United States Marine Corps in the 1960s

Between June 1962 and the end of September 1966 I served in the United States Marine Corps. Only in retrospect have I realized that I witnessed in person some significant events in our nation's (and world) history.

Some months ago I began retrieving my records, any record, from that period of time and I am documenting and indexing the collected information for those years. Hopefully, if I have the time, I will write my memoirs but only for those four-plus years in USMC.

On Christmas Eve day, 1963 I arrived at Naha, Okinawa after crossing the Pacific Ocean on a 30-day voyage. Prior to this new assignment I served at Parris Island, SC (boot camp), Camp Geiger, NC (Infantry Training Regiment), and the Second Marine Air Wing at Cherry Point, NC.

When I first reported to Cherry Point in October, 1962 I found mayhem. The Cuban Missile Crisis had just begun. It seemed like all of the Marines and Airmen from Cherry Point, Camp LeJeune, and Seymore Johnson AFB (Goldsboro, NC) were present at Cherry Point. Their families were there, too. No room, no space. People were living in cars, trucks, jeeps. We thought this would be the end. But, about Okinawa ...

I was on Okinawa in 1964 when the Alaskan earthquake sent tsunami waves across the Pacific. The tsunami barely affected Okinawa but it brought death and destruction to people in Washington state, Oregon, and northern California - not to mention Alaska itself and Canada. Most people do not know this.

The Bob Hope USO show came to Okinawa while I was there. It was around Christmas time 1964. I got close enough to take pictures of Mr. Hope and the many movie stars of that era.

The President of Indonesia changed planes on Okinawa en route to NYC to withdraw his country from the United Nations. The U.S. government would not allow the Indonesian plane to land on U.S. soil. So, the Indonesian president transferred to an American military plane on Okinawa.

I was a member of the Third Marine Division Band. The band plus four platoons from the Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marines rendered a honor guard parade salute to the Indonesian leader, twice - arriving and departing. He received four ruffles and flourishes as for any head of state. That was in January, 1965, I think.

Also while on Okinawa, two Viet Cong (VC) PT boats attempted to torpedo two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam. Within two days it seemed to me like the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet was anchored the harbor leading to the East China Sea below my barracks on Okinawa . The sight of all those ships reminded me of the old TV series "Victory at Sea." The sight of all those ships also brought the thought of World War III.

I returned to the U.S. in late January, 1965 and was stationed at what was then called Marine Corps Schools (MCS) in Quantico, Virginia. Our band, during the final five or six months of my extended enlistment, spent much of its time at Arlington Cemetery marching through its winding walkway paths and playing music (funeral dirges) for deceased Marines from the then-hot Vietnam War. On some of those days at Arlington, four military bands lined up for funerals in rotation.

On September 30, 1966 I was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps.