What's New Group Photo with Links to Bios Platoon Roster Platoon Photos Chat Room Sea Stories Marines We Will Miss DIs Sgt./Gunny Connell Sgt. Cockrell Sgt. Beltz Upcoming Marine Movies, TV Shows and YouTube About Web Site Military Humor FAQ Link Email Us For 349ers to submit Bios, Sea Stories, etc. email webmaster Paul Prosise wpkona@yahoo.com Web site started July 4, 2005   Plt. 349 USMCRD San Diego, CA 1958

Sea Stories From Paul Prosise A 349er Out in the Middle of Nowhere While on TAD with a Camp Pendleton Communications Battalion on Operation Blue Star, I was in the middle of the jungle in Taiwan around 1960 doing the communications for a war game when I heard there was a small village about two miles away. I managed to borrow a PC (in those days a PC was a Personnel Carrier, a 3/4 ton truck) and found the village. There wasn't much to this village but there was one combination bar/restaurant. I went inside and there was Dee Bayes who I had not seen for 2 years since 349 boot camp.  (He is #10 in the platoon photo).   He was surrounded by about eight locals all speaking Chinese. We were the only Americans in the whole village. Keep in mind that we both enlisted in Hawaii where he had lived for some time so he could speak some Chinese. Also keep in mind that because he was the son of a Commander, the DIs kept a pretty close watch on him and, by association, on me as well. He had always been a bit of a non-conformist and had apparently snuck off from his outfit (just as I had). Just as we were starting to get caught up, up pulled a jeep load of Marines from his outfit who had been looking for him, something about his CO needing a translator. They literally drug him out and took him off and that's the last I ever saw of him. Bayonet Training When the photographer came around to take pictures for the platoon book, he often chose me as I had about ten stitches in my face from hand to hand combat training in this photo and the one of me going over the wall. (The instructor said he wanted to see blood on the mats before class was over so..). The day we were having bayonet training, as you can see from the photo, the photographer was standing right in front of me. We were supposed to let out our most blood-curling yell, jab while taking a step three times. Because the photographer was there right in front of me, I just stepped in place. As you can see from the shadow of the guy behind me, he kept stepping forward. On the third jab, a bayonet came right next to my ear and about took my ear off!