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        I love Marines.  I also love the 1st Cav, the 25th Infantry Division, and other miscellaneous folks I wasn't attached to.  But I LOVE Marines.  As anyone who has ever had the privilege of hanging out around them (e.g., Michael Herr) will tell you, they are different.  As any woman who has had the pleasure of working with them will tell you, they are shy, reserved, tongue-tied, sweet, pathetic, deprived, grubby, unsure of themselves--generally just puppy dogs.  When they came into the recreation center in Danang, we had all we could do to get them to talk to us--shyness and awe overcame them.  They'd just stand at a distance and watch.

        Some of my favorite Marine stories--nothing earth-shaking--just the little incidents which make up a Donut Dollie's life in Vietnam.

        I was walking through a group of probably 150 grunts sitting at tables outside (I can't figure out where it could have been-maybe Red Beach?).  Every table was full of Army guys (soldiers), but I noticed one table with 3 guys with Marine covers.  I walked over and said, kind of under my breath, "Don't you guys feel outnumbered?"  Quick as a flash, one of them came back with, "What do you mean, there are 3 of us!"  I have since learned that they are taught this sense of superiority from the first day of boot camp, and they sure had learned the lesson.

        At Freedom Hill at Da Nang they blasted (a quarry or something) at noon and 5:00 every day.  We had signs around the recreation center announcing this to forewarn people.  One day I was walking through the center at 12:00 when the blast occurred.  I happened to catch the eye of a Marine who jerked his head up, grabbed the edge of the table, body stiffened.  I had all I could do to just shake my head at him to indicate it was okay and keep on walking.  What I wanted to do was gather him in my arms and put his head against my chest and hold him.

        I was sent back to Da Nang TDY (oops, TAD) for a week after I had been stationed there for 3 months. I was so happy to be back among the Marines that I made a huge sign (about 20 feet long) that said, I LOVE MARINES.  I drew it on a long piece of brown paper on the floor in the middle of the rec center and before I could finish it, Marines and many others had written all over it, mostly just saying their name and unit, but with other variations as well.  My favorite was the one which said, "God is a Grunt."  After I got back to the world and was working at the hospital at Fort Knox, I was asked to speak to the local Red Cross chapter about my work in Vietnam.  I showed them the sign and one little lady asked what that meant, "God is a grunt."  I tried to explain what a high compliment that was, but I don't think I got the point across to this Bible-belt group of ladies.

        Although I have traveled through numerous countries, including Italy, Turkey, Morocco, etc., the one and only time I have ever been pinched was in the Stone Elephant by a Marine officer....

Individual Photo Albums & Stories

Nancy Smoyer  American Red Cross

Donut Dollie  1967-68

2.  I Love Marines