Helping me with the Marine Corps

[Hashasheen]

I need someone with knowledge of the US Marines Corps to answer the following questions:

How long was a period of enlistment for a Marine in the period of time from World War 2 to Vietnam? If the period changed, could you tell me when and how? Can a Marine serve multiple tours?

Were Marines based on Okinawa at any time after World War 2 till the end of Vietnam, and if so, in what numbers?

Could a former Marine re-enlist in the Corps after a period of time out of the military?

 

[Mad Missouri]

I need someone with knowledge of the US Marines Corps to answer the following questions:

How long was a period of enlistment for a Marine in the period of time from World War 2 to Vietnam? If the period changed, could you tell me when and how? Can a Marine serve multiple tours?

Were Marines based on Okinawa at any time after World War 2 till the end of Vietnam, and if so, in what numbers?

Could a former Marine re-enlist in the Corps after a period of time out of the military?

Length of enlistment depended on the war and when they joined or were drafted. During Vietnam they had 2,3 and 4 year enlistments. Now we have 4,5 and6 year enlistments.

Yes Marine can service multiple combat tours. My uncle did 3 in Vietnam and a cousin did 2. I have 5 combat tours in Iraq and A-stan. Before Vietnam they didn't really have tours, you fought until the end of the war or you got killed or wounded.

Marines have been based on Okinawa in large numbers from the early 1955
on to today.

Yes a Marine can enlist after having a break in time. Depending on what he did and how long he was out he will lose a rank or 2 and all his time in grade.

 

[Hashasheen]

Length of enlistment depended on the war and when they joined or were drafted. During Vietnam they had 2,3 and 4 year enlistments. Now we have 4,5 and6 year enlistments.

Yes Marine can service multiple combat tours. My uncle did 3 in Vietnam and a cousin did 2. I have 5 combat tours in Iraq and A-stan. Before Vietnam they didn't really have tours, you fought until the end of the war or you got killed or wounded.

Yes a Marine can enlist after having a break in time. Depending on what he did and how long he was out he will lose a rank or 2 and all his time in grade.

So have there been Marines who served in both World War 2 & Korea?

Marines have been based on Okinawa in large numbers from the early 1955 on to today.

Thanks.

 

[NoOneFamous]

There were Marines who fought in WWII, Korea & Vietnam. Likewise for WWI, the Banana Republic Wars, WWII and maybe Korea.

 

[Mad Missouri]

So have there been Marines who served in both World War 2 & Korea?

Thanks.

Yes, there were many Marines that fought in both WW2 and Korea.

My Grandfather was one of them. He was very young and only joined in time to see combat at the invasion of Okinawa, and in China against the CCP in WW2. When he was being processed out a USMC Reserves recruiter convinced him that a war with the Russians was coming soon and that he would be redrafted as a private. He was already a buck Sergeant and didn't want to loose his rank so he joined the reserves. When Korea happened he was called up and fought from Pusan to the Chosen. Many people don't realize many of the Marines that fought in Korea were WW2 vets that came out of the USMC Reverses. The big mob center for Reservists was at MCAS El Toro.

My family has a big US Marine Corps tradition. So far there have been 9 of us to serve in the Marines.

Great Grandfather-WW1
Grand Father -WW2 and Korea
Great Uncle (Grandfather's young brother)- Korea
Uncle - Vietnam
2nd Cousin (Great uncle's son) -Vietnam
2nd Cousin (Great uncle's second son) - Vietnam
Uncle - Lebanon
Me - peace time, then Iraqi and A-stan
cousin - peace time.

 

[CalBear]

So have there been Marines who served in both World War 2 & Korea?

Many Thousands of them, and not just in the Corps. A large percentage of U.S. forces in Korea were reservists who had been reactivated. It was the fastest (although most unpopular) way to grow the force frm what had become a shadow of WW II size to a sizable fighting force.

Many "lifers" did WW II, Korea & 'Nam.

 

[galveston bay]

I need someone with knowledge of the US Marines Corps to answer the following questions:

How long was a period of enlistment for a Marine in the period of time from World War 2 to Vietnam? If the period changed, could you tell me when and how? Can a Marine serve multiple tours?

Were Marines based on Okinawa at any time after World War 2 till the end of Vietnam, and if so, in what numbers?

Could a former Marine re-enlist in the Corps after a period of time out of the military?

1. typical enlistment is 4 years, however during Vietnam 3 year enlistments were allowed.
2. The 3rd Marine Division was reactivated for Korea, and in 1956 moved to Okinawa as the cease fire there looked like it would hold. Air Bases remained active in Okinawa during the entire postwar and Cold War era to date. The 3rd Marine Division during the Cold War had 2/3rds of its strength in Okinawa, the remainder in Hawaii. It is now a bit smaller than the Cold War era, with detachments up to brigade size serving in Iraq and Afghanistan on rotation.
3. Depending on the nature of your discharge. Someone who has an honorable discharge can indeed reenlist as long as the meet the physical and age criteria (which varies .. being less restrictive in wartime)

 

[Hashasheen]

There were Marines who fought in WWII, Korea & Vietnam. Likewise for WWI, the Banana Republic Wars, WWII and maybe Korea.

Even 'Nam? That even more helpful.

Yes, there were many Marines that fought in both WW2 and Korea.

My Grandfather was one of them. He was very young and only joined in time to see combat at the invasion of Okinawa, and in China against the CCP in WW2. When he was being processed out a USMC Reserves recruiter convinced him that a war with the Russians was coming soon and that he would be redrafted as a private. He was already a buck Sergeant and didn't want to loose his rank so he joined the reserves. When Korea happened he was called up and fought from Pusan to the Chosen. Many people don't realize many of the Marines that fought in Korea were WW2 vets that came out of the USMC Reverses. The big mob center for Reservists was at MCAS El Toro.

Thank you MM, this is really helpful.

My family has a big US Marine Corps tradition. So far there have been 9 of us to serve in the Marines.

Uncle - Lebanon

Awkward...

Many Thousands of them, and not just in the Corps. A large percentage of U.S. forces in Korea were reservists who had been reactivated. It was the fastest (although most unpopular) way to grow the force frm what had become a shadow of WW II size to a sizable fighting force.

Many "lifers" did WW II, Korea & 'Nam.

Thanks, Calbear.

1. typical enlistment is 4 years, however during Vietnam 3 year enlistments were allowed.
2. The 3rd Marine Division was reactivated for Korea, and in 1956 moved to Okinawa as the cease fire there looked like it would hold. Air Bases remained active in Okinawa during the entire postwar and Cold War era to date. The 3rd Marine Division during the Cold War had 2/3rds of its strength in Okinawa, the remainder in Hawaii. It is now a bit smaller than the Cold War era, with detachments up to brigade size serving in Iraq and Afghanistan on rotation.
3. Depending on the nature of your discharge. Someone who has an honorable discharge can indeed reenlist as long as the meet the physical and age criteria (which varies .. being less restrictive in wartime)

Thanks Galveston. Did the 3rd Division serve in Vietnam?

And again, thanks to everyone who responded. This has been really helpful in establishing a character's background.

 

[NoOneFamous]

My Dad's side of the family has a strong history of military service

My dad - Vietnam & the Dominican Republic (Dad was the black sheep - he went Navy, everyone else had been Army)
Grandfather - WWII & Korea
Great Grandfather WWI
Great Great Grandfather - Spanish-American War & Philippines Insurrection
Great Great Great Grandfather - Civil War
Great Great Great Granduncle - Civil War + Indian Wars

They can trace the family history back to Bavaria in the 1700s.

 

[Dilvish]

Many Thousands of them, and not just in the Corps. A large percentage of U.S. forces in Korea were reservists who had been reactivated. It was the fastest (although most unpopular) way to grow the force frm what had become a shadow of WW II size to a sizable fighting force.

Many "lifers" did WW II, Korea & 'Nam.

Ted Williams was one reservist who served in both WW-II and Korea.

I know there was a Marine who was an enlisted rear gunner in a SBD at Guadacanal, who later was a Col or General in Vietnam. 1940 to 1970 is only 30 years, for example. It would be easy for "lifers" to get a full military career that included all three wars.

 

[Bearcat]

As I recall, there is some info on individual marine divisions and regiments out there in cyberspace, probably reasonably accurately copied onto the Genocide.

 

[galveston bay]

Thanks Galveston. Did the 3rd Division serve in Vietnam?

And again, thanks to everyone who responded. This has been really helpful in establishing a character's background.

the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions did indeed serve in Vietnam, with the 3rd Division (or elements of it) serving 1965-1969, while the 1st Marine Divisions (or elements of it) served 1964-1971. Both Marine Divisions were on the DMZ and around DaNang.

 

[jackalope]

Length of enlistment depended on the war and when they joined or were drafted. During Vietnam they had 2,3 and 4 year enlistments. Now we have 4,5 and6 year enlistments.

Yes Marine can service multiple combat tours. My uncle did 3 in Vietnam and a cousin did 2. I have 5 combat tours in Iraq and A-stan. Before Vietnam they didn't really have tours, you fought until the end of the war or you got killed or wounded.

Marines have been based on Okinawa in large numbers from the early 1955
on to today.

Yes a Marine can enlist after having a break in time. Depending on what he did and how long he was out he will lose a rank or 2 and all his time in grade.

They change the figures of enlistment terms and conditions to suit needs at the time, same goes for the Army/etc. (Some one I know had been out for 17 years and was offered at E-4 to be reinstated as such with a months training course, in reserves to go to Iraq, with a one year enlistment, and such were common in 2006.)

Believe it or not, but there actually was a short time in Vietnam where they were drafting Marines. Can anyone tell me how to go about drafting a Marine? Here is one such case:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_the_marine_corps_draft_during_vietnam_war


That is an interesting tidbit you might want to include into the story.

An equally fascinating aside, inbetween WWI and WWII they had 1 year enlistments. Senator Mike Mansfield had three of those in 1920, serving in the USN, USA, and USMC all within 4 years. And of course, there always were people who were mustered out after a few months, like serious injury, unsuitability, hardship discharge (family dependency), or investigation (Isaac Asimov had it discovered while on the way to Bikini Nuke testing that his uncle was a tank Major in the army, the Soviet Army).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Mansfield

With due respect to Mad Missouri, pre Vietnam they did rotate people out all the time. But not as a unit nor as a set time, and with a few exceptions. There always were Radars & Klingers (fictional characters in MASH) which seem to have always been there and intuitively held together the unit. The same was true for the pilots in the Battle of Britain, although only one or two might last 2-3 years in that case. Sadly, this policy is nearly dead, as cohesiveness was a glue that held things together.

Normally, rotation out was for some catchall like family reasons (John Paul Vann did not want to go, but his son in Japan was having an operation), minor injury, or a whole bunch of bureaucratic regulation list of reasons. Very few people would last the entire Korean War.

 

[jackalope]

/More Drafting Marines

Did the marine corps draft during vietnam war?​

In: Vietnam War ​

Answer Discussion History Contributors ​

(1) On November 11, 2010 at 6:35 pm Ramigp [0] said:
I'm glad to see comments confirming that a number of us were actually drafted into the Marine Corps during Vietnam (and against the will of most of us at the time). I say this because I have noticed over the years that when I tell someone I was drafted into the Marines, they look at me as though I've just told them a lie. Almost nobody knows that the Marines drafted several hundred young men during Vietnam. In my case, in 1966, a big Marine Corps sargeant approached our group at the Milwaukee induction center and called out the names of about 5-6 of us, stating we were going into the Marine Corps. I yelled out, "I'm not going into the Marines." His response was, "yes you are." He of course was right. That night I was at MCRD in San Diego standing on the yellow footprints..terrified. Although I did want to go into the Marines (or the Army for that fact), I must admit that I am proud to have been a Marine. Peter Ramig at peter.ramig@colorado.edu ​

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:Did_the_marine_corps_draft_during_vietnam_war#ixzz1MteYBkvw​

​

 

[Mad Missouri]

With due respect to Mad Missouri, pre Vietnam they did rotate people out all the time. But not as a unit nor as a set time, and with a few exceptions. There always were Radars & Klingers (fictional characters in MASH) which seem to have always been there and intuitively held together the unit. The same was true for the pilots in the Battle of Britain, although only one or two might last 2-3 years in that case. Sadly, this policy is nearly dead, as cohesiveness was a glue that held things together.

Of course, take a look at the MoH Marines that went on the war bond tours after Guadalcnal. The Corps does what it wants with it's Marines. But there were not "combat tours" or length of enlistments in WW2 or Korea to the best of my knowledge. During the Vietnam and even the current fighting there are set length of time "tours" after which you go back the the US and there are still normal length enlistments. For most USMC units now a "tour" is 6 to 8 months in country, although small teams will go for 12 to 24 months.

If you want to get really technical the USMC did rotate whole units during WW2. Read about 1st MarDiv after Guadalcanal, or the units that rebuild on other Pacific islands or Hawaii but it's was not like what we do now.

 

[Mad Missouri]

Did the marine corps draft during vietnam war?​

Yes, and the US Marines also used draftees in WW1, WW2, and Korea.​

 

[Dilvish]

Should we get Hashasheen in touch with a USMC recruiter? I'm sure he has language skills that the Corps would find useful.

Oh, Hashasheen, I should be able to get you in touch with a USMC historian (he works at Quantico).

 

[Hashasheen]

Should we get Hashasheen in touch with a USMC recruiter? I'm sure he has language skills that the Corps would find useful.

Huh?

Oh, Hashasheen, I should be able to get you in touch with a USMC historian (he works at Quantico).

Oh dude, you guys don't have to go that far. It's just establishing part of his background.

 

[jackalope]

A minor update, this being from the biography of SF writer Robert Sheckley after the end of WWII. I recall some information from my father's time that the 1950's had something close to the same:

http://www.dimensionsofsheckley.com/bio/page5.html

Then one summer the Second World War ended. I was seventeen, on Moses' farm in upstate New York. The draft was still on. If I were drafted, it would mean a three-year hitch. But if I enlisted, I could join for eighteen months. Of course, the draft might be over by the time they got around to me. But it might not be. With eighteen months' service I could get three years of college on the GI Bill. And I wasn't ready for college yet. I enlisted.