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Not out of line at all sir. My dad was there in 1956. My dad loved the Marines from a very early age till the day he died. He did not like the DI in question and knew of him. We talked a lot before my time about what was acceptable, what was unacceptable and making decisions as a man on where you draw the line. The DI's I knew were as close as my father. I still correspond to an 86 year old Sgt Maj who I love as if he were my own dad.

If you were in the British Army, my father fought along side some of you and your Gurkhas in Borneo as a "TDY" assignment before he went to Vietnam. He said they were some of the scariest men he's ever seen fight. hahahahahaha.. He just couldn't believe that these little guys were such tough little bastards and fearless. He also thought that the Brits were just Very Very professional. Coming from my dad those brits and gurkhis must have been some real carnivores.

He always thought that you all knew how to handle the guerillas better than we could because of the way you were allowed to fight and with the way you kept television and the press away from the action. I don't think a lot of people realize that the helicopter in jungle warfare was perfected by the Brits first and opened up a whole new way for our mobile infantry to conduct operations. Small world, huh?

Your post.

Not out of line at all sir. My dad was there in 1956. My dad loved the Marines from a very early age till the day he died.

Interested to read of your dad and his experiences with the British Army. I know of only the too little publicized accounts telling of the dual operations in Burma, with Brigadier Orde Wingate. Vinegar Joe Stillwell was the American General, Burma was cleared of the wily Japanese, formidible foes indeed. A great effort, but not too well known. I was sorry to hear of the nit picking in Europe after the war though. That is another story.

My dad was a Dunkirk Veteran and also saw action. Faced the Panzers in Belgium 1940. Maternal grandad survived a court martial in WW1. Always joked about it. "Took French leave" he said. Got both sides attitude to the army myself. Not the best soldier, as a conscript, I muddled through 1950/1.

What I do mean to comment is that there is the stern disciplinarian, who commands respect from the recruit. There is the niggling devil who has a personal axe to grind. Hated by the common soldier. Name behind his back was a "bawstad". Too put it in a nutshell, was the statement barked out

"On Parade, On Parade. Off Parade,Off Parade".

The sergeant meant he was to be reckoned with on parade. Off parade he was an ok guy.