Resupplying the Infantry (grunts)

In the time I served with HMM 263 most of our missions involved resupplying marine infantry (grunts). Generally these missions were routine and involved delivering such items as: ammunition/grenades, C-Rations, Marine replacements, mail, scout dogs and their handlers, beer and one time a pallet of 5 gallon containers of melted ice cream.

The deliveries were made to mountain tops, cleared landing zones in the jungle and to base camps. The resupply was conducted in all types of weather and during my time with HMM 263 the rainy monsoon season (mid-May to mid-October) was in full force.

I can particularly remember resupplying an infantry platoon on a hilltop during a heavy rain. When we landed a number of grunts off loaded the supplies while we stayed near our machine guns. One marine passed me a bundle of letters and asked if I would mail them for him.

Most of the other marines remained on the perimeter sitting in their foxholes which were half filed with water. They were using their ponchos for roofs over the fox holes but our landing and departure blew away a number of their "roofs".

Seeing their conditions made me appreciate being able to return at night to Marble Mountain and sleep in a hootch.