above: Danang, Vietnam
--1965

left: Commissioning Day
--September 30, 1966

Vietnam
1969

Tough Duty--R&R

Sydney, Australia
September, 1969

After graduation in June of 56, I took the summer off to play knowing what was ahead. Reported to Parris Island in October of 56 for the time of my life. Damn those DI's were mean. We graduated from boot camp in Jan 57 and I had a set of orders to Okinawa in my hands. It's really an eye opener your first experience in a foreign country at the tender age of 19. While there I had the opportunity to visit Japan and the Phillipines. I could go on all day about those trips but suffice to say it was great.

Upon my return to the States I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC for a year where I reenlisted and received orders to Charlottesville Va. for 3 years. I ran into Charlie Forte at a Wake Forest-Virginia basketball game and the two of us got into a world of trouble with his coach, but that's another story. I met and married my first wife while in Charlottesville; that one lasted 10 years and produced 2 sons, Joe and Ken, both now living in California. The tour in Charlottesville couldn't end soon enough as I wanted to get back to the real Marine Corps.

In 62 we wound up at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, NC. After 2 years of relative peace and calm I was transferred to a unit getting ready to mount out to Okinawa and ultimately Vietnam. We made a beach landing at Danang in April 65. What a rush!!! It wasn't too long after we experienced our first actual combat. One hell of a rush!!! Managed to make it out in one piece and that is when the big ride started. Promotions were running wild and I guess I was at the right place at the right time. In 2 years(66-68) I held 5 ranks (all going up too) I was a Sgt, SSgt, Gysgt, 2nd Lt, and a 1stLt.

By late 66 I was at Quantico, Va when the Dept of Defense noted that the Marine Corps had a supply system unique to itself. As a result we couldn't support or be supported by any of the other services. I wound up as a member of a hand-picked task force charged with rewriting the entire Marine Corps supply system. Once we completed this(18 months) I was given a plum assignment which bored me no end. Since I also had my fill of the DC party life, I volunteered to go back to Nam for a tour as an officer. We got reacquainted with Danang and found some new ones like Dong Son 2 and the lovely An Hoa. Both had some very memorable moments.

I came back to the States to Cherry Point again where I met and married my 2nd wife.Wound up with 4 step kids and now 4 grandchildren and 2 great grandsons.This marraige lasted 20 years.

I retired in 76 as a Captain and went to work for Austin Foods Co.(Snack Crackers) as a cost accountant, then accounting manager and finally warehousing manager. After leaving Austin, I went into sales, got my real estate license and found my niche. Along the way I found my 3rd and final wife who has really made life great. I finally figured out the marraige thing for me. I just hadn't gone far enough south to find the right gal. My 1st was from Va., my 2nd from NC and my 3rd from Alabama. The further south you go the better it gets.

After 20 years in the Raleigh NC area, we decided we were in a rat race and the rats were winning, so we picked up and moved to the North Carolina coast. Although Maggie is still working(she's much younger than I) I'm retired and enjoying the hell out of it. I can't wait till she has enough time with the State Dept of Marine Fisheries so she can retire with me. We play a lot of golf and drink a lot of beer and tell war stories with the other military retirees. We are only 13 miles from Cherry Point and 25 miles from Camp Lejeune so when we moved here it was like coming home.Yes life is good.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the mini in March and the BIG ONE in 06.

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