Marine's Memorial

[KiwiKev]

Today the family and I were out and about enjoying a hot summer's day when we popped in and visited the Marine memorial at Fort Mackay near a town called Paekakariki along the south west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It was a very sobering visit. Roosevelt sent a division of Marine's (1st Division I think) They were here preparing for Guadalcanal. What was sad was reading about a number of marine's who drowned when a landing exercise went wrong. A rough surf tossed their landing craft badly. It was also very sad to read about the fact that many could not swim. They chose Paekakariki because it allowed the Marine's access to a range to practice jungle warfare. Nothing of Fort Mackay exists today. They dismantled everything when the last Marine's left for the Pacific. One assuming story was how the Marines used to sneak into a nearby town for R and R. The locals called the track the Marines used the "Yankee trail". But as most of the marines wee southerners they called it something else. The other amusing story involved the Marines shoot a live artillery round into Paekakariki by mistake. Lots of damage done but no one hurt!

[JReed]

Yep it was the 1st Marine Division. That is really cool that you got to see it. If I ever win the lottery I would love to go visit all the sites for the island hoping campaign.

[vancelw]

The locals called the track the Marines used the "Yankee trail". But as most of the marines wee southerners they called it something else.

I'm going to mess this up, but I always heard...

To the world, a "Yankee" is someone from the United States
In the US, a Yankee is someone from the north.
In the northern US, a Yankee is someone from New England.
In New England, a Yankee is someone from Vermont.
In Vermont, and Yankee is someone who eats pie for breakfast.

We call anyone from north of the Red River a Yankee. Really makes the Okies (and Texans in the panhandle) mad

[KiwiKev]

So no one calls themself a "Yankee" but it is term people apply to others?

[KiwiKev]

Hey Jeremy there is also an old US Naval hospital up the road in Silverstream. It features of the attached link when Eleanor Roosevelt visits the place in 1943.

https://archive.org/details/gov.fdr.210

Stonewall lodge is still there.

http://staywithus.co.nz/test/wp-content ... -Lodge.jpg

[firefuzz]

We call anyone from north of the Red River a Yankee. Really makes the Okies (and Texans in the panhandle) mad

Yes it does. lol

Rob

[vancelw]

So no one calls themself a "Yankee" but it is term people apply to others?

Pretty much. I can only guess it's been considered a derogatory term since the British referred to the American colonists as Yankees.

The other saying is that a Yankee is someone from the north who comes down to visit and then goes home.
A #$%@^& Yankee is one who comes down and stays.....

[vancelw]

We call anyone from north of the Red River a Yankee. Really makes the Okies (and Texans in the panhandle) mad

Yes it does. lol

Rob

I'm within a few miles of the Red River...I guess I like living on the edge Indian Nation Turnpike is my first route out on most of my excursions.

[2ndovc]

So no one calls themself a "Yankee" but it is term people apply to others?

Pretty much. I can only guess it's been considered a derogatory term since the British referred to the American colonists as Yankees.

The other saying is that a Yankee is someone from the north who comes down to visit and then goes home.
A #$%@^& Yankee is one who comes down and stays.....

There's a few guys around here that throw the term around more freely
than others.

jb

[vancelw]

So no one calls themself a "Yankee" but it is term people apply to others?

Pretty much. I can only guess it's been considered a derogatory term since the British referred to the American colonists as Yankees.

The other saying is that a Yankee is someone from the north who comes down to visit and then goes home.
A #$%@^& Yankee is one who comes down and stays.....

There's a few guys around here that throw the term around more freely
than others.

jb

Funny....I was just thinking of you... Of course you know, all my in-laws are from your neck of the woods, so I do tend to use expletives a bit often with the term

[eric65]

Yep it was the 1st Marine Division. That is really cool that you got to see it. If I ever win the lottery I would love to go visit all the sites for the island hoping campaign.

Been a dream of mine too.

[vancelw]

For those of you who like to read..

E. B. Sledge - With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
E. B. Sledge - China Marine
Chuck Tatum - Red Blood, Black Sand
Robert Leckie - Helmet for my Pillow

The above are the book the HBO series, "The Pacific" was based on. The book below was written after the series.

R.V. Burgin - Islands of the darned (my copy is autographed . He is at the Dallas Gun Show quite often. Fine man)

Really makes you appreciate those 1st Division Marines. They went through Normandy Beach-type hades every time they assaulted a different island.

Semper Fi