Rick Greenberg

Gunnery Sergeant Rick Greenberg, (Ret.) Gunny Greenberg was born on the south side of Chicago. Growing up there, he gained street smarts and learned how to survive. Gunnery Sergeant Greenberg wanted to be a Marine as far back as he could remember. Once he even lied about his age calling a local recruiter in order to receive Marine Corps brochures. As soon as he turned eighteen, and out of school, he joined the Corps and on the 10th of December, 1968, he stood on the yellow footprints in MCRD San Diego Ca. After completing basic training, Greeny, as he would later be called by his Recon buddies, was assigned to Mike Company, 2nd battalion, 2nd Marine Corps Infantry Training Regiment. After ITR, he was ordered to communications school in San Diego California where he received the MOS of, 2533, radio telegraph operator. A fancy term for a PRC 25 radio humper. His entire communication class graduated with orders for Vietnam. On September 10, 1969, Greeny landed at Da Nang Airport, Vietnam. He was stunned when he was assigned to the First Reconnaissance Battalion, an elite unit usually made up of volunteers. In the Corps, your MOS determines your mission, not what you volunteer for. They needed radio operators. Joining the battalion, Greeny received ten days of intense RIP (Recon Indoctrination Program) training. Greenberg was then assigned to Alpha Company, First Platoon, Alpha Ace. He soon learned, in order to stay alive in the jungles of Vietnam; he would have to gain what RIP couldn’t teach him…experience. He watched his team leader and fellow Marines and learned what it took to be a Recon Marine. After twelve months, he made it through his tour of duty and took the freedom bird home. He continued to serve the Corps in Engineer Support Company, Sixth Engineers Support Battalion and in 1990 was called into active duty to fight in the Gulf War. There, Staff Sergeant Greenberg was tasked as the chief convoy commander for Engineers Support Company. His mission, to keep the battalion forward resupplied, no matter what. Having to maneuver his trucks and men through sand storms and down single lane combat roads which laid perilously between Iraqi mine fields, Staff Sergeant Greenberg was always vigilant for the Iraqi artillery ambush. Staff Sergeant Greenberg, and his truck operators successfully kept battalion forward resupplied and helped transport hundreds of Iraqi prisoners back behind the American lines. He continued to serve his beloved Corps until his retirement in October, 1993 following a tragic accident that took his wife’s life, and had Gunny Greenberg lying in a coma for thirty days. He married his present wife Kim on May 24, 1994. On June 21, 2005 the Idalski/Greenberg’s became Gold Star Families after their son, SPC. Nick Idalski, gave his all and was killed during combat operations in Ramadi Iraq. Nick was only 23. The later years for Gunny Greenberg have been spent writing books, including his best-selling, and award winning novel, Silent Heroes, A Recon Marines Vietnam War Experience. It has ranked number one, for books on Vietnam throughout the USA. Silent Heroes has sold more than 22,000 thousand copies worldwide. His book has been read in places such as South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and in countries all across Europe and the East. His present work is the continuation of the life of Greeny. Here he writes about the years after Vietnam and leading to his time, serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. His latest release is Silent Valor, winner of the Gold Award with the Florida Writers Association's 2022 Royal Palm Literary Awards in History. The story of Echo 2, This book is about those men who left the safety of their village and went out to help fellow Marines surrounded by the NVA. Ont man in particular, Lance Corporal Don Talbot. This story is not something you will read in the Marine Corps news, this is a story of valor. Read my newest release, Silent Valor, One Man's Vietnam War. Gunny presently lives in a retirement community in central Florida where he spends his time writing and playing the piano. Semper Fi my fellow Marines. Remember, there is no such thing as a former Marine, only a Marine in a different uniform. Ooh Rah. Gunny G Web site: rickgreenbergauthor.com Trailer: https://goo.gl/gTRGjf