John Wayne.......

[USMCRECON]

The item below is a slightly tweaked veraion of a reply I made to a forum member who sent me a photo of MG Donn Robertson visiting wounded Marines at the Med Bn hospital at Chu Lai.

 

I had only told this John Wayne story to a handful of people over the years and, after thinking about it, thought I'd like more folks to know what a fantastic suppoerter he was of the troops in Vietnam and decided to post it here as a tribute.

 

MG Robertson also came to visit the wards at Charlie Med in Danang during Operation Union. I always had a warm spot for Generals that visited their wounded Marines. I had been med-evac’d out of the field by helo and was in one of the wards at Charlie Med in Danang when the General came through and he stopped to chat and to pin my Purple Heart on.

 

John Wayne was visiting in country on a morale tour at the same time. Later on the same afternoon that MG Robertson visited, Mr Wayne also visited. When he came to our ward, he walked in the door at the far end followed by a gaggle of Navy, Marine, and civilian PR shoe-clerks and strap hangers....all in close trail. The ward had beds on both sides with a center aisle and a small apace between bets. It was long but not very wide and not more than three people could squeeze in the aisle walking abreast.

 

We all thought it was the funniest thing we had ever seen. As Mr Wayne walked down the aisle he stopped to talk with each and every wounded Marine and Sailor on the ward, all the accompanying brass and shoe clerks were jockeying to get to the front with Mr Wayne to get their pictures taken with him by the photogs and he started getting pissed at them. He finally told them politely but fiemly to step back. He wanted the attending Doctor and Corpsman up front so he could talk with them about each Marine he stopped to see.

 

When he got to the end of the ward and was about to step out the door (my bed was second to the door on the right side looking at him so I was within 10 feet of him), he stopped, turned around and announced in his booming John Wayne voice that the entire ward could hear (and I'll remember those words until I die) "Gentlemen; I'd like to tip my hat to all of you. Since I'm not wearing one, this will have to do." With that, he pulled his toupee off his head, swung it down to his waist and made a deep bow. The then straightened up, flipped the hair piece back on his head, said good-by and good luck, and left for the next ward. What a great American he was!!

[teufelhunde.ret]

A great man... a reported story from the Harvard Lampoon

 

"I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand on," he would say in The Shootist, and he proved it when facing the Harvard Lampoon audience that had invited him to appear simply in the hope of reducing this icon of the establishment to an object of ridicule. But when asked about his "phony toupee," he was as quick with his wit as he was on the draw, and the Duke disarmed his detractors....

 

"It’s not phony. It’s real hair. Of course, it’s not mine, but it’s real."

[Jim Baker]

As a big fan of the Duke, I am thankful to you Bill for starting this thread. He was a great guy and a great American.

 

There was a detracting post the other day I found offensive. I believe this thread will show he had a great fan base and still does.

[Andrei]

I am a big fan of the Duke ever since I was a kid.

Bill told us a very nice story. Thank you Sir !

 

A.

[gwb123]

A great man... a reported story from the Harvard Lampoon

 

"I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand on," he would say in The Shootist, and he proved it when facing the Harvard Lampoon audience that had invited him to appear simply in the hope of reducing this icon of the establishment to an object of ridicule. But when asked about his "phony toupee," he was as quick with his wit as he was on the draw, and the Duke disarmed his detractors....

 

"It’s not phony. It’s real hair. Of course, it’s not mine, but it’s real."

 

There is an urban legend about this event...

 

If I recall correctly, the Harvard Lampoon had sent him an invitation to appear and receive an award they had cooked up for him. I believe they actually did not believe he was going to show up.

 

The ceremony had already started when the attendees heard a loud noise outside. When they went outside they were startled to see the Duke riding into the courtyard on top of a National Guard M-113 sitting behind a .50 cal, with an escort of mounted Indians in full war dress. Quite the entrance!

 

I haven't researched this, but it makes a great story in any case!

[coastie]

There is an urban legend about this event...

 

If I recall correctly, the Harvard Lampoon had sent him an invitation to appear and receive an award they had cooked up for him. I believe they actually did not believe he was going to show up.

 

The ceremony had already started when the attendees heard a loud noise outside. When they went outside they were startled to see the Duke riding into the courtyard on top of a National Guard M-113 sitting behind a .50 cal, with an escort of mounted Indians in full war dress. Quite the entrance!

 

I haven't researched this, but it makes a great story in any case!

 

I do recall seeing a picture him riding the M113, here's the picture

[gpw_42]

I do recall seeing a picture him riding the M113, here's the picture

 

AWESOME pic!

 

One of the few (only?) pics I've seen of early wear (pre-Y2K) of the black beret by non-ranger personnel. Man, check out that 'stache and sideburns in the front left!!!

 

Thrasher

[Bob Hudson]

There is an urban legend about this event...

 

If I recall correctly, the Harvard Lampoon had sent him an invitation to appear and receive an award they had cooked up for him. I believe they actually did not believe he was going to show up.

 

 

One website writes about the invitation to Wayne - you have to love his response:

 

"The Harvard Lampoon Club invited Wayne in January 1974 to premiere his film McQ" at Cambridge, challenging him to debate its liberal students. The club's editors sent Wayne a rather cynical invitation: "We've heard you're supposed to be some kind of legend, everybody talks about your he-man prowess, your pistol-packing, rifle-toting, frontier-taming, cattle-demeaning talents, your unsurpassed greatness in the guts department." "You think you're tough," wrote James M. Downey, in the invitation, "We're not so tough. We dare you to have it out, head on, with the young whelps here who would call the supposedly unbeatable John Wayne, the biggest fraud in history."

 

Wayne liked the "guts" of the challenge, but replied, "Sorry to note in your challenge that there is weakness in your breeding, but there is a ray of hope in the fact that you are conscious of it. "

[coastie]

There was a photo I saw in either Newsweek, Time or Life magazine of him throwing snowballs during this event. I wish I could find it.

[Brig]

on the Hollywood walk of Stars, John Waynes star is made of black concrete among all the gray...made from the black sands of Iwo Jima out of his respect for the men who fought and died there

[USMCRECON]

on the Hollywood walk of Stars, John Waynes star is made of black concrete among all the gray...made from the black sands of Iwo Jima out of his respect for the men who fought and died there

 

I didn't know that. That's pretty cool!

[J_Andrews]

Another John wayne story: many years ago a retired WWII Marine aviator (Corsairs) told me that in about 1938-1939, Mr. wayne was buddies with a bunch of USMC fliers based in San Diego and they would go fishing with him and down into Mexico on weekends to party. Anyway, The Duke, so the story goes, tried to enlist in the USMC Reserve, hoping to go to flight school. BUT his physical exam(s) showed that his college football injuries DISQUALIFIED HIM, from at least a Marine commisssion and flight status. So he gave it up.

[SteveR]

John Wayne gave this to my father in law in the 70's.

My father in law was a retired Chief Boatswains Mate that had served on, it was either a mine layer or mine sweeper I do not recall which. Wayne had bought one as WWII surplus and had it refitted to be his yacht. The Chief was working for security at a SanDiego shipyard when Wayne and his yacht pulled in for repairs. Nobody at the ship yard had a clue as to what was causing the problems. Someone remembered that the chief had mentioned he had served aboard one and they called him. He went over spoke to the crewmen and he had it solved and fixed in an hour. Wayne was very happy and spent the rest of the day getting roaring drunk with the Chief. He gave him the lighter ( A Zippo ) and a stack of personalized autographed photos and a limo ride home with the blessings of the shipyard manager.

Pics of my father in law E.W. Wright BMC Ret. and the lighter wayne gave him.

[m1ashooter]

The Duke, an Americans American. I servered with an AF officer who told me a story that he and a friend as a kid while sailing in Ca., and pulled up to John Waynes boat which was a ex USN minesweeper. Mr Wayne greeted them and invited them aboard, balded headed and all.

 

He had his faults as any mere mortal has but IMHO the Duke is the example of what an American Male should be.

[Teutonen]

I echo the thoughts of M1ashooter: He was what a man should be. The glory days of Hollywood, when the actors/actresses truly supported the military. I miss him after all these years - one of the few actors that I could say that about.

 

Jeff

[kammo-man]

The Duke is a dude .

owen

[Bob Hudson]

He had mugs like this made up for various movies, for cast, crew and close friends. This one was hand-painted in 1951 for Flying Leathernecks:

 

[DwightPruitt]

on the Hollywood walk of Stars, John Waynes star is made of black concrete among all the gray...made from the black sands of Iwo Jima out of his respect for the men who fought and died there

 

Minor quibble, it's not his star, but rather his footprints and fist print at Grauman's Chinese Theater that was cast with black sand from Iwo.

[Bob Hudson]

Minor quibble, it's not his star, but rather his footprints and fist print at Grauman's Chinese Theater that was cast with black sand from Iwo.

 

The star is located elsewhere as part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and those are all standardized designs, but as you note, the stars could personalize their imprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre:

 

[disneydave]

My Uncle George who lived in Santa Monica was a very wealthy man. He and my aunt were part of the so-called social elite in Southern California. Uncle George loved to go salmon fishing in the waters off Vancouver Island, British Columbia and he took John Wayne out fishing there many a time. From what I remember Uncle George telling me, Wayne was quite the character. Personally, I like him.

[Bob Hudson]

[henry2]

i like is westerns more any other movies he made but there a few up there that i like..like jet pilot and wings of a eagle to name a few

[sigsaye]

The Duke, an Americans American. I servered with an AF officer who told me a story that he and a friend as a kid while sailing in Ca., and pulled up to John Waynes boat which was a ex USN minesweeper. Mr Wayne greeted them and invited them aboard, balded headed and all.

 

He had his faults as any mere mortal has but IMHO the Duke is the example of what an American Male should be.

In '76, I was stationed on a Destroyer that was undergoing an overhaul in Long Beach Calif. We were steaming out to test some gear or what ever and anchored just out side the break water was the "Wild Goose". Mr. Wayne was sitting in a deck chair fishing. As we passed, he stood, faced us and saluted. I was on watch on the signal bridge, looked around to see if the OOD or some one was on the bridge wing. I didn't see any one, so I returned his salute. After that, everytine we stood in or out of that port, I looke for his yacht, but that was the only time.

 

Steve Hesson

[Keith]

I don't know if this will work or not, but here is a try: This is one of my favorite John Wayne lines: IWontBeWronged.wav

[Jim Baker]