Camp Talega 1976: My First Year

Reservists don’t consider themselves heroes; we just did our jobs.  Our drill instructors at MCRD thought we were scum.  The “K” on our Service Record Books never failed to mark us for extra punishment.  What the detractors failed to realize is that many of us eclipsed our active duty counterparts by being “lifers.”  I liked the adventure, physical activity, challenge, and steady pay and it began when I returned to Kansas City, reapplied with my former employer, and checked back in to Headquarters 24th Marines.  Life went on there.  The torpedo out front was the same.  It reminded me of the nuclear bomb that Slim Pickens rode on his way down to his target in the movie Dr. Strangelove (Mein Fuhrer!).  The Viet Cong scalp still hung above the colonel’s desk where I’d interviewed many months before.  I had no idea then that my six-year enlistment would last more than 21 years with the ATD’s (summer camps) beginning with Camp Talega which is a part of Camp Pendleton, California.  It had received part of the huge influx of Vietnamese boat people who escaped the Communists after the fall of South Vietnam.  Sgt. Williams who always said: “The Marine Corps has been good to me.” stands beside me outside our quarters.  I immediately pulled pot shack duty.

Weapons training was more fun.  Before going live with grenades, we practiced with the “blues.” The “greens” were the live ones: “Take grenade in hand.  Twist and turn.  Pull pin. Throw pin.” (Someone always said this).  I’d never trained with the M203 Grenade Launcher and was surprised how accurate it was when I bounced one off an old truck chassis the first shot.  We saw our first camouflage utilities there.  A “Recon Ranger” was walking down a dirt road with an M60 machine gun, its ammo belt swinging.  The most fun happened after dark on the rifle range.  Unlike the Final Protective Fire in basic which is more of a pyrotechnic display than anything, we fired tracers at moving metal targets that were secured by a chain.  I leaned not to aim – just put the rifle down to shoulder level and walk-in the tracers; by the third shot, a kill.  Disregarding orders, the Vietnam veterans among us opened up on full automatic.

MAB76 was an extension of what Marines do: amphibious landings and combined arms training which includes air assaults and lots of helicopters like the Chinook coming to pick us up to take us to sea.  From my training I remembered that if it was a Sea Stallion to always exit opposite the rotor or get your head chopped off.  This was my first helicopter trip and my first time at sea.  A larger part of Hq. Co. 24th Marines got to the amphibious ship by either Amtrak or Mike Boat.  I don’t remember.  As junior in the S-2 shop and always in demand, my flight was guaranteed because they needed someone to carry the safe.  Unfortunately, for many others, the Navy had turned on the air conditioning in the middle of the night and by the morning at least half of the 24th had colds.

Oran: 1942 and Now

From old WWII newsreels Oran is black and white like most of the history then.  GI photos were the same; carefully screened by official censors allowing only nondescript pictures of self with or without buddies.  My first impressions of Oran, Algeria where Operation Torch captured this strategic port in North Africa, are the same – black and gray.  It reminds me of the San Diego naval base without the color.   I noticed from the government photo that there was a “wet side” and “dry side” separated by the usual utility road.  There is an oil depot, several warehouses, lined up deuce-and-a-half trucks, and regulating (track cluster) train station.  What’s barely shown in the photo are the steep cliffs surrounding the waterfront.  Dad spent two years in North Africa and Oran arriving there with the D+3 convoy on November 11, 1942.  His discharge citing Departure November 1 and Arrival November 11 indicates he was on this 41 troop ship convoy from Britain. When he arrived he said bodies were still floating in the harbor. 

Other than the landings to the east and west and the harbor assault to neutralize the French fleet little is known by the public of anything else although Oran became the Cam Ranh Bay of its day.  Trucks, equipment, and supplies were landed at Mers-el-Kébir, Oran’s smaller sister harbor to the west.  A Provisional Ordnance Group (POG) made mostly up of the 87th Medium Maintenance Battalion and 55th Heavy Maintenance Regiment had custody of the trucks and maintained them.  The Transportation Corps under the Mediterranean Base Section (MBS) soon assigned their missions.  Because of theft, Oran’s blocked harbor had only one road: entrance and exit. 

In 1942 Oran had a cosmopolitan population of Spanish, French, and impoverished Arabs who were hired to help off-load the ships.  Old photos from the time aren’t kind to Oran.  Of course, there was a war going on with its inherent destruction, disease, and vice.  I’d read descriptions of North Africa from travel and history books written before the war, but I never appreciated the scenery until I started surfing You Tube to see what Oran looks like today.  It’s amazing.  I know there are always old and dingy parts to every city, but Oran seems to be a surprisingly beautiful and modern city.  Maybe it’s French money, but what You Tube reveals are long expanses of clean modern highways with grassy mediums, road-side palm trees, skyscrapers, cranes, modern cars, beautiful pastel colored apartment building, tastefully done cultural centers, and I saw only one stop light. I’ve included the best You Tube video of Oran I could find: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtJ3lbpSOmQ.  Halfway through the video you can see Ft. Santa Cruz (WWII stockade), on the mountain west of the harbor.  It’s in the drawing and is now a favorite tourist destination.

Obama's Gamble

Now that the election is over and President Obama has nothing to lose, he is reaffirming his intention to legalize millions of illegal aliens - among other things.  Republicans who view them as natural Democrats voters are in a panic.  They want him to accept the election results as a Republican mandate, co-operate, and “stop playing with matches.”  Republican leaders are threatening to cut off funding for the amnesty if he signs the Executive Order.  The situation appears to border on a constitutional crisis with the veiled threat being impeachment.  He also has to make his move now with his old retainers before the new Republicans are sworn in.

President Obama will likely call their bluff.  The House impeaches and the Senate convicts.  Impeachment didn’t faze Bill Clinton.  You’d need 2/3 vote in the Senate and the Media would never support the attack on the “Chosen One.”  There would be months of national wrangling jeopardizing Republican presidential chances in 2016 or so the theory goes.  And, Obama knows how to play the race card and it’s an ace.  He’s protected by the threat of race riots.

If Republicans are as mad as hell, so is the military.  There have been reports of senior officers being purged and various heads of the Armed Forces being replaced by Affirmative Action tokens like the Secret Service recently endured.  There have been accusations of the military being defunded below levels necessary to maintain effectiveness.  Pot heads are free to use marijuana recreationally destroying decades old measures to control narcotic use by soldiers.  Homosexuality in the ranks is now an accepted right.  Generals assume the worst when the Commander in Chief puts our troops in jeopardy in Africa with the Ebola plague.  It’s also shocking to all of us how he recently facilitated the mass migration of illegal Central Americans to the U.S. many of which are diseased and criminals.  I heard one general on TV warn of its implications.  A cosmic shift has occurred and there is little said in the Media about its effect on the military.  It’s mighty queer when the obvious is never talked about.  It’s not just the economy Stupid.

If President Obama amnesties millions of illegal aliens by Executive Order with the stroke of a pen, can he break the CIA into a thousand pieces like John Kennedy was about to do?  Remember Governor Ray Blanton of Tennessee in 1979 in his last minute pardon of criminals.  Could Obama free black criminals en mass?  Will Eric Holder be the next Supreme Court judge?  The third week in December could be more than just a constitutional crisis.  

JD Manure Spreader L&M: Done

The final tab for the John Deere Manure Spreader wasn’t that much.  I paid $900 for it.  Since it was only about five miles away, the freight (tow truck) was $75.  I’ve seen cross-country freight on some other farm machines costing $1000 or more.  Miscellaneous parts and supplies totaled $179.07 with $89.35 going for paint.  Tires were surprisingly expensive at $440.00 for the pair.   So the total bill without labor ran $1594.07.  I would have finished the job quicker if it was done indoors, but getting it into the garage would have been difficult and the light and fresh air from being outdoors was more suitable.  However, the rain and heat slowed the job down.

The elusive John Deere decal remains elusive.  I’ve tried the Internet: eBay, Amazon, and assorted farm supply outfits with the same results.  The dealership here doesn’t know.  It’s all because I want to do it right.  Notice the deer is a 4-legged one.  The newer John Deere decals aren’t.  The background is white with a pin stripe around the modified rectangle.  I suspect this decal represents a particular year of the spreader’s manufacture - the early or middle 1950s.  It’s another mystery like what “L&M” stands for.  (Notice the aluminum ID plate on the low front) Depending on the site, the Internet says tractor pulled or horse drawn.  Another says it’s a two wheeled or four wheeled spreader.  I just want it to look cool and function and match my tractor.

I wouldn’t rate my restoration as a 9 or 10 with a 10 being metaphysical perfection.  Professionals would have air blasted and power sprayed it from the start.  They would have stripped it down to the nuts, bolts, sprocket, and gear level.  Still, I think I did a reasonably good job and I already have an offer on it because there is a resurgence of interest in old machinery here.  No way; I’d like to see it in action.  My test runs prove it’s mechanically sound.  All I need now is a red road triangle and – well, you know.  For informational purposes I’m posting a You Tube link showing how simple these old John Deere spreaders were and they work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ7cVeNjgAo