When I was a Recon Marine our T/O weapon was the M1A1
sub-machine gun (grease gun).

Our job was to observe and report. The perfect mission was to go ashore and cover the ground thoroughly and exit with out the enemy knowing we had been there.

"Swift, Silent, Deadly" is the motto for these battalions and the knife and garrote were the perfered weapons used to maintain the low profile required for this sort of work.

The grease guns were for last resort defense only. They were made by the IDEAL Toy Co. of Newark, NJ.

At a 2nd Marine Division Parade for Sec. Def. Mac Namara, my platoon was stuck on the end of the 6th Marine Regt. and was the only unit wearing the WWII Camo Pattern utilities.

The Sec. Def. was impressed enough to climb off his Jeep and question the Div. Commander and some of the troops in the platoon.

He asked me if I knew who the manufacturer of my sub machine gun was. I proudly came to attention, then port arms and opened the breech cover and showed him the Ideal Toy Logo on the inside of the cover plate.

He returned to his jeep.