A Question for some of you Marines

[dirtlooter]

Now I want to apologize right up front because I am going to butcher this story up when I get to it. The wife and I are still sorting and moving stuff as we try to clear the back porch and the two car garage. We are finding a lot of "trash" but also a lot of very cool and old things. My wife found an old school bell, very cool in my book, and she was excited about it. When I see an old bell, especially after hearing it ring once, I am reminded of an old story that I had read years ago as a kid. This is where I will butcher the story and I am hoping that someone will set me straight on it. My Remembering was basically this, that some marines were stuck somewhere, seems like they were surrounded for the most part and everyday one marine would fire one shot, long distance, with his 30-06 Springfield and hit a bell (I want to say a church or mission bell.) This shot and hit to me served two purposes, to let everyone know that they were still alive and kicking plus how accurate they could shoot. Surely someone will know what I am talking about, they don't teach stuff like this in school now. While I may have served in the Air Force years ago, I have always had the highest respect for all service men and women and the blood that has been sacrificed by them. This act also reminded me of defiance in the face of the enemy in spite of their circumstance. Thanks for any help, DL

 

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[Tpmetal]

Now I want to apologize right up front because I am going to butcher this story up when I get to it. The wife and I are still sorting and moving stuff as we try to clear the back porch and the two car garage. We are finding a lot of "trash" but also a lot of very cool and old things. My wife found an old school bell, very cool in my book, and she was excited about it. When I see an old bell, especially after hearing it ring once, I am reminded of an old story that I had read years ago as a kid. This is where I will butcher the story and I am hoping that someone will set me straight on it. My Remembering was basically this, that some marines were stuck somewhere, seems like they were surrounded for the most part and everyday one marine would fire one shot, long distance, with his 30-06 Springfield and hit a bell (I want to say a church or mission bell.) This shot and hit to me served two purposes, to let everyone know that they were still alive and kicking plus how accurate they could shoot. Surely someone will know what I am talking about, they don't teach stuff like this in school now. While I may have served in the Air Force years ago, I have always had the highest respect for all service men and women and the blood that has been sacrificed by them. This act also reminded me of defiance in the face of the enemy in spite of their circumstance. Thanks for any help, DL

I too have heard a similar story, I also don't remember the details or where I heard it.

 

[Mackaydon]

.
"I'm reminded of a tale told me by an old Marine when I was kid in the 60's.
He'd retired after WWII, volunteered for Korea, retired again, then was quietly told he was too old for Viet Nam.

Well before Guadalcanal he'd gone straight from boot camp to Nicaragua, "green as grass'.
After endless slogging through jungles & mountains, the patrol he was on was ambushed by sandinistas.
Separated from their mule train, and it's ammunition, they fought their way to the outskirts of a village,
Outnumbered, surrounded & cut off the Marines hunkered down in a mud hut/house. The rebels called on them to surrender, saying they couldn't resist much longer without cartridges, and those were all on the captured mules. The sergeant in charge of the patrol, a Great War veteran, asked what made them think the Marines were short of ammo, raised his '03 Springfield, and pinged a round off the bell in the church tower across the village, about 700 yards or so away. The envoy hastily departed, and the sandanistas settled in to see which gave out first, water or ammo. To keep up the fiction the sergeant "rang" that bell every hour, on the hour, day & night, until a Marine aviator happened on the scene. That worthy had his gunner drop a coupla canteens & some machine gun belts to the beleaguered patrol, than dashed away to get more aircraft. The sandanistas declined to remain for the balance of the festivities, though they did keep the mules. The Marines suffered only from thirst, cuts n'bruises, not even a real wound. Sandino's men lost more than pride, but nobody counted the corpses. That bell however, took a helluva beatin'. The priest was neither pleased nor amused, while my friend thought it was the most remarkable shooting he'd even seen, 2 BIG wars failed to change that opinion.
Source: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=67900.0
Don........ (USAF '63-69)

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[pulltabfelix]

God Bless all you Marines, you always seem to be the tip of the spear when trouble comes to Uncle Sam. They put the anchor around the globe and the tangled rope on the anchor on their emblem for a reason. The Marines will go anywhere any time to get us out of a mess.