In the next platoon I was in, we lived i 16 man Quonset huts. One night, our SDI came in just before taps. We all jumped to attention and he proceded to tell us we would all go down to mainside the next morning. He said some Congressmen and newspaper people would be there to ask us if any DI or other Marine had ever laid a hand on us. He then came down the line and stopped, in turn, in front of each recruit and drove his fist into our solar plexes. After he had each of us doubled over, with some recruits puking, he called us to attention. He then asked us what we would say when the Cogressmen asked us if we ever were hit by a DI. We all sounded off with a loud "Sir, No Sir!"
I also was the subject of an incident that put my on the bad side of all three of my DI's. My punishment was to be worked over by all three in the DI hut. It was two years since the Ribbon Creek incident. There was a standing order that there was not to be any night swamp marches. Prior to each of the two or three night swamp marches we went on, our DI's explained that they were not supposed to take us on a night swamp march.
I was told that I could press charges against the DI that had put me in the hospital. I was explained to me that if I did, I probably would have to leave the Corps. I elected to not press charges and was put into a platoon one week behind my original platoon even though I spent two weeks in the hospital.
Even when I had a little time behind me, I felt the boot of my Gunny when he felt I wasn't putting out enough during PT on the deck of the ship we were on. My reaction to his boot in my rear caused him to order me to the tank deck that evening. There, he took off his stripes and we went at it. I guess he was sort of ticked off that I ended up doing well against him because he had me dragging tank chains for the next two weeks.
Although the Corps had come out with orders against physicle abuse after 1956, it was until a recuit was killed in San Diego in the early 60's that the Corps put some bite into those orders.
JITB@worldnet.att.net
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