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Ladder or
Ladderway
Stairs
Lance Corporal
The rank between
private first class and corporal. It is not a noncommissioned officer rank and
the insignia is a single chevron with crossed rifles beneath it worn on each
sleeve of the uniform. The pay grade is E-3 and is equivalent to a private first
class in the Army (who wears a single chevron and a rocker) and an airman first
class in the Air Force (who wears two inverted chevrons with a star in a circle
covering the points of the chevrons). In the Navy and Coast Guard the rank is
seaman (three angular stripes in a box on the left sleeve only)
Landing Party
Manual
The complete
book of what to do (and when to do it) that guided the Marine Corps through most
of the 20th Century. Now, obsolete copies are prized by professional Marines for
the wealth of information and simple approach to leadership, morale, discipline,
warfighting and professionalism.
LAW
Light Antitank
Weapon. It was contained in a collapsible, disposable fiberglass tube.
LBE
Load Bearing
Equipment. Often "web gear" worn by infantry personnel to hold packs and tools
and weapons and first aid kits and whatever is worn by the person in the field
LBFM
Little Brown
Fucking Machine. A pejorative term for South Pacific island girls Marines
encounter while on liberty
LBV
Load Bearing
Vest. A vest that holds magazines of ammunition, grenades and a cartridge belt
to which are attached other equipment such as first aid kit, canteens and cup.
(see
782 Gear.)
LCVP
Small landing
craft used to transport Marines from ship to shore.
Lead Turd
Bad idea or an
idea that is going nowhere fast.
Leatherneck
A Marine. The
phrase comes from the early days of the Marine Corps when enlisted men were
given strips of leather to wear around their necks. The popular concept has it
that the leather was to protect the neck from a saber slash. Truth is that it
was to keep the Marines from slouching in uniform by forcing them to keep their
head up.
Leatherneck
Magazine
A magazine
published for Marines by the Marine Corps Association.
Leatherneck
Square
The area south
of the DMZ with the following outposts as its corners: Con Tien (NW), Cam Lo
Hill (SW), Cua Viet (SE) and Gia Linh (NE). Later in the war the Marines built
"Ocean View" to the east of Gia Lihn along the ocean for better control of enemy
troop movement.
(origin)
Vietnam
Leave
An authorized
absence from duty. Marines earn 30 days of leave each year and are encouraged to
take the time off.
Lee, Lewis G
Thirteenth
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps having served from June 30, 1995 until June
30, 1999. He was born Jan. 19, 1950 in North Carolina.
Leggings
(First World War
- Korea) Canvas. leather or cloth bindings, strapped, buckled, tied or wrapped
to the ankles for support and to keep out mud, snow and water.
(background)
By the Korean War, the Army had abandoned the use of
them but the Marine Corps retained them for their distinctive look. When a
dispatch from a Chinese Communist general was found, in which he ordered his
troops not to engage the "yellow legs" and to seek out the less fierce Army
units, the U. N. command ordered the Marines to stop wearing the leggings.
Lejeune,
John Archer
Thirteenth
Commandant of the Marine Corps. Legendary World War I commander he was the first
Marine to command Army troops. Born in Louisiana on Jan 10, 1867 he died on Nov.
20, 1942. He was first appointed Major General Commandant on July 1, 1920 and
was the first Commandant to be reappointed, serving until March 4, 1929. He was
also a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy.
LES
Leave and
Earnings Statement.
Letterhead
BG
(see
Tombstone Brigadier General.)
Liberty
An authorized
absence from duty. Usually the time when not at work or on duty. Liberty is
granted by the local commander and may be as long as 96 consecutive hours. It
does not count as leave.
Liberty Hound
A Marine who is
thought to be overly consumed with liberty.
Lick 'em and
Stick 'em
Placing paper
patches over holes in targets from the butts. The papers were coated with
water-activated glue and had to be licked before sticking on the target.
Lid
Another
acceptable word for cover.
Lieutenant
Colonel
The fifth grade
of commissioned officer, indicated by a silver oak leaf on the collar of the
uniform. The pay grade is O-5 and is the same in the Army and the Air Force. In
the Navy and the Coast Guard, the rank is commander and is additionally
indicated with three broad gold bands topped by an insignia representing a
branch (usually a gold star in the Navy and a gold shield in the Coast Guard) on
shoulder boards or cuffs.
Lieutenant
Commander
The Navy and
Coast Guard rank equivalent to a Marine major.
(see
Major.)
Lieutenant
General
Third of the
flag officer ranks, indicated by three silver stars on the collar of the
uniform. The pay grade is O-9 and is the same in the Army and the Air Force. In
the Navy and Coast Guard the rank is vice admiral, and is additionally indicated
with a two inch gold band topped with three one-inch gold bands and a gold star
in the Navy and gold shield in the Coast Guard on coat cuffs. Mostly gold
shoulder boards sport a silver foiled anchor and three silver stars.
Lifer
A person
apparently intending to serve on active duty until retirement. One with
extensive experience. (see
Refil)
Line
All rope and
cord used on board ship is called a line.
Line
Crossing Ceremony
1. Held when a
ship crosses the Equator. King Neptune and his court preside as Polliwogs are
turned into Shellbacks.
2. Similar
ceremonies are held when a ship crosses other international lines.
Line of
Communication
(Dominican
Republic) A series of roads leading from San Ysidro Airport west to the American
Embassy in San Domingo, Dominican Republic and passing the Presidential Palace.
The eastern half was controlled by the Army's 82nd Airborne Division while the
western half was Marine-occupied. In the Army half, troops were hiding behind
walls, firing at ghosts and on high alert. In the Marine sector, the Marines
were being house and fed by the locals who were doing laundry for them while the
Marines maintained control of the street from the cabana chairs on the front
porches.
Line Officer
A Navy officer
who is “with a ship of the line”; every officer not a staff officer such as
supply, medical, judge advocate, chaplain, etc.
Lipstick
In the mid-20th
Century, the lipstick worn by Women Marines was all the same shade; Montezuma
Red. The color survives in the color of the cord on the female enlisted Marine’s
garrison cap
Lipstick
Lieutenant
A pejorative
term for a Marine warrant officer. The term is derived from the fact that the
insignia for warrant officers are the first and second lieutenants’ gold and
silver bars with stripes of red. Well-liked warrant officers are informally
addressed as gunner, all others are addressed as Mister or warrant officer.
Liquid Asshole
Beer
Lister Bag
A long canvas
bag suspended on a tripod or from a tree limb containing drinking water. The
canvas would "sweat" and provide natural cooling for the water.
Loader
The tank crewman
on a gun tank responsible for operating the .30 caliber machine gun and loading
the 90 mm cannon.
Lock
and Load
The firing line
command to put the weapon's safety to the “on” position, load the weapon with
ammunition and await further orders from the range officer. In combat, an
informal command to prepare to fight.
LP
(Vietnam)
Listening Post usually set up at night to provide warning of an enemy attack.
LPC
Leather
Personnel Carriers. Shoes or boots.
LPH
Landing
Platform, Helicopter. World War II aircraft carriers converted to accommodate
squadrons of helicopters which could transport Marines behind enemy lines while
others attacked from the beachhead.
LPM
(see Landing
Party Manual.)
LSD
Landing Ship,
Dock. A ship designed by Admiral John Sidney McCain specifically for amphibious
operations. Its center is a floodable dock where Marines and their equipment can
be loaded into landing craft, which can then be floated out the aft door and
onto the beach.
LST
Landing Ship,
Tank. A ship designed to run its bow onto a beach with its bow doors open and
discharge Marines and their equipment directly into battle.
Lubriplate®.
A commercial
lubricant used to protect the wear points of weapons.
LVTP-7
Amphibious
Tractor (Amtrack). Transported Marines from an LST or LPD to and over the
beachhead, if necessary. Called Large Vulnerable Targets, they were renamed
AAVP-7 "Tuna Boats".
LZ
Helicopter
Landing Zone. A field position usually designated with a name (LZ Lark, LZ
Betty, LX Mouse).
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