doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT - NEVER INTERRUPT A MARINE WHILE HE'S EATING

There's a story circulating on the internet about a retired Marine down in Plantation, Florida who was eating his lunch peacefully in a local sub shop.

This Marine, we'll call him Master Sgt. Stryker, is 71 years old. He doesn't drink or smoke and works out every day. During his active service he flew Marine helicopters that carried two Presidents, JFK & Lyndon B. Johnson. After Sgt. Stryker retired from the Corps. he flew for Pan Am and Delta.

According to the Plantation, Florida police, two masked robbers came into the shop, robbed the cashier at gunpoint, and then attempted to shove Sgt. Stryker into the restroom to rob & probably kill him. Sgt. Stryker handed over his wallet and then said: "Wait guys, there's more."

That's when this old Marine pulled out his pistol and fired three shots, hitting one gunman in the head and chest and the other in the head.

When the cops arrived, they found one gunman on the floor in the sub shop. The other gunman was lying in the bushes next to the parking lot. Money was strewn all over the area.

One gunman died in the ER at a local hospital and the other was listed in critical but stable condition. Don't know whether he lived or died.

It's doubtful that Sgt. Stryker will be charged with anything unless there is some law about participating in an unfair fight -- one well trained Marine against two sorry punks.

According to the law in most states, Sgt. Stryker had every right to defend himself if he was in fear for his life. Truth be known, it's unlikely Sgt. Stryker was actually in fear of anything even though his life was being threatened. Marines like him aren't intimidated by trash like those two.

As one of the cops pointed out, "Two head shots and one dead center body mass --- pretty good shooting for an old dude!"

The moral of this story is: NEVER GET BETWEEN A MARINE AND HIS FOOD!"

I thought that some of you Old Jarheads would enjoy this...George

Good job Sarge. Armed robbers deserve to get shot to death. I hope they're both DEAD!
Did you know we have our own hero? His name is Doc Holliday (aka KYJon) he held up convenience store robber with his A.H. Fox shotgun.

True story: A revered former Nova Scotia boxer who ran a Halifax boxing club and coached a few Olympians was accosted by a couple punks outside a restaurant. With two punches, he knocked both cold and stood over them until police arrived. He was 78. He died last year well into his 80s. As for the Florida story, there's nothing in my wallet worth my life or anyone else, slime or not.

Thanks for the stories folks. I'm beting though that Sarge was realy a CWO if he flew choppers back in the day.

Do they have CWOs in the Marines? I am not aware of anyone other than a commissioned officer being at the controls of Marine 1. I have some good friends who have crewed on Marine 1 and I wave every time those vehicles buzz my house, about once a week. Regardless of the details, it's a good story. In reply to my friend, King, when I am 78, I would rather go down in flames than lie down as long as my affairs are in order. Murphy

I think the Corps still has CWO's and they go to 5 now insted of 4 being top.When I got out in 69 Capt. was about the higest rank I ever saw fling a chopper but lots of CWO's and they were great. Many enlisted door gunners from Korea era became CWO pilots durning Viet Nam days and seemed to hold their cargo more dear than the new butter bars just getting in the game.
As a side note in 66 in Nam I meet the last two inlisted pilots of the Army Air Corps in DaNang. They were teaching the Arvin pilots how to fly the old prop plane fighters.

According to what I have read in the last few minutes, Warrant Officers are in all services except for the Air Force. Once a Warrant Officer reaches the rank of CWO2, he is Presidentially Commissioned like a Commissioned Officer. I don't know what that does for him, but that is what I read. CWOs remain restricted to their area of expertise to maintain their rank, unlike commissioned officers who can float among many specialties.

Not to throw cold water on the story but maybe the story was a bit embellished.

I was an enlisted man in the Marine Corps Air Wing from 1967 to 1971 and all of it was in helicopters. I spent a year at Marble Mountain in Viet Nam. My MOS was to pack parachutes (choppers back then did not carry them) and take care of the pilots gear. I spent part of that year as a door gunner on CH-43's. I never saw a Warrant Officer with pilots wings, or for that matter flying a chopper. My recollection is the Marine Corps did not allow Warrant Officers to fly.

All crew chiefs were enlisted men and many could handle a chopper as I could. I learned how to fly stateside from reserve officers that needed a co-pilot to log their monthly air time. Being bored with needing to do this they taught the inquisitive how to fly.

They did have Warrant Officers flying observation planes in the Army, and they may have also flown choppers - not sure.

Yes, Viet Nam era Army Warrant Officers were helicopter pilots as well as having other specialties. However, every Marine Corp helicopter pilot whom I know personally is a full commissioned officer.

Bill: "Master Sgt. Stryker" (I don't know his real name or rank) was just a psuedonym (remember John Wayne in Sands of Iwo Jima)He could have been a commissioned officer. I have a close friend Alan Mason, former Marine grunt, who retired after two tours in Nam as a Bird Colonel and head of Air Police at Andrews AFB. I'm going to send this story to him & see if he knows of this particular jarhead.

Best Regards, George