97 Year Old Scam Uncovered

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I do a lot of reading of old material, and ran across these two tidbits in the same periodical from 1918. I referenced the first tidbit in a post below this one. Interesting story, and published in an official Marine Corps periodical. Got to be true, right? I try to validate items I find like these, but I ran into a problem.

http://www.jouster.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34277&stc=1

The problem, or stranger in the woodpile, is the second article. Same bunch, the USMC recruiting corps, published it. I wanted to verify the story, but low and behold, there is no record of Sgt. Bennett receiving a DSC in any record I can find, including Catlin's book, in which he states he was pulled to safety by a Frenchman. In his detailed account, found in "With the Help of God and a Few Marines", he never mentions a Sgt. Bennett. Also in his book, he records all the Marines who received awards for valor at Belleau Woods. No mention of the man who "saved" him. If one checks the Muster Rolls, there is a Sgt, S. Bennett in the 6th Regiment HQ, but he is a chauffeur, not a sniper. There is also a Pvt. P. J. Murphy, but I have found no record of his wounding as described. The story appears to be total BS. Either the Corps made it up, or Sgt. Bennett made it up and the Corps published it. Either way, it is good reason to suspect what you read.

http://www.jouster.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34276&stc=1

Like the internet, anyone can write anything down on paper. jt:1948:

[Darreld Walton]

You CAN'T be implying that Marines would be involved with embellishing or "imaginative" story telling!!! Say it ain't so!

[PhillipM]

"closest friend in the ARMY"?

[John Beard]

So Private Jordan traipses out into No Man's Land (only a Marine would traipse out into No Man's Land undefended), kills a Boche sniper at 1500 yards (which is almost a mile), traipses one mile across No Man's Land (again undefended), recovers the Boche's rifle, and counts the notches in the stock.

Remarkable!

Got any more bedtime stories?

J.B.

p.s.,

And I neglected to recognize that Private Jordan traipsed the one mile back across No Man's Land to tell the story. And with a wounded leg, no less.

[Phil McGrath]

That's why there called sea stories, most often they start off with this ain't no BS I know a guy that was there......

[Vern Humphrey]

And much of the Battle of Belleau Wood was written by Wylie Post, before the battle started. It was years before anyone wondered how Wylie knew about what happened AFTER he was shot through the head and carried off the battlefield (he survived.)

[Roadkingtrax]

No sh*t, there I was...

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Damn, guys. I was hoping one of you would prove me wrong!

You all don't think a Marine would lie, do you? I am appalled; I say, I am appalled!

jt

PS
French War Cross for bravery?

[CPC]

And I thought they only started doing that in WWII... I might want to go back and check that halls of Montezuma, and shores of Tripoli thing... maybe the marines were not even in mexico or at the battle of derne!

[Vern Humphrey]

And I thought they only started doing that in WWII... I might want to go back and check that halls of Montezuma, and shores of Tripoli thing... maybe the marines were not even in mexico or at the battle of derne!
They were in both Mexico and Tripoli. In Mexico, they were selected to guard the city because of their fancy uniforms. At Tripoli. they accompanied a Greek mercenary force hired by the American Consul in Cairo.

[Sunray]

Not likely the CEF would have discharged him for being a few months under 18. He'd have been sent to the rear for 4 months then back to The Regm't. Hordes of troopies were underage.

[1mark]

You see the problem, the metric system (yards) was not understood in the US in the early 1900's and was misinterpreted as 1500 feet.

[PhillipM]

You see the problem, the metric system (yards) was not understood in the US in the early 1900's and was misinterpreted as 1500 feet.

The metric system wa designed in the enlightenment and the meter was based off the enlightened's determination of the Earth's circumference. Then it turned out they were off in their measure, but went with it anyways. In reality a meter is no more enlightened than a foot based on a king's foot. To cover the embarrassment, they changed the definition to a wavelength through something or other I'm not looking up.

[Vern Humphrey]

The metric system wa designed in the enlightenment and the meter was based off the enlightened's determination of the Earth's circumference. Then it turned out they were off in their measure, but went with it anyways. In reality a meter is no more enlightened than a foot based on a king's foot.
Particularly if he hasn't changed his socks in a couple of months.

[scosgt]

Brian Williams was wounded there, just before he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Twice.

[John Sukey]

Well, the marines were certainly at "the halls of Montezuma (the Mexican Military Academy) However it was the 4th Artillery that took the rifles from those marines and took the building!
The marines back then were not the marines of later wars!

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Well, the marines were certainly at "the halls of Montezuma (the Mexican Military Academy) However it was the 4th Artillery that took the rifles from those marines and took the building!
The marines back then were not the marines of later wars!

That is because most of the Marines were dead or wounded. Those Mexican boys put up one hell of a fight. Those boys died with their boots on and deserve our respect.

jt

[Vern Humphrey]

At least one of them wrapped a Mexican flag around himself and jumped from the walls. Heroic, to be sure, but not a very effective combat action.

[Col. Colt]

Thanks for your historical research, Marine A5 Sniper - there is enough real bravery out there that we don't need the fabricated kind - even for recruiting!

It just goes to show, there is nothing new under the Sun - or in human behavior! We are the same creatures we always were. Time goes by, and technology changes - but Love, Lust, Greed, Hate, Envy, etc, etc, go on through the ages. (And embellishing one's stories...... ) MP