fatigue is what DIs want!
Then they can brain wash.
richwrapper 