Home / Website Contributors For Those Who Contribute By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 Some of the intel and photos on this site come straight from the salty dogs of VMFP-3 and a few die-hard RF-4B Phantom junkies. One of those was Rich Rentrop. Kid grew up lurking around MCAS El Toro, probably with his nose pressed to the fence every time an RF-4B screamed overhead. Fast forward a few years, and Rich decided he was going to document every last nut and bolt of the RF-4B and the squadrons, CJ-1, 2, 3, and VMFP-3. With a little help from the old breed (yours truly included), Rich cranked out a monster history and slapped it onto a CD-ROM. Details are below. Big thanks to everyone who helped keep the squadron’s story from getting lost in the soup. 
) RF-4B Phantom II USMC Tactical Reconnaissance CD By by Lee R. DeHaven & Richard Rentrop / Updated Dec. 2025 This CD was the full Marine Corps dog-and-pony show: RF-4B development, production, and every unit that ever got its mitts on a Phantom. There’s even an appendix tracking each bird from the day it rolled off the line to the day it got sent to the boneyard. The thing is loaded, over 100 drawings, 400 color photos, cockpit layouts, paint jobs, you name it. All digital, so you could zoom in and drool over every rivet if that’s your thing. Standard PDF, so even a boot could figure it out. Sadly, Rich has moved on to greener pastures, and the CD is about as available these days as a cold beer on duty night Commendation Medal By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 This one’s for Lt Col. Larry Rannals, the kind of Marine who did Da Nang in '68 with VMCJ-3 and then came back for seconds as VMFP-3 CO in '82-83. The man didn’t just collect squadron memorabilia; he ran a one-man museum, complete with labels, boxes, and enough packing tape to mummify a Lance Corporal. Then he shipped the whole treasure trove to me, probably so I’d stop pestering him for sea stories. Larry’s the real deal: Officer, Gentleman, and the only CO who could herd this pack of recce misfits without losing his mind. Honored to have served under his command. Semper Fi, you magnificent devil dog. Photo Bomber Crew By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 Meet the Photo Bomber Crew: a bunch of hard-charging Marines who crawled through attics and rat-infested crawlspaces that even the local possums had written off, all to dig up boxes of VMFP-3 relics. These legends carpet-bombed my inbox with so many old photos that NCIS got nervous, so I slapped them into an album for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy all the FUBAR. Sgt. Thomas Hotchkiss Photos of 1981 Det Charlie at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. Sgt. Mark Hensons Photos of Det Charlie on the USS Midway, Phillipines. Sgt. Jeff Mattson Photos of different TADs, Phillipines, Olangapo City. Sgt. William "Buck" Buckalew Photos of barracks life and various TAD deployments. Meritorious Mast By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 Big shoutout to all my fellow Gyrenes who crawled out of your hooches long enough to send in your questionable stories and even more questionable photos. Thanks to your efforts, the legend of VMFP-3 will live on, instead of sinking into the black hole where lost promotions cards go. If I forgot anyone, chalk it up to brain fade and feel free to line me up for a pink belly at the next muster. You all made this site the glorious mess it is, Semper Gumby, you magnificent Knucle-draggers and flyboys.
Thank you GySgt. Charlie Deuel By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 I’m not the only squadron doodler out there; there’s a whole rogue’s gallery of us who’ve spent years immortalizing our misadventures in ink, usually when we were supposed to be working. That sketch on the left? I cranked that out in the early 80s and handed it off to GySgt. Charlie Deuel from QA, right before he hung up his boots. I’ve been scribbling and passing out my masterpieces for decades, never sure if they ended up in a place of honor or lining someone’s birdcage. Fast forward forty years, and out of the blue, Gunny emails me a photo of that very drawing. Turns out he kept it all this time, either he’s sentimental or just forgot to throw it out. The one on the right? Same vintage, same questionable artistic choices. Big salute to all the squadron artists out there keeping the tradition alive.
Alright, you glorious Rat Phixers and Phlyers, if we ever survived a TAD, a Det, or a BOHICA, who haven't, and you didn’t think I was the biggest gaff off in the squadron. Got a sea story, or some grainy photos your ex didn’t set on fire, and they’re only slightly illegal? Send ‘em by email, snail mail, or safety wire it to a carrier pigeon. I collect ‘em all, just nothing that would incriminate me. 80svmfp3@gmail.com Return To The Home Page  |
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