USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ More Canteen Thanksgiving Messages to the Military ~ November 28 2002

Hi, Tonkie! Wow, what a day, huh? I'm taking a break from the kitchen to come and give you a hug, and to say this:

TO THE TROOPS:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to each and every one of you. I wish you could be at my house today. About half our guests won't be here as planned, and we have a 20-pound turkey that needs attention. Our children are scattered and spending the day elsewhere, and we would love to share it with you.

Here's the menu: Turkey (of course), home grown, hand mashed potatoes, giblet gravy made in the pan, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot veg mix, home canned sweet corn, homemade whole berry cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, deep-dish apple pie, and homemande ice cream.

If you can get away, you just come on. All uniforms welcome today! (Plus, we'll probably show a movie or two: LOTR/FOTR or Star Wars Episode II, or even Spiderman!). Sounds like a DAY to me!

Love and great big hugs to all of you. God bless you richly. And thank you for serving so proudly. We are blessed to have you as guardians of our freedom.

(Heh! I only look like this to my husband!)

To all our Veterans in the service:

We remember you this
Thanksgiving Day.
From the front lines,
To the mess hall,
...While you sleep in your bunk.
Our hearts aren't quite whole,
'Cause we're missing, - your "chunk!"

We love you.
Hope you enjoy this poem I wrote only this morning:

Thanksgiving Day

Today is the day that we designate
To look inward in remembrance
And upward in thanks
For the many times that we've forgotten
To thank you for sending your "only begotten"
Accept our "Thanksgiving" on this special day
Make us reflections of you, in some small way
Thank you for America, and her righteous remnant
For freedom, for justice, and our troops who defend it
And thank you for your guidance in our elections
Protect us from traitors who would rule through deceptions
Send us leaders who've passed your inspection
As we await your return and great day of reception
Remember and provide for those left by our fallen
Prompt us to love them, console them, and call them
Train us your children, to stand for what's right
Faithful to your call as your "salt" and your "light"
You're the "Alpha" and "Omega," the first and the last
Protect us and guide us, till our "watch" here is past
And so, we give thanks for your love and your truth
Remembering always, that it's: "...All About You!"

"Click" on my screen name for more poems, my profile, and a special "...Invitation!"

History of the Marines' Hymn
(The proper name is the Marines' Hymn, NOT the Marine Corps' Hymn.)

Following the war with the Barbary Pirates in 1805, when Lieutenant Presely N. O'Bannon and his small force of Marines participated in the capture of Derne and hoisted the American flag for the first time over a fortress of the Old World, the Colors of the Corps was inscribed with the words: "To the Shores of Tripoli." After the Marines participated in the capture and occupation of Mexico City and the Castle of Chapultepec, otherwise known as the "Halls of Montezuma," the words on the Colors were changed to read: "From the Shores of Tripoli to the Halls of Montezuma." Following the close of the Mexican War came the first verse of the Marines' Hymn, written, according to tradition, by a Marine on duty in Mexico. For the sake of euphony, the unknown author transposed the phrases in the motto on the Colors so that the first two lines of the Hymn would read: "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli."

A serious attempt to trace the tune of the Marines' Hymn to its source is revealed in correspondence between Colonel A.S. McLemore, USMC, and Walter F. Smith, second leader of the Marine Band. Colonel McLemore wrote: "Major Richard Wallach, USMC, says that in 1878, when he was in Paris, France, the aria to which the Marines' Hymn is now sung was a very popular one." The name of the opera and a part of the chorus was secured from Major Wallach and forwarded to Mr. Smith, who replied: "Major Wallach is to be congratulated upon a wonderfully accurate musical memory, for the aria of the Marine Hymn is certainly to be found in the opera, "Genevieve de Brabant". . .The melody is not in the exact form of the Marine Hymn, but is undoubtedly the aria from which it was taken. I am informed, however, by one of the members of the band, who has a Spanish wife, that the aria was one familiar to her childhood and it may, therefore, be a Spanish folk song."

In a letter to Major Harold F. Wirgman, USMC, dated 21 October 1936, John Philip Sousa says: "The melody of the 'Halls of Montezuma' is taken from Offenbach's comic opera, 'Genveieve de Brabant' and is sung by two gendarmes." Most people believe that the aria of the Marines' Hymn was, in fact, taken from "Genevieve de Brabant," an opera-bouffe (a farcical form of opera, generally termed musical comedy) composed by Jacques Offenbach, and presented at the Theatre de Bouffes Parisians, Paris, on 19 November 1859.

Offenbach was born in Cologne, Germany, 21 June 1819 and died 5 October 1880. He studied music from an early age and in 1838 entered the Paris Conservatoire as a student. In 1834, he was admitted as a violoncellist to the "Opera Comique" and soon attained much popularity with Parisian audiences. He became conductor of the Theatre Francais in 1847 and subsequently leased the Theatre Comte, which he reopened as the Bouffes-Parisians. Most of his operas are classified as comic (light and fanciful) and include numerous popular productions, many of which still hold a high place in European and American countries.

Every campaign the Marines have taken part in gives birth to an unofficial verse. For example, the following from Iceland:

"Again in nineteen forty-one
We sailed a north'ard course
And found beneath the midnight sun,
The Viking and the Norse.
The Iceland girls were slim and fair,
And fair the Iceland scenes,
And the Army found in landing there,
The United States Marines."

Copyright ownership of the Marines' Hymn was vested in the United States Marine Corps per certificate of registration dated 19 August 1991, but it is now in the public domain. In 1929, the Commandant of the Marine Corps authorized the following verses of the Marines' Hymn as the official version:

"From the halls of Montezuma
to the Shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country's battles
On the land as on the sea.
First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean,
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marines.

"Our flag's unfurl'd to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far-off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.

"Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines."

On 21 November 1942, the Commandant of the Marine Corps approved a change in the words of the fourth line, first verse, to read, "In air, on land, and sea." Former-Gunnery Sergeant H.L. Tallman, veteran observer in Marine Corps Aviation who participated in many combat missions with Marine Corps Aviation over the Western Front in World War I, first proposed the change at a meeting of the First Marine Aviation Force Veterans Association in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Many interesting stories have been associated with the Marines' Hymn. One of the best was published in the Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the American Expeditionary Force, under date of 16 August 1918.

"A wounded officer from among the gallant French lancers had just been carried into a Yankee field hospital to have his dressing changed. He was full of compliments and curiosity about the dashing contingent that fought at his regiment's left.

"A lot of them are mounted troops by this time, he explained, for when our men would be shot from their horses, these youngsters would give one running jump and gallop ahead as cavalry. I believe they are soldiers from Montezuma. At least, when they advanced this morning, they were all singing "From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli."

The Marines' Hymn has been sung and played wherever U.S. Marines have landed, and today is recognized as one of the foremost military service songs.

What Does It All Mean?
In the March/April issue, we asked for definitions of a few words from the USMC lexicon in order to build a glossary of terms peculiar to the Corps (and which may be used by other services as well). Here is what we have received so far to supplement the list that appeared in the March/April issue (and it’s quite a bit). We have received entries from many different eras of USMC history. Unfortunately, we cannot thank everyone individually for their submissions and suggestions, since we received so many.
Like so many other projects Follow Me’s editorial staff has initiated, this one took on a life of its own—but one with a unique challenge, as suggested by D.A. Mills, USMC (Ret.), curator of the Marine Corps Legacy Museum in Harrison, Arkansas. He noted that:
The difficulty in constructing a Marine dictionary is the fact that the vocabulary changes with each generation of Marines. They adapt to new technology, which brings its own language, the wars they fight in, and the society as a whole. The young Marines of today know deck and bulkhead, but few call a door a hatch. Instead of leaving some place, they “book.” You rarely—it ever—hear a Marine say “Aye, Aye” anymore. And it goes on and on. However, you have embarked upon an interesting effort that will document one more piece of the legacy of the United States Marine Corps.
Based on the response so far, it is indeed an interesting effort—and not just for members of the SMDA, apparently. We have received contributions from non-SMDA members who saw the article. The list has grown considerably since the original list appeared. So, we will run it one time in its up-to-the-minute entirety to allow readers to make corrections in spelling, definitions, etc. (Please send your corrections, suggestions, additional entries, etc., to the Follow Me Glossaryologist at 35 Ashwell Avenue, Rocky Hill, CT 06067-241 5. Contributions are welcome from all Marines, not necessarily just those who belong to the SMDA.)
Finally, we apologize to our more squeamish readers for some of the definitions. But, what can we say? Marines do sometimes use socially unacceptable language—as some of these definitions suggest. And, some of the definitions may be politically incorrect according to today s societal standards That was not the case when they were in vogue, so we have included them in the glossary

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS GLOSSARY: 1776_TO THE_PRESENT
782 GEAR — a Marines individual equipment, e.g., web belt, canteen; so called because of the form number used to issue the gear

86 - discard

A

ABOARD-on base
ACED — to kill or be killed cleanly
AFT — Rear of ship
AIREDALES - Marine fighter pilots
ALICE PACK - individual field pack (All Purpose, Light Weight, Individual, Carrying, Equipment)
ALL HANDS — everybody
ANDALE — hurry up
AO — aerial observer
ASIATIC - Mental condition developed by extended time served in the Pacfic Theatre during WWII
AS YOU WERE - disregard my last statement - resume what you were doing
AYE, AYE - a term used to acknowledge an order

B

BIRD — terminology for helicopter
BLACK GANG (Marine) - nothing to do with color of skin-Motor Transport Man
BLACK GANG (Navy) - ditto-they work in the boiler rooms
BLOOD STRIPE — red stripe down the leg of dress blue uniform, rated by corporal or above: commemorates the battle of Chapauitepec, Mexico
BLOUSE - jacket of the camouflage uniform
BLOWING SMOKE — boasting about some deed of questionable truth
BLUES - Marine formal dress uniform (Dress Blues)
BLT - Battalion Landing Team
BOONDOCKING — in the field
BOONDOCKS - swamps, small towns (also called “boonies”); known by some Marines as the high-type combat boot
BOONDOCKERS — ankle-high combat boots (that hurt to wear)
BOOT - recruit or person junior in rank
BOO — bachelor officers quarters
BOUNCING BETTY — a bounding mine which often detonates at waist height and inflicts damage that no amount of medical care can overcome
BRASS - officers or expended rounds on the rifle range
BRIGHT WORK - highly polished brass or other metal surface
BRIG CHASER (aka “chaser”) — a person assigned to escort “brig rats” inside and outside military prisons
BRIG RAT — a person housed as a guest of the government in a military prison
BST — battle skills training
BULKHEAD - a wall
BULLS EYE - on target, be it a bullet or truth
BUNK - bed (also called a “rack”)
BUSH — another term for “boonies”
BUTTS - the target area at the rifle range
BUTCHER - barber

C
C-RATS/K-RATS - Marine meals for the field prior to MREs
CADENCE - intonation of the voice; the measure of steps per minute in marching
CAMMIES - camouflage uniform
CARRY ON - an order to resume previous activity after an interruption CATCH SOME Z’S - get some sleep
CATTLE CAR — a vehicle (usually a tractor-trailer) used to transport troops on and around bases
CEB — Combat Engineer Battalion
CG - Commanding General
CHARLIES - the service green short-sleeve uniform
CHAIN OF COMMAND - the succession of commanding officers from a senior
to a subordinate
CHANCER MECHANIC - corpsman (unless in war: then they become our angel of mercy)
CHIT - obtain by credit and sign CHIT
CHICK – girl or youngest looking Marine in your unit
CHOPPER — terminology for helicopter
CHOP CHOP — ‘hurry it up”
CHOW - GOOD Marine Corps food
CHOW DOWN - to eat
CHOW HALL - dining facility
CINDERELLA LIBERTY - liberty that expires at midnight.
CIWIES - not a uniform
CLICK — (also spelled “klick”) one notch of the rifle sight or one kilometer, mainly used in Viet Nam
CMC - Commandant of the Marine Corps
COFFIN NAILS - cigarettes
COLORS - the national flag, or the ceremony which takes place when the flag is raised at 8 am. and lowered at sunset
COMPANY GRADE OFFICER - captain and below CORPSMAN - Navy medics serving with Marines, also known as “Docs”
CORRECTIONAL CUSTODY UNIT (CCU) — a place where lance corporals and below who are nonjudicially punished at the company or battalion level can go for a “motivation tune-up” if their commanders think they are “salvageable”
COUNTDOWN — the number of days until a Marine’s enlistment is up
COVER - uniform headgear; hat
COW - like in ‘pass the cow,” e.g., milk for coffee
CREAMED FORESKINS - creamed chipped beef
CRUISE — tour of duty
CUMSHAW — something you can scrounge or trade
CUP OF COFFEE — a term used by short timers to designate the day their enlistment is up, e.g., “forty days and a cup of coffee”

D

DEAD GOAT - New Zealand Mutton
DEEP SIX — throw away, File 13, Shit-Can it
DECK - the floor
DEUCE GEAR - 782 gear, equipment carried by individual Marines
DEVIL DOG - (Teufelhunde) nickname given to the Marines by the Germans following the WWI bathe of Belleau Wood
DI - Drill Instructor
DISH WATER - soup or weak coffee
DIXIE CUP - Sailor’s hat
DITIY BAG - a carry-all bag for miscellaneous items
DOC - Navy hospital Corpsman
DOCTOR - an MD; never call a doctor “Doc”
DOG AND PONY SHOW - a special drill, etc, performed for visiting dignitaries
DOGGIE — U.S. Soldier
DOG TAGS - slang term for the identification tags that service members wear around their necks
DRAW GARBAGE - chow
DRESS BLUES AND TENNIS SHOES — full dress blue uniform
DUNG DEN STICK — a straight multi-segmented plant used for walking
DOUBLE TIME - to run
DRILL INSTRUCTOR (Dl) — a unique breed of men and women whose job it is to mold raw recruits into mean, lean, fighting machines, aka United States Marines
DRY RUN - practice exercise
DUMP - act of relieving oneself of that GOOD Marine Corps chow
DUST OFF — medical evacuation
DUTY HUT - Drill Instructors office or location of duty standers
DUTY NCO - a corporal or sergeant who was in charge of the barracks from the end of the normal work day until reveille the next morning

FORE — front of a ship
FOXHOLE - low place in the terrain you share with your foxhole buddy FUBAR — fouled up beyond all recognition
FREQUENCY GREASE -the same as “Bucket of Steam.” A rookie communicator would be given a suitable container and sent to Supply for some
FRESH MEAT - applicant before uniform or haircut FRUIT SALAD — a chest full of ribbons

G-3 — Operations

G-4 - Logistics
GALLEY - a Navy or Marine Corps kitchen
GANGWAY — “move out of the way” or “make room”
GEEDUNK - a snack or snack stand
GENERAL QUARTERS — warning aboard ship of imminent attack or critical situation
GENTLEMAN - a Marine officer, but said with a sneer
GO FASTERS - running shoes
GOOK - native west of California
GRAB ASS — playing around
GREASE - butter
GREENS - Marine green winter dress uniform
GRINDER - parade deck
GROG SHOP - tavern or beer joint
GROUNDPOUNDER - Korean War Marine infantry
GRUNT - a nickname for a Marine Corps infantryman
GUIDON - small flag bearing unit’s number or designation
GUNG HO - highly motivated (Chinese for “working together”); done in the right spirit
GUNNY - a familiar term for the rank of gunnery sergeant GYRENE - Marine
H

HAT - Drill Instructor
HATCH - a door
HAWK — the wind, e.g., “The hawk is howling tonight.”
HEAD - a bathroom
HEAD CALL - act of going to the head to attend to business
HIGH AND TIGHT - the short haircut that male Marines have become famous for having
HIT THE DECK — reveille “Turn loose your *ock and grab a sock”
HOLLYWOOOD MARINE — graduate of MCRD San Diego HOOCH – two man field tent, or loosely used to define a dwelling HONCHO RECRUIT - the recruit in charge of a particular job or assignment
HORSE*OCK – lunch meat shaped as...
HOUSE - recruit squad bay
HOUSEWIFE — sewing kit
HUMP - march or hike
INK STICK — pen
IG — Inspector General
IKE JACKET — green waist-length uniform jacket named after General Eisenhower
IN THE FIELD - see ‘boondocks”
IRISH PENNANT - an untidy loose end of a line, a string on a uniform that is unsightly
ITR — Infantry Training Regiment

J
JAR HEAD — derogatory term for a Marine used by lesser branches of the military
JAWBONE - see “chit”
JOE — coffee, aka java, battery acid, mud
JOHN WAYNE (or “church key”) — metal can opener for C-rat cans
JUNGLE JUICE — home-made liquor
JUNK ON THE BUNK — 782 gear and uniforms displayed on bunk for inspection

K
KA-BAR - knife

KITCHEN POLICE (KP) — duty served by military personnel in mess halls

L
LADDER WELL (or simply ladder) - a stairway
LEAD STICK - pencil
LEAVE — vacation
LEGG ENS — the leg wrap-around from boots to calves
LIFER — a Marine who has been in the Corps for a long time
LIMA LIMA LINE — phone line run by hand over ground
LIBER1Y - permission to be absent from the ship or station
LIBER1Y CARD - a document that verified a Marine was off-base legally; required to be presented to MP’s or senior officers or NCO5 on demand. Usually issued by the Duty NCO.
LIFER - a career Marine.
LIFER JUICE — coffee
LIGHTS OUT — signal for all good Marines to hit the rack; literally, lights go out, the day is done
LIQUID CS — tear gas
LP - listening post
LZ — landing zone

MAGGIE’S DRAWERS - red disk on pole waived in front of a rifle range target to indicate a miss; missed the target (with weapon or complete miss with a snow job)
MAGGOT - a new recruit
MARINE CORPS WAY — the third way of doing something, i.e., there’s the right way, the wrong way, and the Marine Corps’ way
MCRD — Marine Corps Recruit Depot
MCT - Marine Combat Training
MSG — Marine Security Guard
MECHANICAL MULE - a vehicle with a flat, wooden platform, 4-wheel drive, flotation tires and an engine that started with a pull-cord, it was used for transporting rations, ammo, supplies, etc., and could also be mounted with a 106 recoiless rifle. Also a blast to drive.
MEGA — Marine Embassy Guard Association

MESS DUTY - opportunity to help distribute that GOOD Marine Corps chow
MESS HALL - dining facility
MIGHTY MITE - an all-aluminum vehicle with 4-wheel drive capabilities powered by an air-cooled V4 engine that was about a 3/4 scale version of a regular jeep, manufactured by AMC. A blast to drive.
MLR — main line of resistance
MOMENT OF TRUTH - last opportunity to correct false information or personal records before recruit training begins
MONGOLIAN PISS CUTTER — a winter hat with fuzzy ear flaps (from Korea)
MONKEY SUIT - evening dress
MOS - Military Occupational Specialty
MOTIVATION PLATOON — special platoon in boot camp to which “unmotivated’ recruits were assigned temporarily for attitude adjustments
(see CCU for modem-day equivalent)
MRE5 - Meals Ready to Eat pre-made meals for use in the field
MUD MARINE - WWII Marine infantry
MUSTANG - a Marine officer commissioned from the ranks

K
NCO — noncommissioned officer
NERVOUS PUDDING - Jello
NINETY-DAY WONDER - newly made 2nd lieutenant (unless remark said by Swabbie or Doggie, then it means FIGHT)

NJP — nonjudicial punishment
NON-QUAL — a Marine who failed to qualify with his service rifle.

0001 - One minute past midnight
0800 - said as Oh Eight Hundred, never 0800 hours; thats Doggie talk
OFFICE HOURS — CO’s nonjudicial punishment
OFFICE POGUE aka Remington Raider) — office clerk
OLD MAN (aka the “Skipper) - usually the company commander
OLD CORPS — a term used by anyone who has been in the Corps a minute longer than another Marine
ON POST - on guard duty or not on liberty ON THE DOUBLE -run
ONTOS - a small, tracked vehicle capable of speeds over 60 mph, mounted with six 106 recoilless rifles. A tank and bunker killer.
OP - observation post
OPLR — outpost line of resistance
ORGANIZED GRAB ASS — in a formation, e.g., close order drill
OVERHEAD - naval reference for a ceiling
OVER THE HILL — AWOL, i.e., absent without leave

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