WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
RIP Gunny See You a Little Further Down the Road
byVanderleunonApril 16, 2018
R.Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018): A Marine’s Marine and a Man’s Man
“If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit! Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?”
“Today, you people are no longer maggots. Today, you are Marines. You’re part of a brotherhood. From now on until the day you die, wherever you are, every Marine is your brother. Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back. But always remember this: Marines die. That’s what we’re here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.”
My son John is a Staff Sgt in our Corps. It is I alone who would dare put words into his mouth.
-Although I am not worthy of even uttering a syllable for him…
My son, and those among him will live forever. It is written.Let it be done.
Because he is a Marine. His love for us is why our enemy will die…If given the chance. (He just came back from Syria last month.)
Badguys piss him and his Momma off….badlike.
Lee is a hero. A motivator. Real Marines will always see through what that movie tried to imply.
Daniel KoernerApril 16, 2018, 6:50 PM
Excellent tribute for a good man. He will be missed by many. Thanks for posting, Gerald.
TerryApril 16, 2018, 7:25 PM
A very high percentage of the men around these parts were or are still in the Corps. The impetus starts in the High School. Yep, guns are also part of the HS culture here. No Hogg’s to be seen.
JoeDaddyApril 17, 2018, 3:24 AM
AMEN!
Boat GuyApril 17, 2018, 5:40 AM
“Gunny” Ermey will only ever be in second place behind SSgt Allen, Senior Drill Instructor.
Boat Guy
John C. FloydApril 17, 2018, 7:07 AM
Met “the Gunny” once, impressive Gentleman and Patriot. He will be missed. RIP, Gunny, look up “Cookie” up there and have a beer together.
GrogApril 17, 2018, 7:10 AM
Rest easy, Gunny, we have the watch.
Snakepit KansasApril 17, 2018, 10:58 AM
My Dad took me to that movie when I was a teen. On the way home after the movie he said the DI had to be the real deal, and it took him back to his boot camp days in the Air Force in the 1950’s.
I’ll say more later. I got to climb all over the M5 Stuart from one of his LnL episodes last week.
StBernardnotApril 18, 2018, 6:43 AM
RIP, Gunny. I remember a speech or 2 like that from ’67. Went to ‘Nam twice. The bastards tried, but couldn’t kill me. The rest of life is but a play. My dispatcher asked me why I never get upset. I told her “when you’ve seen the worst things men can do to each other, the rest is just bullshit”.
Good to remember the how the Gunny did shed a shining light on the Vietnam Veteran generation; a classy elite of Americans whose story cannot be told enough, nor with enough applause.
ghostsniperApril 18, 2018, 9:31 AM
Circa July-Aug 1974 Fort Knox, KY
It was a hot motherfucker that year, and the scorched pavements were hot enough to melt boots.
Sargent First Class (E7) Hubbard was his name and pretending to be pissed off all the time was his game. He didn’t explain stuff in detail so he compensated in voice volume.
Narrow at the hip, broad at the shoulder, head slightly tilted forward, jaw thrust forward, about 6′-2″. He wore the “patch”. And so did I. He was the real deal and I was a wanna be. So he abused me. In ways civilians can never imagine. It’s an army thang.
“THERE’S ONLY 2 WAYS TO MOVE ON MY BASE, AT A FULL GALLOP OR ON YOUR GODDAMNED BELLY IN THE GUTTER!”
Coming back from the mess hall supper I was walking to the barracks and the sky opened up and gawd hisself let out with, “GET YOUR MOTHERFUCKING ASS OVER HERE, NOW!” I was dead. Just hadn’t realized it yet. Sgt Hubbard was standing over there and saw me NOT running at a full gallop. Now my ass was his.
After phlemming all over my face right up close and personal the physical abuse started. I was 19 and seriously thought this dood was gonna lunch my ass. He had a way about him. Next thing you know I’m on my belly, the “front leaning rest” cause Hubbard demanded that I “Push Fort Knox off the map”.
Have you ever set out to see how many push ups you could do? Not continuously. Just altogether in one duration. How long does it take to get tired from just standing there? At least 2000 push ups, maybe more. I wasn’t counting. Cause Hubbard said I was going to do push ups till he got tired. You had to be there.
Then the rain came, and I was pushing. Then the down pour, and I was still pushing. I swear Ft Knox didn’t budge an inch. The deluge was shedding along the front brim edge of Hubbards DI head gear and as it fell down in front of his face it literally disappeared in a steady cloud of steam from the heat of his severely pissed off mug. That asshole even put his muddy boot on the back of my head and forced my mug into the mud, and held it there. He knew precisely how long to hold it, from experience. One more second and my internal, uncontrollable, escape and evasion mode would have kicked in.
It was at least an hour since the torture started and now it was dark. Hubbard got tired. I almost smiled. He told me to get up and that meant, of course, to stand at attention. The rain was pouring. I was sweating. I was a filthy animal. And I was bone tired. Hubbard just turned and walked off, without a word. I trotted to the barracks about a quarter mile away.
Hubbard never rode me again. He was harsh as always but his eyes were always on someone else, not me. In a way I thought he had given me his own personal and private competency test and I passed it. None of this was ever addressed, it was just a presumption on my part. How else do you account for a person to go out of their way to abuse and humiliate another, even at the expense to his self?
The rest of basic passed without any further incident on my part and of course I passed at the end and they had the big graduation ceremony on the parade ground that lasted for hours. Then back to the barracks to get our gear in order for each of us had received our orders to the next duty station.
The following morning I got on the army bus that was taking me to the airport. I was sitting in my seat with the window open and here comes Hubbard. He walked right up to my window with a stern look on his face and stood there staring at me. A smile spread across his face and he reached his hand up to me. I was knocked off-center and hesitantly reached my arm through the open window. He grabbed my hand with authority and shook it and he said, “You did good soldier, and I know you’ll continue to do good in this man’s army.” Then he turned and walked off abruptly, flashing the 82nd Airborne patch on his combat shoulder. The same patch that was on my right shoulder. The driver yelled “All aboard!”, and kicked it in gear – destination Fort Benning, Georgia.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
My son John is a Staff Sgt in our Corps. It is I alone who would dare put words into his mouth.
-Although I am not worthy of even uttering a syllable for him…
My son, and those among him will live forever. It is written.Let it be done.
Because he is a Marine. His love for us is why our enemy will die…If given the chance. (He just came back from Syria last month.)
Badguys piss him and his Momma off….badlike.
Lee is a hero. A motivator. Real Marines will always see through what that movie tried to imply.
Excellent tribute for a good man. He will be missed by many. Thanks for posting, Gerald.
A very high percentage of the men around these parts were or are still in the Corps. The impetus starts in the High School. Yep, guns are also part of the HS culture here. No Hogg’s to be seen.
AMEN!
“Gunny” Ermey will only ever be in second place behind SSgt Allen, Senior Drill Instructor.
Boat Guy
Met “the Gunny” once, impressive Gentleman and Patriot. He will be missed. RIP, Gunny, look up “Cookie” up there and have a beer together.
Rest easy, Gunny, we have the watch.
My Dad took me to that movie when I was a teen. On the way home after the movie he said the DI had to be the real deal, and it took him back to his boot camp days in the Air Force in the 1950’s.
I’ll say more later. I got to climb all over the M5 Stuart from one of his LnL episodes last week.
RIP, Gunny. I remember a speech or 2 like that from ’67. Went to ‘Nam twice. The bastards tried, but couldn’t kill me. The rest of life is but a play. My dispatcher asked me why I never get upset. I told her “when you’ve seen the worst things men can do to each other, the rest is just bullshit”.
My compliments, Mr StBernardnot.
Good to remember the how the Gunny did shed a shining light on the Vietnam Veteran generation; a classy elite of Americans whose story cannot be told enough, nor with enough applause.
Circa July-Aug 1974 Fort Knox, KY
It was a hot motherfucker that year, and the scorched pavements were hot enough to melt boots.
Sargent First Class (E7) Hubbard was his name and pretending to be pissed off all the time was his game. He didn’t explain stuff in detail so he compensated in voice volume.
Narrow at the hip, broad at the shoulder, head slightly tilted forward, jaw thrust forward, about 6′-2″. He wore the “patch”. And so did I. He was the real deal and I was a wanna be. So he abused me. In ways civilians can never imagine. It’s an army thang.
“THERE’S ONLY 2 WAYS TO MOVE ON MY BASE, AT A FULL GALLOP OR ON YOUR GODDAMNED BELLY IN THE GUTTER!”
Coming back from the mess hall supper I was walking to the barracks and the sky opened up and gawd hisself let out with, “GET YOUR MOTHERFUCKING ASS OVER HERE, NOW!” I was dead. Just hadn’t realized it yet. Sgt Hubbard was standing over there and saw me NOT running at a full gallop. Now my ass was his.
After phlemming all over my face right up close and personal the physical abuse started. I was 19 and seriously thought this dood was gonna lunch my ass. He had a way about him. Next thing you know I’m on my belly, the “front leaning rest” cause Hubbard demanded that I “Push Fort Knox off the map”.
Have you ever set out to see how many push ups you could do? Not continuously. Just altogether in one duration. How long does it take to get tired from just standing there? At least 2000 push ups, maybe more. I wasn’t counting. Cause Hubbard said I was going to do push ups till he got tired. You had to be there.
Then the rain came, and I was pushing. Then the down pour, and I was still pushing. I swear Ft Knox didn’t budge an inch. The deluge was shedding along the front brim edge of Hubbards DI head gear and as it fell down in front of his face it literally disappeared in a steady cloud of steam from the heat of his severely pissed off mug. That asshole even put his muddy boot on the back of my head and forced my mug into the mud, and held it there. He knew precisely how long to hold it, from experience. One more second and my internal, uncontrollable, escape and evasion mode would have kicked in.
It was at least an hour since the torture started and now it was dark. Hubbard got tired. I almost smiled. He told me to get up and that meant, of course, to stand at attention. The rain was pouring. I was sweating. I was a filthy animal. And I was bone tired. Hubbard just turned and walked off, without a word. I trotted to the barracks about a quarter mile away.
Hubbard never rode me again. He was harsh as always but his eyes were always on someone else, not me. In a way I thought he had given me his own personal and private competency test and I passed it. None of this was ever addressed, it was just a presumption on my part. How else do you account for a person to go out of their way to abuse and humiliate another, even at the expense to his self?
The rest of basic passed without any further incident on my part and of course I passed at the end and they had the big graduation ceremony on the parade ground that lasted for hours. Then back to the barracks to get our gear in order for each of us had received our orders to the next duty station.
The following morning I got on the army bus that was taking me to the airport. I was sitting in my seat with the window open and here comes Hubbard. He walked right up to my window with a stern look on his face and stood there staring at me. A smile spread across his face and he reached his hand up to me. I was knocked off-center and hesitantly reached my arm through the open window. He grabbed my hand with authority and shook it and he said, “You did good soldier, and I know you’ll continue to do good in this man’s army.” Then he turned and walked off abruptly, flashing the 82nd Airborne patch on his combat shoulder. The same patch that was on my right shoulder. The driver yelled “All aboard!”, and kicked it in gear – destination Fort Benning, Georgia.
I Thank You, Casey @11:32!
Semper Fi