USMC(Combat Uniforms Rule-GREEN) VIETNAM 1968

Well I don't know about the Marine Combat Warriors of the here and now, but when I was in a combat unit the "Fighting Nomads"(2nd Battalion 26th Regiment) and was assigned to Foxtrot Co., and hooked up with 'em a few weeks after Khe Sahn, maybe 5/68. We were in "I CORPS" area just under the DMZ, places like Quang-Tri, Dong Ha, "The ROCKPILE", Con Thien(A-3), Gio Linh, and Camp Carrol. Got my first M-16(Never saw one before, we trained with the M-14 in bootcamp/Camp Pendleton)in Quang-Tri and fired and sighted in at the "Rockpile" along with shooting a LAW(Portable, disposable, rocket launcher). The second 4 months of my tour we went "Afloat" and were attached to the 1st Marine Division's 9th (MAB) Marine Amphibious Brigade. So we flew off the USS Princeton(LPH5) and landed in hot and cold LZs mostly south of DaNang. Places like Hoi An, An Hoa, "Arizona Territry" and "Dodge City".

I learned very early on what we needed to carry and what kind of uniform we wore varied a lot, but what was always required as far as uniforms was a helmet, a flak-jacket and all clothing was to be green including T-shirts when out and about in "The BUSH".

I wan't 18 yet when my fellow boot/Graduates(most) went off to Vietnam. Well I did a lot of different jobs at Camp Pendleton like picking up brass cartridges at the rifle range. However I got a couple jobs that were unique. There was a Vietnam Village by a large pond at Pendleton and we learned how to wire and booby-trap it up and did just that. I was also an enemy sniper with my rifle way up in the hills waiting for the patrol to pass so they were right in the middle of kill zone. Bam! To be continued...

 

continued Part 2.
Well next I went to the DLI(Defense Language Institute) in Monterey, California where I took Vietnamese for three months, 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week. This didn't change my MOS(0311/Grunt) only the 12 month course would do that for something like G2. Nope it was just extra for whatever unit I was assigned to. I mention this because I did a lot of interpeting, but a little negotiation on the side for myself and my buddies. I traded for a brown, wide brim ARVN hat, and brown cammo shirt. We were in an area, I think the Highway 9 area, and there were ARVN there but also a whole bunch of ROK(South Korea) Marines. Well a couple of us and an ARVN were talking to a Korean Marine(ARVN managed to communicate with Korean) and wheelin' and dealin' uniforms. I traded my ARVN hat and cammo shirt for a set of ROK Cammo(Kinda WWII Pacific Theater USMC) shirt and trousers. I still have these today, but not much more because when I left VN I was told one of my seabags was blown up while in storage, at Quang-Tri I think. It had my language books and my civilian clothes, don't remember what else.

Anyway sorry for such a long story but needed background to explain my different uniforms while in Vietnam and off the coast of Vietnam, first on the USS Princeton(LPH5) rotated then the USS OKINAWA(LPH8). Heck we Marines did some duty temporarily while on ship and I was assigned to laundry. Piece of cake and a big plus, always had my uniform stuff tight while on board.

Well here are the pics of all those different uniforms from 5/68 thru 12/1968. Semper-Fidelis.

 

Part 3, Follow-Up. Well let me correct a text mistake. All text that reads LPH3 are wrong it's LPH5. I will post a pic of LPH5.

Here are two pictures of the ROK Marine uniform I traded for, with my GLOCKTALK 37 and new and old KABARS. As you look at pic the pocket on the right has Korean writing and a USMC Eagle, Globe, and Anchor(Looks the same to me). Well that is all. Hope you enjoyed reading about all my uniforms. That is all, over and out.