I was a hard-charging 2nd LT on a 'float' out of Okinawa ('74). I was attached to 2/9 as a Truck Plt Commander (I joked with my fellow infantry 2nd LTs that my 'platoon' had more firepower than any of theirs - I had 3 .50cals - AND I had my own personal jeep). Straight out of TBS I showed up in Okinawa and was assigned to 3rd Motors @ Camp Schwab (I later learned that the AF @ the Kadena O club referred to us as "the Huns from the North"). I had gone over and over possible responses to questions in my 1st meeting w the Btn CO -- of all the questions I expected he threw me for a complete loop when his 1st question was, "Do you play volleyball?" Seems they had a very good volleyball team ....
We participated in 'Kangaroo I' as the first Marine unit to go to Australia as a unit since WWII. Marines were in Australia but as part of R&R out of Vietnam. Apparently the Ambassador was worried about how we would behave in port because he flew a State Dept flunkie out to the ships to give everyone a lecture on Australian customs and how not to be an 'Ugly American'. For unknown reasons he ended his lecture with "Don't insult the Queen of England". I wondered at the time 'WTF did he even mention the Queen? Most of my men don't know that there is a Queen of England or that there is some relationship between her and Australia. There's not a chance in the world that any of them would have even mentioned the Queen in their wildest dreams but now they're going to insult her just to see what happens.'
Sure enough, the first night we had liberty in Sydney, someone got the bright idea to yell something about the Queen just to see what happened. One of my guys later remarked, "You mean all we have to do is shout "the Queen's a B" and we get a fight? This is GREAT, Sir!"
That was an interesting deployment, from a 1st experience with the wilds of Olongapo to climbing Mt Fuji it was a blast.
We participated in 'Kangaroo I' as the first Marine unit to go to Australia as a unit since WWII. Marines were in Australia but as part of R&R out of Vietnam. Apparently the Ambassador was worried about how we would behave in port because he flew a State Dept flunkie out to the ships to give everyone a lecture on Australian customs and how not to be an 'Ugly American'. For unknown reasons he ended his lecture with "Don't insult the Queen of England". I wondered at the time 'WTF did he even mention the Queen? Most of my men don't know that there is a Queen of England or that there is some relationship between her and Australia. There's not a chance in the world that any of them would have even mentioned the Queen in their wildest dreams but now they're going to insult her just to see what happens.'
Sure enough, the first night we had liberty in Sydney, someone got the bright idea to yell something about the Queen just to see what happened. One of my guys later remarked, "You mean all we have to do is shout "the Queen's a B" and we get a fight? This is GREAT, Sir!"
That was an interesting deployment, from a 1st experience with the wilds of Olongapo to climbing Mt Fuji it was a blast.
