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Anita Dale and I were just out of boot camp and living in the Wave Barracks on the Potomac in D.C. We were headed to the White House one Sunday morning - the one famous for their 10 cent hamburgers, not 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, though both were pretty close. We had been in Washington a very short time and hadn't had the time to have our civilian clothes cleaned and pressed (probably didn't have the money either), so we were in uniform.
We were strolling down Constitution Avenue, soaking up the atmosphere, fascinated by the beautiful and famous buildings. We looked in front of us and saw a group of men walking our way at a pretty good clip! It took only a fraction of a second for both of to realize that it was President Truman and his Secret Service entourage, out for a Sunday morning walk!
It was too late to think of retreating, besides retreat was not in keeping with Marine Corps tradition (though we were lowly privates just out of boot camp). We picked up the pace, saluted smartly, said Good morning, Mr. President, and kept on going! What a thrill for us. Anita was the youngest in our platoon and I wasn't far behind, and this was our first trip to the nation's capitol. We forgot the hamburgers and went straight back to the barracks and bored everyone to death with our tale of having "met" the president!
Peggy (McCormack) Campbell
It may be hard to believe now but I remember clearly the time in 1948 when they "drummed out" a Marine at the Main Gate! The drummer was probably loaned by the Drum and Bugle Corps as we had only buglers aboard Henderson Hall.
It was a Bad Conduct Discharge case and the drumming out started at the noon mess formation with the reading of the charges, specifications, sentence and the approval of the convening authority. After that, to a drum roll, the individual's stripes were ripped off and his buttons cut off. Then he was marched to the main gate followed by the drummer playing a marching drum beat. Needless to say, it left a lasting, and sobering, impression on all who witnessed.
When the Uniform Code of Military Justice was adopted in 1950 that procedure was eliminated. Would things be different had that, and the practice of placing offenders on bread and water, been retained?
Clarence R. Barte
Some of you might remember the ill fated order that was put out to the effect that from that date forward the only uniform that could be worn on liberty was "Dress Blues? This was a wildly unpopular order, to say the least! It meant that if you were invited to someone's house and they insisted you take off your coat, you were left there sitting in your skivy shirt!
It was also very difficult, and undignified, to roller skate, a popular recreation in those days in Blues. The damn collar kept rubbing your neck and besides which, weren't you out of uniform?
The order was finally rescinded.
Clarence R. Barte
In those days they had a small handbook of Regulation for barracks residents at Henderson Hall. As the Marine Corps is prone to do, they tried to hold true to the letter of the law. One of the regulations was that you would not use "Government electricity" for personal use and this was interpreted, in "B" Company at least, to include that electricity necessary to run any personal appliances, Therefore the use of personal radios was verboten! This necessitated the hiding of your radio in your laundry bag hung on the back of your rack during any, and all, inspections.
Clarence R. Barte
They had some, now it seems, strange ones. For instance, you couldn't get off base if your cap had two dips in it! This could be a problem if your cap just naturally went to two dips when you put it on!
They also had a regulation that said that, once promoted, the new stripes had to be sewn on immediately. Most of us did not have that ability, and, anyway, in that long gone time such tasks were considered "unmanly". The solution was, while going out the gate to get the job don properly, you pinned one stripe on your uniform on the side facing the guard at the gate!
At one time we had dresser drawers in front of our bunks. I remember the time an Inspecting Officer restricted a Marine, and he eventually got busted, because he had a picture in there with his tie loosened. He was clearly "out of uniform".
Clarence R. Barte
Who will ever forget Thursday Nights? It was Field Day and no one was allowed on liberty. Most of us solved that problem, there was a hole in the back fence behind B Company and once secured from Field Day we used that.
Clarence R. Barte
