Posted: August 5, 2013 10:53 PM
On morning, along about April 1974, I graduated from USMC Boot at MCRD SD. We had turned in our M16 rifles a couple of days earlier but, for some odd reason, we kept our M7 bayonets and scabbords in our foot lockers. I wondered why we hadnt turned them in. Graduation morning at 5am, the DI's quietly walked into the squad bay, flipped on the lights and gave us all a hardy "Good Morning Marines"! rather than the expletive deletives that were shouted at us every morning for the previous 3 months, . This was going to be a good day. We performed our regular morning duties and ate chow. Afterwards, we were taken back to the squad bay to pack our stuff in our sea bags, dress and get ready for the gradualtion cermony at 10 or noon. As we were doing this, the drill instructors were basically lounging around and shooting the sh-t with us. They set up a couple of seabag at the front of the bay and asked that we "contribute" any "unwanted" supplies (ie. Braso, soap, shaving cream, razors,, weapon paint) into the seabags. They told us that they were to be used for the next recruits now forming into new recruit platoons; "For the guys that couldnt afford them". They also asked us to bring our bayonets in the scabbords along and place them into the seabags as well. "How informal I thought" LOL. I thought to myself... "huh"? We didnt have to buy any of that stuff when we first arrived, In fact we were stripped of everything we came with; and everything we would need was issued to us brand new and at Uncle Sams expense. But I thought "whatever" and carried on even though I felt something wasnt right. Well, we we were emptying our foot lockers into our seabags preparing to ship out and many of the new Marines were hauling stuff, along with their bayonets/scabbords and depositing them in the bags. Brasso was popular because no one wanted that stuff spilling all over their gear in their bags. I hadnt planned on donating anything but I started thinking, and had been thinking, about how much I would like to keep/steal my bayonet to show the folks at home. So I carried my can of Brasso up to the overflowing bags and laid the Brasso on top and removed a bayonet while I was at it. I did this one more time, and I had already put my own in my seabag and my footlocker was now empty and my seabags full. I knew they knew what I was doing and that they were even watching me out of the corner of their eye as I did so. Afterall, they had not missed a thing we had done yet in the last 90 days under their command. Haha! Its not like I wasnt afraid. I wondered if the DIs would check our bags as we left. I wondered what would happen if I got caught stealing not 1 but 3 USMC bayonets in my seabag. I do not know what drove me to do it but I had this funny feeling they were letting those with enough ba--s to keep a souvenier for the Jody and the other folks back home. Long story short, haha, I ended up giving one of them to one of the guys after the graduation cermemony; after telling him what I had done. He couldnt believe I did it and just had to have one so I gave him one which left me with 2. 20 years later I gave one of the remaining 2 I had to my nephew when he left to become a Navy SEAL and asked him to always watch his back. My only advice. He still has that bayonet today. Not to long after being discharged I was sitting around, back in the world and bored. I decided I would take one of my bayonets (I hadnt given my newphew his until many years later). and find out how well balanced it really was and how easy it was to throw it and stick it into a large pine tree. Well, the pine tree eventually one and I ended up with that bayonet having one half of the grip crack and fall off. Not to long after that, I gave what was left of it, the bayonet with 1 grip and the scabbord, to my old friend. I'll call him Jody. He couldnt believe I was giving him that bayonet and to this day is one of his favorite toys though he has many. Everytime I go home to visit and see Jody, I ask him about the knife and each time, he shows it to me he has some sort of new configuration of a makeshift handle on it. It always includes the one half of the grip that did not break and black electricians tape, or leather or rope or whatever wrapped around it. He loves that knife and scabbord. I was always kind of disappointed that I had done that to something that meant so much to me but didnt lose to much sleep over it. I got a kick watching Jody improvise new grips. Now, even many more years later, I have been tying up some lose ends. I was getting ready to ship a Speer bullet board I had for many years to Jodys son as a gift when I thought... "I wonder if I can find bayonet grips and screws for that old M7 I gave to Jody. So I got on the computer and typed in a search for M7 bayonet grips. On the first page was a site that looked promision and sure enough I had found the grips (brand new old US stock). But they did not come with screws and I searched the site but to no avail. Then I ran a search on the internet for M7 bayonet grip screws. Would you believe they were right there on one of the first few sights listed. That site... NUMRICH!! Made my day. ordered the bayonet grips and the screws from NUMRICH right then and there. I just recieved the screws tonight and had to laugh thinking about the guy who pulled those antiquated M7 screws for my order. There is a buyer out there for everythingl Haha! I have not received the grips yet, The screws won that race. When the grips arrive I will pack them and the screws in with the bullet board and ship it back home for them. I thank NUMRICH for supplying these screws when I needed them, It was quite an outstanding event in my dull life! The screws were very well packed along with the order manifest. I hope someone gets a kick out of this story, Must be time for lunch by now. Thanks Again to the NUMRICH team for thinking about these odd situations and being there for us!! John
