I graduated from High school in 1964 and went to Illinois State University.  I tired of the academic life and left college at mid-term, January 1966,  my sophomore year.  I received my draft notice a few days later and was told to report to the SS Induction Depot at St Louis, Mo. on February 3rd, 1966.  There were 156 of us at the Induction Depot.  They needed three "volunteers" to go to the Marine Corps and everyone else would go to the Army.  My name was called as one of those "volunteers".  I realized then this was going no place but down hill.

I was immediately whisked away to San Diego MRTD for basic training.  I made up my mind that if I had to go fight a war I might as well go with the best.  The Corps was the place for that. I certainly didn't do anything to distinguish myself in boot camp other than shooting expert on the rifle range.  I was a farm boy so plunking a few targets wasn't any big deal.  During this phase of basic training I decided I didn't want to be an 0300 (grunt) so I extended for two more years with a guarantee of going into the aviation field.  

Next came three weeks of ITR at Camp Pendleton.   At the end of ITR I made PFC.   I got two weeks leave before reporting to Millington, Tennessee  for aviation training.  After testing they said I would make a good tin bender (6042).  Because I was a PFC I was put in charge of one of the Barracks.  My basic function was to make sure it was clean and to issue and hand out weekend passes (see footnote story below).  At the end of training I was promoted to LCPL.  Next came thirty days leave and orders for Vietnam.  

I arrived in Da Nang in October, 1966 and reported to Marble Mountain.  My time was spent between HMM-263, MAG-16 and HMH-463.  With both squadrons I was a door/window gunner (6167).  I had a lot of M-60 seat time.  I fixed bullet holes, other battle damage and removed a lot of panels for the hydraulic guys when not flying.  While there I crewed on  CH-34's, CH-46's (just a couple) and CH-53's.  I was DET to Dong Ha for 3 or 4 months.  I flew around 180 missions and received 9 air medals.  I was promoted to CPL during my tour.  I left Vietnam in November 1967.  More leave and orders to MARTD Atlanta, Ga.  

MARTD Atlanta was a reserve training depot which was starting up a new squadron of CH-34's.  They were the pits.  Most of them were rejects from Nam.  I worked on the "Dogs" and f-8 Crusaders.  Got myself promoted to SGT while there (am I on the fast track or what!).  We did a lot of burial details.  Dress blues are hot in the summer time.  After a year or so I was very disgruntled with REMF politics and because I had a brother, Carl, who was with the 2/9 Marines in Ashau valley, I decided to head back to the lovely far east.  

I arrived in Da Nang in February, 1969.  I made a formal request not go back to a helicopter squadron because I didn't want to fly (chicken, maybe) anymore.  I was assigned to VMA(AW)242, an A6a squadron, stationed in Da Nang (see accompanying 242 links on main tribute page).  I was put in charge of the night metal shop.  I had the best bunch of Marines anyone could ask for as a crew.  I only had one problem child, who was a retreaded grunt, and I got him transferred back on days so the gunny could deal with him.  Most of my time was spent FO or doing aircraft maintenance inspections for quality assurance control.  When FO I rode with the duty driver (who just happen to be Mike Pearl) as "shotgun".  We transported the pilots between the hooch area and the ready shack for their night flight missions.  They wanted to promote me to SSGT but said I needed to re-up.  I told them to put that promotion where the sun don't shine!  My discharge date was actually up (Feb. 3rd, 1970) before I was to rotate back to the land of the big PX.  I told the MGSGT on several occasions (once a month for the first nine months) this was the case.  In true Marine Corps fashion he said "Not to worry; just get in line".  On February 4th I marched into the admin area and said I'm ready to go home.  The crap hit the fan.  Within 2 hours I was setting at Freedom Hill awaiting the next plane out of Nam.  Because my discharge date had come and gone they could not put me on administrative hold.  I got out, officially, 8 days later.  It cost the Corps dearly (civilian pay) for those 8 days.

OK, I'm a free man now so I joined the Reserves, didn't like it, got out and burnt the uniforms.  I went to work for Southern Bell in Atlanta, Ga. in March, 1970. I finished my college degree in the 1970's (even made the Dean's list a couple of times). I've been a pretty happy and very lucky ex-jarhead for the last 30 years.  I've had a few problems.  I'm my own best friend; I like being alone; hate authoritarian figures; have trouble sleeping, etc.  Sound familiar to anyone?  But generally I do OK.  Most of my healing has come about because of my best Nam friend, Mike Pearl.  We've cried a lot, rejoiced a lot and drank plenty of Drambuie and Rusty Nails.

Footnote story

While I was in charge of the barracks in Millington, I befriended a Marine who was on administrative hold.  He was working in the admin area of the base.  One weekend he needed a pass to get off base to visit his mother who was very ill.  He was on the duty roster for the weekend so he wasn't suppose to leave base.  After hearing his story, and me being the sucker that I am, I gave him a weekend pass and said I would cover for him.  I told him if he went AWOL, I'd personally hunt him down, and bring him back without all of his anatomy!  Well to make a long story short, when he got back, he marked my personnel folder as being a VIP.  He inserted a document, forged some signatures, saying I was Everett Dirkson's grandson!  Dirkson was a Senator from Illinois (my home state) and head of the Armed Forces Committee.  I did not find this out until I was being discharged (I wanted to know why my folder had different colors than everyone else's)!  I had life very easy during my four years in the Marine Corps.  I got the promotions when I didn't do anything out of the ordinary to deserve them.  I cussed out the Officer of the Day (a Navy puke) during one of my drunken weekends while at MARTD Atlanta.  I got an article 15 and a butt chewing.  It never made it to my personnel file.  The CO said the OD was a short timer and didn't want to mess up his discharge date.  I was given the night crew in Nam when there was a senior SGT there.  I got caught (along with Mike Pearl) with booze in our hooch over the Christmas holidays.  All we got were a butt chewing.    Lord, I wish I could remember that Marine's name!  Thank You, where ever you are, from the bottom of my heart for everything that kind gesture done for me while in the Corps.