LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
REUNIONS & ASSISTANCE
Sound Off
Edited by R. R. Keene
Have a question or feel like sounding off? Address your letter to: Sound Off Editor, Leatherneck Magazine, P.O. Box 1775, Quantico, VA 22134, or send an e-mail to:
r.keene@mca-marines.org. Due to the heavy volume, we cannot answer every letter received. Do not send original photographs, as we cannot guarantee their return. All
letters must be signed, and e-mails must contain complete names and postal mailing addresses. Anonymous letters will not be published.—Sound Off Ed.
Letter of the Month
(Leatherneck will pay $25 for the Sound
Off Letter of the Month.)
I am writing to you about a matter that
has bothered me for a long time. It is a
mistake that one hears all the time. Newspapers make it, magazines make it, even
Marine publications make it, and Marines
themselves make it.
The “it” is the use of the word “
Marines.” Marines are people the same as
soldiers, sailors, airmen and Coast Guards-men are people.
One does not say, “I was in the soldiers,”
or “I was in the sailors,” etc. Why then do
people say, “I was in the Marines”?
I learned my lesson many years ago
when I made this mistake in front of an
old gunnery sergeant by saying, “I am in
the Marines.” I can assure you that I have
never, since that day, ever made that mistake again.
Since that time, when anyone asks me
what branch of service I was in, I stand a
little taller and reply: “I was in the United
States Marine Corps,” and under my breath
I say, “and damned proud of it.”
It is my hope that anyone who reads this
will take it to heart and make the correct
reply and then listen for that big “Oorah”
from that old “gunny” in the sky.
God bless the United States Marine
Corps.
Former Sgt Robert J. Smith
North Reading, Mass.
• There is something to what you say,
sir. Sound Off Ed. still finds it somewhat
annoying to see “Marines” sewn on the
utility jackets of today. It should be as it
once was, “U.S. Marine Corps.” Some will
argue that it is done for uniformity with
the other services. Who cares what the
other services do with their uniforms? We
are the U.S. Marines, not some joint service expeditionary force.—Sound Off Ed.
“Grab ’Em by the Stacking Swivel”
The “Sound Off” editor’s answer to First
Sergeant Bob Hughes’ letter in March gave
sort of a general location of the stacking
swivel on the M1 rifle.
While it is indeed attached to the upper
end of the barrel and receiver group, it
would be more accurate to say that it is
located just forward of the front hand
guard ferrule and attached to the bottom
rear of the gas chamber. It is, of course,
not a ring as was indicated, but a flattened
oval, which is open in the center allowing
it to hook into the swivels of two other rifles. The M1’s predecessor, the ’03 Springfield, also sported a stacking swivel.
Richard Wenham
USMC, 1952-60
Hoquiam, Wash.
We all learned the exact location of the
stacking swivel on the M1 early on at Parris Island boot camp in 1951. However,
there was another apparent location of the
stacking swivel on our person that none
of us wanted to learn when our drill instructor threatened to grab it if we didn’t
“square ourselves away!”
Joe Ade
Haddonfield, N.J.
In the March Leatherneck, the “Sound
Off” editor wrote “few Marines today even
know what a stacking swivel is.” When I
was in Parris Island in 1964, I thought a
“stacking swivel” was my neck—at least
that’s what my favorite drill instructor,
Corporal J. B. Swecker, referred to it as.
He even demonstrated the proper way to
grab my “stacking swivel” many times.
Damn, I miss those days!
Former Cpl Larry Braasch
USMC, 1964-67
Hamilton, N.J.
Reader Recommendations on How to
Treat Fellow Flag Wavers
I just received my April Leatherneck.
As I read the “Letter of the Month” from
James B. Herring, I realized that there are
other Marines out there who take pride in
keeping the flag of our great nation in its
proper condition and flying order. I, too,
have encountered many “go to hell” comments and have come to realize that many
people do not know the proper way to
display our flag and how to properly dispose of it.
I would suggest to Mr. Herring that he
download and print standards for displaying and disposing of our flag and present
a copy of it to each individual or business
that he confronts. I have found this to be
an effective tool and makes for fewer negative results.
SSgt R. L. “Skitch” Henderson
Rutland, Vt.
In regard to James B. Herring’s letter:
To keep from going “Asiatic” when I retired, I started my own little company and
deal with three major makers of U.S. flags.
James, you mention you have observed,
as I have, many American flags that need
to be replaced because they are no longer
serviceable. I honestly do not believe anyone intends any insult to our colors, but
rather these people or companies do not
assign anyone to be responsible for proper
maintenance, hence flags lose their color
and become soiled.
You might like to know what we have
done in our area. I furnish U.S. flags to
the local chapter of the Fleet Reserve Association who in turn reaches out to others by offering them a free flag to replace
an unserviceable one.
Yes, this costs a few bucks, but we’ve
found it an effective way of reminding
them to replace the flag as needed. I cannot verify this, but I suspect the Fleet Reserve has not found it necessary to make
a second replacement to the same people.
Neville Anderson
Inverness, Fla.
I have a few comments on James B.
Herring’s lament of the plight of Old
Glory. It’s too late to do anything real to
change the “average” American’s atti-tude/knowledge concerning the care and
proper display of the American flag. The
flag has been co-opted as a fashion state-
