The Marine Corps Years 1962 - 1972 (Active Duty 1966 - 1969)
"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"
- William J. Bennett In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997
I was literally raised in the Marine Corps. The first thing I remember, was being 3 years old and World War II ending.
My father was a Marine Officer (a pioneer in the Marine Corps Radar Squadron History) and when he returned to teach college after WWII, he recruited other Marines to get their college education, and my first memory was a house full of Marines getting their physicals and psychological exams, in order to achieve admittance into the college my father taught.
At 3 years of age, I made up my mind to be a Marine, and upon graduation from high school, I immediately signed up with their OfficerCandidateSchool, and my father swore me in.
I chose to become a Marine Officer and in order to do so, I had to get my college degree, which I did in 1966, and 3 months later, in December 1966, I had gold bars on my shoulders.
7 months later, I landed in DaNang, Republic Of Vietnam, and soon was stationed in PhuBai where I stayed for the duration of my tour of duty and was able to participate in the Tet Offensive of 1968 and the Battle For Hue.
All Marines need a little war to participate in, and my dream had come true. I had become a Marine Combat Veteran, had come within inches of loosing my life, and experienced emotions I simply couldn't have realized had I not taken the opportunity to volunteer to serve in Vietnam, where I received an education that has benefited me from that time on.
In Vietnam, for the first time in my life, I became very familiar with death, fear, atrocities, glory, defeat, and survival.
An education you can't get in college, and it's value to me became more important than any education money could buy.
Surviving situations that put people in harms way , may possibly lead to one's own death, reduces fear of death and failure, and with diminished fear of death and failure, and the ability to act without emotion, you can become free to emerse yourself in life's experiences, and you become in charge of your own destiny.
I was blessed with those lessons and many others I learned in Vietnam.
Some good, some bad, but all worthwhile lessons in reality.
I was literally raised in the Marine Corps. The first thing I remember, was being 3 years old and World War II ending.
My father was a Marine Officer (a pioneer in the Marine Corps Radar Squadron History) and when he returned to teach college after WWII, he recruited other Marines to get their college education, and my first memory was a house full of Marines getting their physicals and psychological exams, in order to achieve admittance into the college my father taught.
At 3 years of age, I made up my mind to be a Marine, and upon graduation from high school, I immediately signed up with their OfficerCandidateSchool, and my father swore me in.
I chose to become a Marine Officer and in order to do so, I had to get my college degree, which I did in 1966, and 3 months later, in December 1966, I had gold bars on my shoulders.
7 months later, I landed in DaNang, Republic Of Vietnam, and soon was stationed in PhuBai where I stayed for the duration of my tour of duty and was able to participate in the Tet Offensive of 1968 and the Battle For Hue.
All Marines need a little war to participate in, and my dream had come true. I had become a Marine Combat Veteran, had come within inches of loosing my life, and experienced emotions I simply couldn't have realized had I not taken the opportunity to volunteer to serve in Vietnam, where I received an education that has benefited me from that time on.
In Vietnam, for the first time in my life, I became very familiar with death, fear, atrocities, glory, defeat, and survival.
An education you can't get in college, and it's value to me became more important than any education money could buy.
Surviving situations that put people in harms way , may possibly lead to one's own death, reduces fear of death and failure, and with diminished fear of death and failure, and the ability to act without emotion, you can become free to emerse yourself in life's experiences, and you become in charge of your own destiny.
I was blessed with those lessons and many others I learned in Vietnam.
Some good, some bad, but all worthwhile lessons in reality.
I was literally raised in the Marine Corps. The first thing I remember, was being 3 years old and World War II ending.
My father was a Marine Officer (a pioneer in the Marine Corps Radar Squadron History) and when he returned to teach college after WWII, he recruited other Marines to get their college education, and my first memory was a house full of Marines getting their physicals and psychological exams, in order to achieve admittance into the college my father taught.
At 3 years of age, I made up my mind to be a Marine, and upon graduation from high school, I immediately signed up with their OfficerCandidateSchool, and my father swore me in.
I chose to become a Marine Officer and in order to do so, I had to get my college degree, which I did in 1966, and 3 months later, in December 1966, I had gold bars on my shoulders.
7 months later, I landed in DaNang, Republic Of Vietnam, and soon was stationed in PhuBai where I stayed for the duration of my tour of duty and was able to participate in the Tet Offensive of 1968 and the Battle For Hue.
All Marines need a little war to participate in, and my dream had come true. I had become a Marine Combat Veteran, had come within inches of loosing my life, and experienced emotions I simply couldn't have realized had I not taken the opportunity to volunteer to serve in Vietnam, where I received an education that has benefited me from that time on.
In Vietnam, for the first time in my life, I became very familiar with death, fear, atrocities, glory, defeat, and survival.
An education you can't get in college, and it's value to me became more important than any education money could buy.
Surviving situations that put people in harms way , may possibly lead to one's own death, reduces fear of death and failure, and with diminished fear of death and failure, and the ability to act without emotion, you can become free to emerse yourself in life's experiences, and you become in charge of your own destiny.
I was blessed with those lessons and many others I learned in Vietnam.
Some good, some bad, but all worthwhile lessons in reality.
