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I swear this story is, in the end, about Koreans and dog meat.

In 1967-1968, I attended Marine Corps Communications Electronics School (MCCES), then located aboard MCRD San Diego, for a series of courses that ultimately led to me being trained as a Radio Relay Repairman (MOS 2831). One of my classmates was a short, mellow Marine we ultimately nicknamed “Greenie.” This being “the Summer of Love” and San Diego, Greenie was very much into the countercultural revolution and enjoyed “recreating.” He was indifferent to being in the Marine Corps. (I can’t recall if we ever did get a straight answer as to how he actually came to be in the service but I keep remembering the phrase “Marine Corps is like a big jail versus a little jail.”) Part of his indifference was based on the fact that he had inherited a small fortune from his grandmother and his Marine Corps pay (and it wasn’t much in those days) was essentially a little extra spending money for “recreating.” He was a very mellow Marine doing just enough to keep out of the little USMC jail.

Well, the class graduated in September 1968 and we departed for our various assignments. After some leave, I, like most of my classmates, ended up assigned to USMC forces operating in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). Unlike many of them, I ended up with an infantry battalion (3dBn,26thMar)and was promptly converted into a radio operator for the rest of my tour in-country. Most of the others went to specialized Communication Companies and Battalions at the MAF, Division, Wing, and Force Troops. I heard this story on a in-country visit to some of my classmates.

I swear this story is going to be about Koreans and dog meat.

Communications doctrine calls for support from higher headquarters to adjacent and subordinate headquarters. So Division sends comm teams down to Regiment; Regiment to Battalion; etc. Comm teams are also sent to tie into adjacent units.

And that is how Greenie, our mellow Marine, came to be assigned as a member of a small USMC comm detachment posted to Hoi An, the headquarters encampment for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) forces in RVN. The US Marines had set up a small wire enclosure containing their radio relay equipment, generators, living quarters, etc. and pretty much tried to keep to themselves. The detachment had several dogs as pets and there were a lot of dogs in the larger ROK encampment.

“Tried” is sometimes difficult even between units of the same service, it is more difficult when they are different branches of the same armed force, it is very difficult when they are of different allied armed forces, and it is extremely difficult if both allied units have the word “Marine” in their service name. In short, they were constantly screwing with each other with the USMC detachment getting the brunt of the jibbing.

Apparently, one of the favorite ROK Marine pastimes was harassing Greenie about his dog. Greenie genuinely loved his mutt and the ROK Marines took special delight in telling him how plump it was and how good it would probably taste. This apparently went on for some time with both sides not making or taking the threat seriously.

Then, one day, Greenies dog disappeared. Greenie searched and searched for the dog but to no avail. Then some of the ROK Marines who had been harassing him informed him of how delicious his dog had tasted.

My classmate, who had been there at Hoi An along with Greenie, said the news was transformational.

Greenie, our mellow Marine, suited up in full 782 gear (helmet, flak jacket, full magazines, grenades, bayonet, everything), loaded his M-16 and went dog hunting.

He shot every ROK dog he came across in the encampment and I don’t know if he stopped shooting because he ran out of dogs or because he ran out of ammunition.

The ROKs apparently made no move to interfere. This, along with several subsequent incidents (including him ripping a machine gun belt out of an M60 being pointed (in jest) at him) was enough to convince even ROK Marines that Greenie was crazy and there are some dogs better left uneaten.

See, I told you this story was ultimately about Koreans and dog meat.