M40 - What Marine is in this photo?

[LanceS4803]

This is a very widely circulated photo, that I can find no details on other than Beirut.
I have a co-worker that claims it is him in the photo, prior to leaving the Marines and joining the Army.
I figure people doing retro builds (or lucky enough to have the real thing) may have further info on photo.

 

[sandwarrior]

This is a very widely circulated photo, that I can find no details on other than Beirut.
I have a co-worker that claims it is him in the photo, prior to leaving the Marines and joining the Army.
I figure people doing retro builds (or lucky enough to have the real thing) may have further info on photo.

Does it look like him and is he a lefty?

 

[mjh30]

The two pictures I have seen with names mentioned are of CPL Victor Prevatt kia and L/CPL Frank Roberts, the lefty I believe is Roberts.

 

[sandwarrior]

Who is the name in the title, Curtis Meats?

 

[Son of Dorn]

Who is the name in the title, Curtis Meats?

Google results come back for assorted butcher shops/meatpacking companies, so either the OP's real name or someone got hungry.

 

[njohn890]

I’m going to date myself but I recall seeing that photo for the first time in SOF magazine back in the 80’s. Will comb through my library and see if I can find any reference. To the best of my recollection the name provided was Tom something..... Rutter? My memory is not precise on this one.

There was an accompanying story about the Marines engaging militia soldiers once the ROE was changed.


will get back after I have dug through my books.

A quick google search turned up a Cpl Tom Rutter in this article but no mention of his MOS other than he is a survivor of the attack on the barracks in 83.

Brotherhood of Beirut Marines 'brought me back home'

For the Marines who survived the bombings of their Beirut barracks in 1983, comfort is found in each other.

www.kinston.com

 

[njohn890]

Haha my memory wasn’t as bad as I thought. The book “ Confirmed Kill” includes the story and I had the name correct, Cpl Tom Rutter a Marine Sniper in Beirut,

Confirmed Kill

Real-life accounts of the highly trained marksmen who have honed the art of killing to a fine edge—and can turn the tides of war with one perfect shot.Elite snipers—with their deadly aim, iron nerves, killer instincts and unwavering courage—play a more critical role in modern military missions...

books.google.ca

At least that was the name the SOF article attributed to the photo when published back in 1989 and the events they wrote about were consistent with the story outlined in this book as well.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following conf

Download Image of A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following confrontation between Israeli...

nara.getarchive.net

According to the National Archives, picture was taken Jan 10, 1983 in Beirut.

Is it still your co-worker?

Sirhr

 

[mcm308]

Ask your Pal Tom what the hell he tied his scope to. I wanna know...lol and ask him if he still has the Gerber. And tell him its probably my favorite A1 photo because hes a southpaw like myself...lol

 

[njohn890]

This was the SOF issue that had the article, you can see the photo in the corner of the cover

 

[mcm308]

Not Tommy Rutter in the Photo. Name is Jim McGlynn. Tommy Rutter was there though.

 

[mcm308]

So now is your co worker Jim McGlynn? Lol

 

[mcm308]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/10/20/marine-draws-a-bead-on-a-beirut-castro/ac6f0542-c32e-4ce1-bb06-a1a7d4363072/

 

[njohn890]

Great article good find. Again my memory on the SOF article is a bit foggy, and I’m not sure what their level of journalistic accuracy is either.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Great article good find. Again my memory on the SOF article is a bit foggy, and I’m not sure what their level of journalistic accuracy is either.

Are you questioning the Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporting of Soldier of Fortune?

Next, you will be telling us that the National Enquirer makes up alien stories.

Sirhr

 

[ChanceDoane]

Ive seen this picture in alot of different sniper books.

 

[mcm308]

figures the OP wouldn't report back. I wanted to know if the coworker was full of shit...lol

 

[sandwarrior]

Funny, I looked up one of the other stories on the front, Angola's Ambush Alley and It took me right to the story...with a picture of models of a light armored car and men on horseback....like they were really there!

 

[Rock two-five]

A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following conf

Download Image of A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following confrontation between Israeli...

nara.getarchive.net

According to the National Archives, picture was taken Jan 10, 1983 in Beirut.

Is it still your co-worker?

Sirhr

It's me in the photo and I don't have any co workers. I sure as hell didn't join the Army either.

 

[Rock two-five]

figures the OP wouldn't report back. I wanted to know if the coworker was full of shit...lol

You knew my name and my Team from STA. Do we know each other?

 

[mcm308]

You knew my name and my Team from STA. Do we know each other?

Well I'll be damned! The man..the myth..the legend himself!

 

[Rock two-five]

A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following conf

Download Image of A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following confrontation between Israeli...

nara.getarchive.net

According to the National Archives, picture was taken Jan 10, 1983 in Beirut.

Is it still your co-worker?

Sirhr

This photo was not taken in January of 83. It was taken in October of 83, 1 week prior to the BLT bombing

 

[Rock two-five]

Well I'll be damned! The man..the myth..the legend himself!

It's a small community. Eyes all over the place. Over the years I've had plenty of posers claiming they are the one in that photo and others post that I died in the bombing.
Anyway, looks like you were setting the record straight and I joined for nothing lol

 

[mcm308]

It's a small community. Eyes all over the place. Over the years I've had plenty of posers claiming they are the one in that photo and others post that I died in the bombing.
Anyway, looks like you were setting the record straight and I joined for nothing lol

Thanks for everything you have done Sir. We do not know each other but its nice to see you post here. Seen your photo a while back and it became one of my favorites, You being a lefty like me. So do ya still have the Gerber? LOL You didn't join for nothing, Its a great place, especially if you like shooting and still like the old A1. Lots of threads with photos, builds, etc. and lots of information in general. Would love to see photos and hear stories if you have some.

 

[Rock two-five]

Thanks for everything you have done Sir. We do not know each other but its nice to see you post here. Seen your photo a while back and it became one of my favorites, You being a lefty like me. So do ya still have the Gerber? LOL You didn't join for nothing, Its a great place, especially if you like shooting and still like the old A1. Lots of threads with photos, builds, etc. and lots of information in general. Would love to see photos and hear stories if you have some.

That's great to know and Rutter is the one who told me about the post. He joined up as well.
I appreciate what you said ,thanks! Truth is, it was an Honor for me to do the things that we did.
Yes, I still have the Gerber lol! Here is old faithful and it's new cousin.

 

[mcm308]

Seeing that gives me the willies for some reason..lol Amazing!!!

 

[sirhrmechanic]

You knew my name and my Team from STA. Do we know each other?

Without a doubt this is the greatest first post in the history of Snipers Hide!

@lowlight here is an interview for your Podcasts....

Welcome aboard, sir!

Sirhr

 

[deltawiskey]

It's a small community. Eyes all over the place. Over the years I've had plenty of posers claiming they are the one in that photo and others post that I died in the bombing.
Anyway, looks like you were setting the record straight and I joined for nothing lol

Thank you for joining! Would love to see some more pictures if you have them...
DW

 

[Rock two-five]

Without a doubt this is the greatest first post in the history of Snipers Hide!

@lowlight here is an interview for your Podcasts....

Welcome aboard, sir!

Sirhr

Thanks, good to be here

 

[sandwarrior]

That's great to know and Rutter is the one who told me about the post. He joined up as well.
I appreciate what you said ,thanks! Truth is, it was an Honor for me to do the things that we did.
Yes, I still have the Gerber lol! Here is old faithful and it's new cousin.View attachment 7359468

Man, I would just love to sit down with some beers and talk about that timeframe. Did you, or any guys you knew go through Ranger School in late '82-early '83? I went through with some Marines and thought they were great guys. Always wished one day I'd run into them again.

 

[Rock two-five]

Man, I would just love to sit down with some beers and talk about that timeframe. Did you, or any guys you knew go through Ranger School in late '82-early '83? I went through with some Marines and thought they were great guys. Always wished one day I'd run into them again.

No, all of us went through Amphibious Reconnaissance school in the Summer of 1982 and after Recon school we went through Scout/Sniper school.
We went to Bragg at some point after that to have a mock battle at the Combat town there. I remember gaining respect for the Rangers there because they were cheating just like us lol! The referees and the regular Grunts both Army and Marines were hating us lol! We found a way to rig our gear o that we couldn't die and the Rangers were doing the same thing. "If you aint cheatin', you aint trying lol!

 

[sirhrmechanic]

It's me in the photo and I don't have any co workers. I sure as hell didn't join the Army either.

One would have thought that the National Archives would have their date right... but nothing beats the source!

It is interesting that the guy who started this thread vanished into thin air as soon as some folks who “knew their stuff” began to appear.

Thanks for the date info. I still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of the bombing, too.

Sirhr

 

[mcm308]

This photo was not taken in January of 83. It was taken in October of 83, 1 week prior to the BLT bombing

This one is posted elsewhere on the forum.

 

[Rock two-five]

That's us in front of the Psycho ward. The "Five Fingers of Death". Here's a different picture of us at the same place.

 

[ArmedGinger]

That's us in front of the Psycho ward. The "Five Fingers of Death". Here's a different picture of us at the same place.

So this was asked before, but what is the string tied to the scope for?

 

[Rock two-five]

We had rubber scope covers that were tethered to the scope by that piece of string. It was like an inner tube material and it covered the entire scope. This was before scope caps were used.

 

[Rock two-five]

So this was asked before, but what is the string tied to the scope for?

I posted a response already but if you look closely at that photo at the bottom of the sandbag it looks like black shadow. That's my scope cover.
Look at the 2 photos of us in front of the building. Im kneeling down on the left. See that dark shadow on the back of my right calf? Thats the cover hanging by that string. The Sniper kneeling beside me still has his cover on his scope. That's why you cant see the scope Turrets on his Unertl.

 

[Prebanpaul]

This is def a great thread. Thanks for all that you guys have done.

 

[Rock two-five]

If you are thanking me for the information, glad Im able to shed some light on things for you guys.
If you're thanking me for what our Teams did over there, I will say this... Thank us by living as Free Men and don't let anyone or any group take Freedom from you as they are trying to now. That's all the thanks I could ever ask for.
Trust me, I enjoyed taking out every enemy target that I wasted over there. No one should have to thank a man for living his Craft.

 

[sandwarrior]

No, all of us went through Amphibious Reconnaissance school in the Summer of 1982 and after Recon school we went through Scout/Sniper school.
We went to Bragg at some point after that to have a mock battle at the Combat town there. I remember gaining respect for the Rangers there because they were cheating just like us lol! The referees and the regular Grunts both Army and Marines were hating us lol! We found a way to rig our gear o that we couldn't die and the Rangers were doing the same thing. "If you aint cheatin', you aint trying lol!

Ever know a guy named Glembin?

 

[acudaowner]

almost a shame you cant see more of that patch on his arm . maybe you could match it to a unit find out where they were and track him down that way . good luck

 

[Rock two-five]

Ever know a guy named Glembin?

No, that name doesn't sound familiar. We had two brothers with the last name of Giblin. One died in the BLT bombing. Is that who you are referring to?

 

[Fig]

One would have thought that the National Archives would have their date right... but nothing beats the source!

It is interesting that the guy who started this thread vanished into thin air as soon as some folks who “knew their stuff” began to appear.

Thanks for the date info. I still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of the bombing, too.

Sirhr

That is always the case. I’ll bet he has an interesting conversation at work!

 

[ChanceDoane]

Thanks Rock Two Five for my Freedom!

 

[pmclaine]

I walked my shit from ITS to 3/8 in 1986.

In 1986 everything in 8th Marines was either pre or post Beirut.

Newbs like myself were always reminded we didnt go to Beirut.

Passed through LeJeune last week heading to Hilton Head....

Lots changed there. Cant see the old 8th Marines barracks (now SOI) from 17 like you used to be able to. Trees are all grown up, and when I was there in about 2003 or so they had built a big earth berm to cover the buildings from the highway.

No more little guard post "back gate" with a Marine wearing Deuce Gear and packing 5 rounds to let Marines pass across 17 to get to.....

Think this is still the same cinder block building friends and I without cars would frequent....

Wasnt a titty bar back than......just a juke box, pool table and Bud long necks.....

 

[Lunchbox27]

So did the OP’s co-worker change his story, yet?

Wonder if he now killed Bin Laden...

 

[Rock two-five]

Yup, they built a flyover highway over Geiger and you have to enter by the gate at New River AS.
Town grew up too. Got all kinds of restaurants. Not a shithole anymore lol!

 

[Rock two-five]

Thanks Rock Two Five for my Freedom!

Keep living it!

 

[pmclaine]

Yup, they built a flyover highway over Geiger and you have to enter by the gate at New River AS.
Town grew up too. Got all kinds of restaurants. Not a shithole anymore lol!

Guessing I was in the right place because its not like Saigon Sams has moved.

Recall if I was standing with SS at my back and looking across 17 back in my day you would see the pedestrian gate and small guard booth, a paved circular track the guard mount would use as well we would shoot Launch Effect Trainers for the Dragon on HMMWVs mounting our targets, a big ass field and in the distance the 8th Marines quad.

Now its all trees, big front gate practically across from SS, nothing visible from the highway.

8th Marines is going to be deactivated I guess. From a WW1 Machine Gun Battalion, through Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Okinawa, numerous Meds, Beirut, and piece meal through every war, colors will be folded until needed again.

 

[sandwarrior]

No, that name doesn't sound familiar. We had two brothers with the last name of Giblin. One died in the BLT bombing. Is that who you are referring to?

I went through SF Scuba school with him in the summer of '83. I've asked in several venues, but never found out where he went or what he did. He was a Lance Corporal(?) the summer of '83 and I'm not sure, but I believe he was promoted to Cpl upon graduation from that school. The guy was an absolute stud and we were always competitive. He was 220-240 lbs and ran 40's in PT as fast as me. That was always sub 5 sec. even after the two mile run. I started at 165 and went down to 156 during that school. Agaon, the guy was a total stud. Because of his size (and accent-I was a "fwockka") we always gave him the "I will hug him and squeeze him, and call him George" routine. One of the junior guys to me went through Ranger school with him. I was still a cocky li'l 'fwockka". But, he said it with a smile... I heard. By the timeframe of that, I'm pretty sure he was not killed in Beirut. I do believe I heard he was in on the Grenada invasion. That is not a clear memory though.