Memories of the USMC on Memorial Day.

    Don't 'thank me'  for my service. The Marines were good to me and I have fond memories, though now long distant. Of course I was one of fortunate ones serving between the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
    Boot camp was three months, Sept-Dec. '59, in San Diego, followed by a month of infantry training regiment (ITR) at Camp Pendleton, CA. Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman so that training comes before the myriad other possible assignments. Following ITR I was assigned to a unit at Camp Pendleton. Working in the office of a rifle company I assisted with the the administrative duties of the company. Our company was approximately 50% like me, just out of boot camp, and the other 50% had just come back from a year in Asia. In June of '61 the 50% of experienced Marines left us, we received replacements from boot camp and we sailed for Asia. It took us 28 days via liberty ship to sail from San Diego to Okinawa.
     While home base was Okinawa we did cold weather training in Japan on the slopes of Mt. Fuji. This is why I have 200 color slides of Fuji. For several months our battalion was aboard the USS Princeton, LPH 5, an aircraft carrier converted to carry helicopters. This "ready battalion" duty was to provide a landing force for quick deployment in Asia. This time also included some time ashore, in the Philippine Islands, where we lived in former POW barracks at Subic Bay. When we returned to America, this trip on the Princeton only took two weeks, and the remixing of the company happened again. With my enlistment completed I was discharged.
      What did the Marines give me? A life long friend. Ed and I were in the same platoon in boot camp so we were acquaintances. Our real personal connection happened on the bus ride home after boot camp. Ed, headed for his home in eastern Iowa, and I to eastern South Dakota, shared a 24 hour ride to Omaha. Two mid-west farm boys discovered much in common. As luck would have it we were assigned to the same office in the rifle company after ITR. So, for the remained of my enlistment, we worked in the same office, he had the top bunk and I the lower, he had the right wall locker and I the left....
      After his discharge Ed worked for Alcoa Aluminium, in Bettendorf, IA for 40+ years while farming near Calamus. Through the years we stayed in touch and then I moved to Davenport, IA about 25 miles from Ed's farm. Living in Davenport from 1980-88 gave me much time with Ed and his family. It also gave time for Ed's wife, MaryJane, and Joanne to become very close friends. Not only that our children grew up together.  To celebrate the 50th anniversary of our boot camp experience Ed, MaryJane, Joanne and I traveled to San Diego to revel in our past glory. 😃
    There were many other less tangible benefits from the Marines; travel, time to mature, etc. Never did I consider re-enlisting but neither do I regret the experience. Semper Fi

Takk for alt,

Al
Finished another great book which I'll report later...

Ed & MaryJane welcoming me to their farm last year.