Not all our time was spent engaged in war.  Sometimes we actually had fun.  Generally it was at someone else's expense however.  This is not an incident of HMM-364 but it is one worth telling.

On or about the evening of _____, 1970  the Group S-1, LtCol "Chick" Schalgren, and three other officers were returning to Marble Mountain Air Facility.  They had eaten dinner at the Naval Support Activity Hospital, Da Nang.  The hospital was about one mile south of the MMAF main gate.  The road had recently been repaved and there was a considerable drop off from the new surface to the shoulder.  Somehow, and I am not suggesting that his driving skills were impaired,  LtCol. Schalgren allowed the right front wheel of the jeep to drop off the surface to the shoulder.  In attempting to get the wheel back upon the road surface, the jeep turned over and tossed all it's occupants out.  Fortunately, except for a few scratches and bruised egos, all were unharmed.  The MP's made a report, minimal first aid was rendered and a wrecker was called to tow the jeep back to Marble  Mountain Air Facility.

The next morning it was back to the normal routine and Sgt. Gary L. Galloway of the MABS-16 Motor Pool saw the remnants of the accident and took the two pictures below.  A few days later, Sgt. Galloway requested, and was granted, TAD orders to HMM-364 to fly as a gunner.  Sgt. Galloway amassed in excess of 100 flight hours in this capacity in approximately thirty days.
 

A day or two prior to "Chick" Schalgren's accident, Col . Haywood Smith the MAG-16 group commander, had ended round two of a running "feud" with the MAG-11 commander.  This episode of the feud had resulted in Col. Smith's jeep being transformed into something very much like a Philippine "jeepney" as described at Fun & Games.  Col. Smith's motor transport section had not restored his jeep to its original military look when he was advised of LtCol. Schalgren's accident.  Haywood immediately saw an opportunity to have some more fun with the jeep that was supposed to have embarrassed him in the eyes of his command.  He suggested a few additional modifications to the jeep to include a set of training wheels and a caption below the driver's seat reading, "Student Driver on Board."  Haywood then called an impromptu formation together for the purpose of presenting LtCol. Schalgren a replacement  jeep with these modifications compliments of MAG-11 and Haywood Smith:

• 1.    A lacy pastel covering over the normal canvas top.
• 2.    Marine Corps Green paint accented with splotches of other vivid colors.
• 3.    "PEACE" painted on left rear tire.
• 4.    New caption on side panel below driver's seat "Student Driver on Board"
• 5.    New caption beneath windshield "Compliments of the Barbarian Bastards"
• 6.    Midway between front and rear wheels, A SET OF TRAINING WHEELS

Information provided by:
    Franklin A. Gulledge, Jr., Major USMC(Ret)
    John Darracott, Major USMC(Ret)
    Gary L. Galloway, former Sergeant USMC
    The following book by J. M. Moriarty, LtCol. USMC (deceased)