April - May - June 2015 - 1st Marine Division Association

Transcription

Vol. LXiV w No. 2
April - May - June 2015
The Official Publication of the 1st Marine Division Association, Incorporated
n 1st Marine Division Association Reunion 2015 n
Information and Registration: Pgs 16 – 18
O Guadalcanal O New Britain O Peleliu O Okinawa O North China O
O Korea O Vietnam O Kuwait O Somalia O Afghanistan O Iraq O
Departments
The 1st Marine
Division Association
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES 2015
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
All Elected Officers Are Members
Of Executive Committee
President
Arthur John (AJ) Burn
107 Ervin Ave, Linwood, PA 19061-4315
Home (610) 497-7164 Cell (610) 494-5818
Email [email protected]
Vice President
Vincent Rios
2024 Greenway Crossing, Haslet, TX 76052
Home (817) 847-9937 Cell (817-304-3596
Deputy Vice President, East
Carl Wenhold
508 E. 6th St, Lansdale, PA 19446-2742
Home (215) 362-6910 Cell (215) 350-4034
Deputy Vice President, Central
Ed (Tex) Stiteler
210 Funston Pl, San Antonio, TX 78209-6500
Home (210) 828-5775 Cell (210) 378-4860
Deputy Vice President, West
James A Fossos
20730 7th Ave S, Des Moines, WA 98198-3407
Home (206) 824-8537 Cell (206) 518-7075
Secretary
Michael L. Galyean
746 McIntyre Ave., Winter Park FL 32789
Home (407) 740-5097 Cell (321) 276-7515
Treasurer
James Zalpis
884 Vallecito Dr., Ventura, CA 93001
Home (805) 643-3295 Cell (805) 340-0976
Legal Officer
David M. Franklin
P.O. Box 3253, Palm Desert CA 92261
Home (760) 349-0035
Chaplain
William (Denny) Weisgerber
195 Casper St, Milpitas, CA 95035-4842
Home (408) 262-1776 Cell (408)221-6607
Sergeant-At-Arms
George A Sager
1025 Lupine Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448-3436
Home (707) 433-2044 Cell (707) 696-0504
w
w
w
Association Staff
June Cormier – Membership Coordinator
1902 Wright Place, Ste. 200, Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 918-5801 FAX: (760) 918-5803
Email: [email protected]
2
Editor, The Old Breed News
Arthur G. Sharp
895 Ribaut Rd., #13, Beaufort, SC 29902
(860) 202-3088
Publisher
Finisterre Publishing Incorporated
3 Black Skimmer Ct., Beaufort, SC 29907
(843) 521-1896
April - May - May June 2015
President’s Message............................................................................3
Blue Diamond Team/Southern Cross Team ....................................5
Feedback/Letters to the Editor ........................................................14
Quests & Queries ..............................................................................19
Chapter Scuttlebutt ..........................................................................20
Reunion Calendar..............................................................................21
Contributions to the First Marine Division Association ..................22
Welcome Aboard ..............................................................................29
Official 1st Marine Division Association PX ....................................30
Taps....................................................................................................31
News & Notes
Tribute to Grunt Padre, Capodanno’s Medal of Honor
dedicated to chapel ......................................................................................4
Thanks For Your Service ..............................................................................6
Drummed Out Of The Corps ......................................................................8
Remembering Operation Hastings ............................................................12
Korean War Memorial Groundbreaking Scheduled ..................................13
Serving Sea Services; Eighth chaplain of the Marine Corps
laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery ..............................................................15
First Marine Division Association Reunion ....................................16
Support for the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Memorial....19
The Tragedy of War..........................................................................24
MARSOC Marine receives Navy Cross ............................................27
Navy Cross Recipient Thomas P. McGuire Guarding Gates
of Heaven..........................................................................................28
COVER: 7th Marines conduct embassy reinforcement training. Marines and Sailors with Company K,
3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, triage and evacuate role-playing victims of a simulated vehicleborne improvised explosive device during an embassy reinforcement scenario on Joint Forces
Training Base Los Alamitos, Feb. 12, 2015. This training was a part of the Special Purpose Marine
Air Ground Task Force Crisis Response – Central Command – 15.2 certification exercise, conducted
across several locations in the Western United States. The purpose of the CERTEX was to test and
certify SPMAGTF CR-CC 15.2 across a broad spectrum of mission essential tasks.
The
Old Breed News
The Old Breed News (USPS 599-860) ISSN: 0745-287X is published four times a year during the months
of March, June, September, and December by the 1st Marine Division Association, Inc., 1902 Wright
Place, Suite 200, Carlsbad, CA 92008; Phone: 760-918-5801; FAX: 760-918-5803. Email:
[email protected]; Web Site: www.1stMarineDivisionAssociation.org.
Postmaster: Send address changes to The Old Breed News, 1902 Wright Place, Ste 200, Carlsbad, CA
92008. Periodical postage paid at Carlsbad, California and at additional mailing offices.
This publication may be quoted without permission if the 1st Marine Division Association is credited. The
Association requests a copy of any such use.
Directors at Large – 2015
Steve (Doc) Lakernick
162 Knittle Rd, Kutztown, PA 19530
Home (215) 850-8313
Lee Rux
15111 Sun Spur, San Antonio, TX 78232-4624
Home (210) 499-0707 Cell (210) 213-3453
Jerry Johs
4057 W. Hwy 21, Paige, TX 78659-4221
Cell (503) 784-7697
The Old Breed News
President’s Message
AJ Burn
T
he San Diego Reunion is approaching
fast. I hope you have made your hotel
reservations and travel arrangements and
completed your registrations. Those members who attended last year’s reunion have
a unique opportunity to visit both boot
camps in back-to-back years. If you
missed last year’s get-together, do not miss
this chance to visit MCRD San Diego.
Unfortunately, our anticipated visit to
MCRD was to include a recruit graduation. Due to unforeseen changes, there will
be no graduation that day. Instead, the visit
will include a tour of the base, a visit to the
MCRD Museum, and lunch at the
Bayview Restaurant. It will be an enjoyable tour nonetheless.
The Memorial Service, always a significant event, will be subject to a time
change this year. Traditionally held on
Friday morning, this year the service will
be held in the evening. It is hoped that this
will result in increased attendance. It is an
important function of the reunion to honor
those who served and have died.
I realize that as we advance in years,
our numbers of friends living grows smaller and deceased friends grows larger. I
have heard some members express this as
a reason to stop attending reunions. My
response to that idea is to urge all to continue to the reunions and meet new friends.
Expand your horizons.
For years now I have heard talk that we
needed to change our management style.
We needed to adapt to the newer technologies and attract the younger Marines from
the recent conflicts. We must adjust to the
changing revenue streams. We have made
a start on those changes.
A Reorganization Committee has been
established to study the various forms of
management that would suit the FMDA.
They will submit those proposals at the
Board of Directors and General
Membership Meetings. I urge all to attend
and hear the committee’s proposals, ask
questions, supply input, and vote on the
FMDA’s future.
Now, when I say future, understand that
Check your label
Your Unit & Service Era
Check your name and
address ( Apt./Bldg/Lot
No.). Notify the
Membership Chairman
if you find an error. If
your zip code does
not contain 9 digits
(zip+4), your address
is not correct according
to the USPS. Contact
your local Post Office
for proper format.
Membership Dues Expiration Date:
Month and Year (Life = 0000)
*************************************AUTO**5-DIGIT 12345
I-3-5 WWII
0215
JOHN Q MARINE
1234 MAIN STREET
YOURTOWN US 12345-1111
DELIVERY POINT BARCODE
MEMBERSHIP REPORT 02-24-2015
Life
7,251
Annual
1,285
Assoc. Annual
116
Friend
9
Total
8,661
Deadlines OBN Material: 2015
The new quarterly publication schedule dictates that we change deadline dates by which
we must receive material. Here is the schedules for the next issue:
ISSUE
PERIOD
DEADLINE
1st Quarter
Jan/Feb/Mar
1 February
2nd Quarter
Apr/May/Jun
1 May
3rd Quarter
Jul/Aug/Sep
1 August
4th Quarter
Oct/Nov/Dec
1 November
Please submit your material to OBN Editor, 152 Sky View Drive, Rocky Hill, CT 06067 or
email it to [email protected].
The Old Breed News
I believe in the future.
I am not one to preach
doom and the end of
the Association. Too
many good Marines
worked too hard for so long that we will
not fade away. It may take hard work and
harder decisions, but the 1st Marine
Division will endure. We can’t pass the
buck. There can be no individual winners,
only the FMDA.
If you have not voted, please mail in
your ballots. With only one person listed
per office, the possibility of a write-in
makes for an interesting dynamic in this
year’s election.
Semper Fidelis,
AJ Burn
What will your
legacy be?
L
eave a legacy of support to the FMDA
Scholarship Fund as a Member of the
Blue Diamond Legacy.
When you include the Scholarship Fund
in your estate plan, whether through a
bequest in your will or trust, a life income
gift, or simply naming the Scholarship
Fund as a beneficiary of an account or
insurance policy, and you notify us of
your gift, you’ll become a member of our
Blue Diamond Legacy. These essential
funds help us to continue to offer scholarships to deserving dependents of qualified
members of the FMDA.
As a member of the Blue Diamond
Legacy, you’ll receive:
• Membership in the Blue Diamond
Legacy
• Recognition in the Old Breed News
• Recognition on our website
• A Blue Diamond Legacy Pin
• Satisfaction that you will be helping a
deserving student
And more.
For more information about the Blue
Diamond Legacy and its important role in
supporting deserving students, call 760962-8561 or John Stevens at 415-9211933.
3
Tribute to Grunt Padre, Capodanno’s Medal of
Honor dedicated to chapel
By Sgt. Melissa Karnath
4
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Virginia — Amidst the flying
bullets, explosions and chaos of an
ambush, a chaplain hurries from one
wounded Marine to the next.
Wounded and refusing medical evacuation, he seeks to locate, comfort, minister and provide any aid he can to
injured troops. Sighting a corpsman
wounded in the leg and unable to move,
the unarmed chaplain hurries to help.
Machine gun fire cuts through the air
and hits the chaplain with more than 25
bullets as he reaches the corpsman.
Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno gave
his life providing support to his service
members. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry
and heroic conduct while serving with
the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment
in Vietnam, September 4, 1967.
Capodanno’s Medal of Honor was
donated by his family, and dedicated to
the Capodanno Chapel at The Basic
School at Marine Corps Base Quantico,
Virginia December 9, 2014.
The tiny chapel was packed with
Marine veterans who served with the
5th Marine Regiment in Vietnam, many
chaplains of the United States Navy and
active duty Marines. They all listened
silently about Capodanno’s life and sacrifice.
“This event is about the heart and the
character of a man,” said Rear Adm.
Brent Scott, 19th Chaplain of the
Marine Corps and Deputy Chief of
Navy Chaplains. “The story of Chaplain
Capodanno is a story of real courage. It
was who he was called to be to those
Marines.”
Throughout the ceremony the audience of Marines and Navy chaplains
learned how Capodanno was a constant
companion to his Marines. He became
known as the “Grunt Padre” because he
lived, ate and slept in the same conditions as the Marines.
The chaplain also established
libraries, gathered and distributed gifts,
Chaplain Capodanno’s MOH
Capodanno served as a Navy
chaplain with 3rd Battalion,
5th Marine Regiment during
the Vietnam War and was
posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor for his
actions. Capodanno’s Medal
of Honor was recently donated to the chapel and was dedicated during the ceremony.
and organized outreach programs for
the locals. He spent hours reassuring
the weary, consoling the grieving, listening to confessions and guiding converts.
“Father Capodanno felt adamantly
called to serve the Marines in Vietnam
as a Navy chaplain,” said Lt.
Christopher Earley, Chaplain of The
Marine Vietnam veterans and their spouses listen
intently to speakers at the Lt. Vincent Capodanno
Medal of Honor Dedication at the Capodanno
Chapel aboard The Basic School, Marine Corps
Base Quantico, Virginia, December 9, 2014.
Basic School. “After his tour, he was
granted a six-month extension.
“Close to the end of that extension he
requested an additional two month
extension in order to provide services
for his Marines during the upcoming
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.”
During the dedication ceremony
Capodanno’s Medal of Honor was
unveiled followed by the reading of the
citation.
“This is a story of the great partnership between the Navy and Marine
Corps,” said Col. Christian Wortman,
commanding officer of The Basic
School. “It is an incredible honor for
The Basic School to be able to honor
the service and the memory of Father
Capodanno.
“This is a tribute to our Navy brothers and sisters, who serve wherever
Marines serve and caring for them in
their most desperate hours. We will be
proud hosts to this medal and proud
keepers of this memory.”
The ceremony concluded with the
playing of taps by Cpl. Derrek
Eldredge, trumpet player for the
Quantico Marine Corps Band, followed
by the playing of Anchors Aweigh and
the Marines’ Hymn.
“In an interview last year, Capt. Eli
Takesian, the eighth Chaplain of the
Marine Corps, who knew Chaplain
Capodanno very well reflected on the
impact of Chaplain C’s sacrificial
death,” Scott said. “He said, ‘I remember one Marine immediately after hearing the news of Chaplain Capodanno’s
death was so choked up and asking how
Chaplain Capodanno could allow his
own life to be taken when he loved life
so much.’ Eli Takesian answered, ‘It
was precisely because he loved life and
the lives of others, that he freely gave
his own.”
http://media.dma.mil/2014/Dec/12/200
0957243/-1/-1/0/141209-M-RX595183.JPG
Speaking of Takesian...See the story on
page 15
The Old Breed News
5
The Old Breed News
Thanks For Your Service
This is the first in a series of articles about First Marine Division
Association members who have gone the extra mile for the good of
the organization. We start with Lieutenant Colonel John Stevens,
USMC (Ret.)
O
6
n 1 May 1962, LtCol John R. Stevens retired from the
Marine Corps after nearly 23 years of service to the
Corps.
John Stevens was born on April 22, 1921 in Butte, Montana. He
enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1939. After completing boot training at the Recruit Depot in San Diego, and attending Field
Telephone School at the Signal Detachment, San Diego, he was
assigned to the 1st Defense Battalion. The 1st Defense Battalion
was moved to Pearl Harbor in February 1941 aboard the USS
Enterprise. Detachments of the 1st Defense Battalion were sent to
Wake Island, Palmyra Island, and Johnson Island.
Late in 1941, LtCol Stevens, then Sgt., was among a group
from the 1st Defense Bn. who were sent to Midway on a relief mission, returning shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7
December 1941. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, the remnants of the 1st
Defense Battalion that were still at Pearl Harbor were moved to
Palmyra Island. LtCol Stevens was field commissioned a second
lieutenant, from Master Technical Sergeant, in August 1942, on
Palmyra. Subsequent to that he was sent back to Midway to act as
the communications officer for Sand Island.
Lt Stevens returned to the U.S. in July 1943. After a short tour
as a coding officer for Gen HM Smith at Camp Elliot, he was
assigned to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey for further training. This
was followed by a number of other training assignments before he
was assigned to the 1st Marine Division in 1944 as executive officer of the 1st Signal Company, on Pavuvu Island, Russell Island
group. While in this capacity, LtCol Stevens, then Captain, participated in the assault and subsequent occupation of Okinawa.
From August 1945 until June 1946, Capt Stevens served as the
communications officer of the 7th Marines during the occupation
of North China, based at Peitaiho Beach, North China. He returned
to the U.S. in June 1946. After a tour as the Communications
Officer for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, then
Capt Stevens was sent to a one-year tour at the electronic engineering school in Great Lakes, after which he joined the 1st Marine
Division at Camp Pendleton.
Stevens was assigned as the commanding officer, A Co., 1st
Bn., 5th Marines in 1949 and took that unit to Korea as part of the
1st Provisional Marine Brigade in July 1950. While in Korea he
participated in the Pusan Perimeter campaign, the Inchon landing
and capture of Seoul, the Wonsan Landing, and the Chosin
Reservoir Campaign, up to the end of November 1950.
Returning to the United States, LtCol Stevens was assigned to
various tours, including Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks
Naval Supply Center, Oakland; as assistant G3, Parris Island
Recruit Training Depot, Senior Instructor Weapons Training
Group Basic School, Quantico Student Junior Amphibious
Warfare School; and Commanding Officer Headquarters Battalion,
Basic School. This was followed by a tour at the University of
John Stevens
Maryland, where he received a BS Degree in Military Science.
Subsequent to that, Stevens was assigned, under the cross training program, to the 2nd Marine Air Wing at Cherry Point, NC,
where he served in various general staff assignments for two
years. Following that assignment, LtCol Stevens joined the 1st
Marine Brigade in Kaneohe, Hawaii in July 1959, as assistant G3.
From June 1960 to July 1961, he was Executive Officer of the
4th Marine Regiment, Reinforced. In July 1961, until his retirement, he was assigned as the Commanding Officer, 1st Bn., 4th
Marine Regt., 1st Marine Brigade.
Following his retirement, he joined IBM, where he served in
various systems engineering and marketing management positions. He left IBM in 1969 to found a software consulting company specializing in the insurance industry. In 1980 that company
entered a joint venture with Quotron Systems and the Continental
Corporation to market turnkey hardware/software computer systems to the independent insurance agency market place. He left
the active management of that company (lnsurnet) to co-found a
new telecommunications management company in 1983. That
company became public in 1987.
Leaving the active management of that company in 1986, he
founded an information management company, StellarNet, where
The Old Breed News
he served as the Chief Executive Officer until 2001.
Here is a recap of business executive positions held by John
Stevens:
• Chairman and Founder 1969-Current American Information
Development, Inc.
• Chairman 1971-1974 Life Equity Information, Inc.
• President 1980-1983 lnsurnet, Inc.
• Vice Chairman 1983-1985 lnsurnet, Inc.
• Co-founder, Chairman, CEO and President 1983-1985 Centex
Telemanagement, Inc.
• Vice Chairman 1985-1989 Centex Telemanagement, Inc.
• Founder and Chairman 1987-2001 Stellarnet, Inc
• Chairman 1986-2001 Industrial Work Hardening Center
Other Positions:
• Past President Pacific Heights Homeowners Association
• Vice President and Founder Honolulu Civitan Club
• Past President Northern California Chapter 1st Marine Division
Association
• Past Vice President 1st Marine Division Association (National)
• Past Deputy Vice President, West, 1st Marine Division
Association
• Past Board Member Marines Memorial Association, San
Francisco CA
• Past Board Member VantageMed Corporation, Sacramento CA
• Past Board Member Collimated Holes, Los Gatos CA
• Founding President of the Chosin Few Golden Gate Chapter
• Member, Marine Corps Coordinating Council of San Francisco
• Board Member, USS San Francisco Memorial Foundation
• Founding Board Member and Secretary, Korean War Memorial
Foundation
John Stevens’ Military Awards
• 2 Bronze Star Medals with Combat Vs
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Presidential Unit Citation with 2 Stars
• Good Conduct Medal
• China Service Medal
• American Defense Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal/2 stars
• American Campaign Medal
• Victory Medal WWII
• National Defense Service Medal
• Korean Service Medal with 3 Stars
• UN Service Medal
• Korean PUC
John is married to Joanne (Jody) Stevens, formerly Jody
Swartz. He has four children: Carole Ann Clark in Great Falls,
MT; Mitch, in Benicia, CA; Sherry Wilson, in Belize; and Steve
in Walnut Creek, CA. He has 6 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
7
The Old Breed News
VAULT’S ALARM
Occasionally we visit the OBN Vault, which contains stories submitted long ago—sometimes long, long ago—as this one was. Such stories are often held out due to lack of space, because they fit a theme which may be envisioned, or they were overlooked. This story fits
into one—or both—of those categories.
Drummed Out Of The Corps
By Ben “Doc” Wolfe**
M
8
ost of us were combat veterans
recently returned from the battlefields of Korea. After a 30-day
leave, we were posted at Camp Pendleton
and assigned to the B-15 Area, overlooking
the Post Stables. This January day, the returning troops of the various replacement drafts
invaded the barracks amid shouts of welcome, hurrahs, and good-natured needling,
which springs from a close knit and deep
rooted camaraderie, as they renewed old
friendships. The Bard said it best: “We few,
we happy few, we band of brothers.” (King
Henry V, Act IV, Scene iii, 18–67)
Since we had been tried in the crucible of
combat and proved our worth, although we
were by no means members of the “Old
Corps,” we were more easily able to mingle
with old salts known as “The Old Breed.”
They were the stalwarts who had fought the
good fight on Guadalcanal, Iwo, Peleliu, Roi
Namur, Okinawa and many other islands of
the South Pacific, names written on the pages
of history in the blood of many a brave
Marine, where they, America’s best, had
again made their universal statement of
valor, gallantry and bravery, as they had at
Tripoli, Chapultepec, Samar, Belleau Wood
and the St. Mihiel Salient.
Many of our comrades-in-arms in Korea
were WWII veterans who had just completed
their second war. They were greatly admired
and had taught us young bucks a thing or two
about staying alive.
Many of us had taken our combat training
and advanced combat training at Camp
Pendleton or had mustered here from posts
across the U.S. prior to shipping out for
Korea. It was sunny California. It was the
same open, azure vault overhead, the familiar
blue waters of the Pacific stretched on a canvas that rimmed the distant horizon to the
west. Now, however, we were stationed on
the gentle and tranquil slopes of Southern
California terrain. To Marines of the 1st
Division, it was home.
Yet, of an evening, the ancient silence of
the sandy hills lent itself to an ambience of
melancholy. It produced a tingling of the least fourteen men or three vehicles.
spine and a catch in the throat of many a
4)We were always short of “Willy Peter,”‘
Marine, at the recollected hardships endured aka W.P. (White Phosphorus) grenades.
in “The Land of the Morning Calm.” Tears
We expected more from the “Arsenal of
did not come easily to these tanned, leathered Democracy.”
cheeks.
All in all, it was generally agreed that it
These Marines, with the most intrepid was a hell of a way to fight a war—a no-win
and durable faces, had stemmed the tide of war, most thought. Many WWII Marines
retreat and had thwarted the enemy drive on were perplexed and angry. We wondered
the Pusan Perimeter. Marines, in a classic how many of our fellow Marines had died or
amphibious landing at Inchon, later to be had been maimed for life because of the “no
titled “Victory at High Tide,” had retaken win” tactics, decided not by field commandSeoul. They had repulsed the Chinese hordes ers but by some desk-bound politician who
in the bitter cold of -25 degrees and cut their had never heard a shot fired in anger and who
way out of the frozen mountains of the wouldn’t know a fragmentation grenade
Chosin, decimating several Chinese divi- from a can of beans and franks.
sions en route to Hungnam, with the boldNevertheless, it was a time to hold heads
ness and self-assurance born of fierce train- high and to carry the epaulet of pride with
ing, strict discipline and intrepid, resolute honor, which follows victory upon victory in
and courageous leadership, a classic “pas- the face of redoubtable obstacles and oversage d’armes.”
whelming odds. Nonetheless, as in triThat battle has been described by some umphant stealth, we had, in the pale of premilitary historians as the most brilliant defen- dictable death, treaded safely homeward
sive maneuver since Xenophen’s “March of with our lives.
The Ten Thousand (Greeks)”out of Persia.
We were a salty group: lean, rawboned
They had met the aggressors in the hot, and tough as an old combat boot. Even 17
humid hills and rice paddies of the East- days aboard a troop ship and a month of
Central Front and on the West Korean Front home cooking and easy living had not yet left
and had taken their measure.
its mark. Most had rid themselves of the 900As often as not, when a group gathered in yard stare that comes from days and weeks of
the inevitable barracks B.S. sessions, the “2 on and 2 off” night after night, the blare of
topic would invariably shift from the physi- bugles, the shrill whistles, the months of
cal attributes of Kim Novak to the demure combat repulsing mass attacks and the
smile and classic visage of Ingrid Bergman, moans and groans of the wounded and dying.
Kid Gavilan’s “Bolo Punch,” the qualities of All leave an indelible mark on the soul, and
various and sundry beers, and eventually to the eye, being the window of the soul,
the Korean War. Men would shake their reflects the agony of so seared and scarred a
heads as they discussed the restrictions that spirit.
had been imposed on them. Handcuffs
had been placed on the U.N. Forces and
shackles had bound the 1st Marine
Division. For example:
1)Washington (D.C., not George)
chose not to bomb north of the Yalu.
2)In 1952, mortar platoons were
rationed to six rounds of mortar ammo
per tube per day.
3)Artillery Forward Observers needed I Corps clearance for fire missions.
The rule of thumb for targets was at Kim Novak (L) and Ingrid Bergman
The Old Breed News
A number of our troops had served the
Corps with distinctions. When we fell out for
Saturday morning inspections, in our dress
greens, one could easily discern the “fruit
salad” on the left breast. There were numerous Purple Hearts, several Bronze Stars, a
few Silver Stars and even a Navy Cross: “For
indomitable courage and selfless devotion to
duty, upholding the highest traditions of the
Marine Corps and the United States Naval
Service,” as many a citation read. We stood
in awe of those of our troops who had survived a couple of island campaigns in WWII
and who had just finished their second war.
Although few would admit it, they were
as tender as they were tough. No one could
remember a dry eye on the faces of the
Marines who packed the deck of the troop
ship, USS General William Wiegel, in the
gray dawn of that December morn, as the
“Willy Wiegel” quietly and without fanfare,
slipped under the Golden Gate Bridge, cutting the glasslike surface of San Francisco
Bay as she headed for berthing at Treasure
Island.
Now, however, we were settling into the
daily routine of a Holding Company.
Marines were being transferred to various
units on the Post. Some put in for the east
coast to be closer to home. Some volunteered
for duty in Japan or Okinawa. Duty in Japan
was considered “ichi hon,” i.e., number one.
There were the usual field problems, daily
drill, conditioning hikes, calisthenics, and
classes on the nomenclature of the M-1,
BAR, Carbine and Light 30 Caliber machine
gun. It got so that even “bed pan commandos” could field strip these weapons with
some proficiency.
Some Corpsmen were assigned to the San
Margarita Naval Hospital on the Post. Some
were sent to the 1st Separate Surgical Unit on
Mainside. Others were sent to the Dispensary
at Tent Camp II (Camp San Onofre) where
the Roman Catholic Chaplain was the noted
Rev. Father Cornelius Griffin, late of the 7th
Marines, via the U.S. Naval Hospitals at
Yokosuka, Japan and Oaknoll Naval
Hospital in Oakland, California.
Padre “Grif” had served with distinction
in the Chosin Reservoir under Col. Homer
Litzenberg, C.O. of the 7th Marines. He had
had his lower jaw shot away without the bullet touching his tongue. Naval medicine had
worked miracles and, believe it or not, had
restored the handsome features of that wavyhaired Irishman
The Old Breed News
It was early March and we had
just returned from a week of cold
weather training up at Pickle
Meadows, high in the Sierras, just
south of Reno, Nevada. This, after
spending a winter and a half in
Korea! Ah, the inexplicable wisdom of the Corps.
It was a bright, sunny Saturday
morning and we were waiting for
the call to standby for our weekly
inspection and then weekend liberty in “Dago” or L.A. However,
this Saturday morning was to be
different: very, very different, indeed. For
some of us, it was to be one of the most stirring, most soul-searching, and most memorable mornings of our young lives.
Over the “Squawk Box” came the bassoprofundo voice of our Gunnery Sgt. “Now
hear this, now hear this! Fall in at 0900 in
field dress with helmets and web belts.” Why
wasn’t it the usual dress greens? This is
Saturday morning. It is supposed to be a cursory inspection and then liberty. But, “Mine
is not to reason why, mine is but to do or die,
Semper Fi.” Nobody knew anything, but that
didn’t stop the scuttlebutt, and rumors were
rampant.
Men began tumbling out of the barracks
and forming ranks on the blacktop. At 0900,
our Gunny Sgt. appeared. Commands were
barked, “AH-TEN-SHUN, DRESS RIGHT
DRESS....TWO! COMPANY, AH-RIGHT
FACE, FORWARD MARCH, Ah-onetwop-ah reep-four, Ah-one-twop-ah reep
four.”
We pulled away from the barracks and
with a column left and a right oblique, we
were on the road swinging along at an easy
cadence of 120 steps a minute. We passed the
PX, marched down a slope and past the B-15
Area Theater on our left, and headed west
toward Basilone Road, named after “Manila”
John Basilone from New Jersey, a Medal of
Honor recipient on the “Canal.”
Still, there was no mention made of where
we were going or why. There were some
rumblings in the ranks, mumbled comments
just loud enough for the enlightenment of the
surrounding Marines, but not loud enough
for the Gunny to hear: “This chicken... outfit,
why can’t they let us in on the skinny.”
Others needled each other with breezy
wisecracks: “O’Neill, Smith get in step.”
“Stuff it, Johnson.”
“Up yours Mac.”
“Jones, you march like old dogs fornicate.”
It was a friendly banter, something that
comes with being a Marine. No summer soldier or sunshine patriot here. Everyone was a
volunteer, a raggedy-ass Marine, a veteran of
a foreign war. We had claimed the title.
Still in a rhythmic cadence, a left oblique
had veered us off Basilone Road and on to a
grassy play field/parade ground. We stepped
lively. Nay, it was a cocky step, with a bit of
a swagger that comes from “picking em up”
and “laying em down” for many an hour on
the grinder. Even the “chancre mechanics”
marched well.
“Column Right - HUP!”
We swung north for a short distance.
“Company HALT!”
We faced west toward Basilone Road.
“AT EASE!”
Some distance away we could hear other
“non-coms” calling cadence. Three other
companies of Marines were marching
toward us, coming from different directions.
At least we knew where we were, but why
were we here?
The other three companies marched up
and, with various and sundry commands,
formed a hollow square. The open area was
about 50’ x 50’, with companies facing each
other. Still, no word of what was going on.
Being “AT EASE,” we were able to turn and
speak to one another, but the other Marines
didn’t know any more than we did.
Suddenly, from off to the north, we
picked up the faint sound of a drum. As it
drew nearer we were able to discern that it
was not just any drum, but the harsh, raspy,
grating, abrasive, grinding sound of a snare
drum, coming closer and closer and louder
and louder. What we saw coming from the
direction of the post brig gave us pause.
Coming toward us was a man in a blue
and white striped, ill-fitting, cotton seersuckApril - May - May June 2015
9
10
er suit. On his head was a fedora style straw
hat, pulled down low over his brow. In his
right hand, he carried a small, dark brown,
hard cardboard 1930s-type suitcase, with a
canvas strap around the middle to secure it
and carried by a “clothesline” rope handle.
This wretched, forlorn, pathetic figure had
the appearance of a forsaken, hopeless man
straight out of the “Grapes of Wrath.”
Directly behind him, about ten paces
back, was a Marine guard, or “Prisoner
Chaser,” as they were called, carrying an M1 at high port. Off to the “Chaser’s” left,
about three paces, was the snare drummer.
“Rat-tat-a-tah-tat-tat, rat-tat-a-tah-tat-tat.”
The three men drew closer to our formation.
The snare drum had that grating, grinding,
metallic sound of foreboding. In my mind’s
eye, I was able to conjure up the Place de la
Revolution in “A Tale of Two Cities,” and
recalled ever so vividly, Madame Defarge
knitting into her scarf the story of the hated
royalist St. Evremonde Family.
She would stop knitting at the roll of the
snare drum, look up, and watch the guillotine fall, shortening the torso of another royalist by a head. Then she would begin rocking in her rocker and resume knitting until
the roll of the snare drum again signaled that
the blade was about to fall and behead the
next victim.
While they were still 50 yards away, commands were barked to all the companies.
“Ah-Ten-Shun!, Dress Right-DRESS
TWO!”
The non-com of the company on the
north side gave the command, “Dog
Company, Open Ranks HUP!....”
Two files side-stepped two paces to the
left. The other two files side-stepped to the
right, forming an avenue, an entrance into the
hollow square. A Major and his aide entered
the hollow square and stopped in the middle.
The prisoner and his entourage were not far
behind. Now, right in front of us, the snare
drum had a mean, snarly sound. The “Rattat-a-tah-tat-tat, rat-tat-a-tah-tat-tat” grated
on our ears.
The “Chaser” gave the command to
“Halt!”The drummer stopped.
“Right Face!” The prisoner responded as
ordered.
A non-com barked out, “Dog Company,
Close Ranks!”
The prisoner hung his head in shame.
Sweat covered his upper lip. He was surrounded by four companies of Marines. He
had a hang-dog look about him, but not without reason.
The Major stepped forward so that he was
about an arm’s length away from the prisoner. In a loud voice, for all to hear, the Major
read the Specifications of the Dishonorable
Discharge:
“For Striking A Superior Officer And
Desertion In A Time Of War, You Are
Hereby Dishonorably Discharged From The
United States Marine Corps. You Will Forfeit
All Pay And Allowances. Further, You Have
Until Sundown To Clear The Environs Of
Camp Joseph H. Pendleton And Oceanside,
California. You Have Been Provided With
Meal Money And A Bus Ticket To Your
Hometown Or Place Of Enlistment. If You
Are Found In The Vicinity Of The Above
Mentioned Areas After Sundown, You Will
Be Arrested And Will Serve An Additional
Year And A Day At Hard Labor In The Post
Brig.”
The Major took two steps back and gave
the command, “COMPANIES, ABOUT
FACE!” All four companies immediately
executed an “about face.”
I thought, “Good Lord, we’ve turned our
backs on this man.” How could a man so disgraced ever look in a mirror again?”
I had heard the phrase, “Drummed Out Of
The Corps,” but I never thought that I would
ever witness such a spectacle. Goose bumps
formed on my skin, shivers went up my
spine, and my pulse quickened. I was actually witnessing a man being Drummed Out Of
The Corps.
The censuring words of the specifications
seemed crushing. What a disgrace, what
humiliation! The man was surrounded by
shame.
I uttered a silent prayer, “Dear God, forbid that I should ever do anything that would
cause me to be so dishonored.”
It is axiomatic that no Marine will ever
fail to go to the aid of another Marine, in
combat, no matter the cost. It is a trait that is
imbued in each Marine during the rigors of
Boot Camp. We fight as a team. Each Marine
has a job to do. Failure in your task puts your
fellow Marine at risk and in harm’s way.
We are taught to look out for one another.
If we don’t, who will? If one cannot count on
his fellow Marine, to whom can he turn? It is
an unwritten blood oath. It is the bond that
differentiates Marines from all other armed
forces, except, perhaps, the Rangers, Seals
and Airborne. This bond, plus the most
demanding training and strictest discipline,
places Marines in a pre-eminent position
among the world’s fighting forces. The large
overhead sign at the entrance to the
Receiving Barracks At The Marine Recruit
Depot (Boot Camp), in San Diego, says it all:
TO BE A MARINE YOU HAVE TO
BELIEVE IN:
YOUR GOD, YOUR COUNTRY,
YOUR CORPS, YOUR FELLOW
MARINE AND
YOURSELF. SEMPER FIDELIS
We are a Band of Brothers, and this man
could not be trusted.
“Dog Company, Open Ranks-HUP!”
Again an avenue opened up on the north
side of the square. The snare drummer began
his abrasive “Rat-tat-a-tah-tat, Rat-tat-a-tahtat-tat.” The prisoner was marched out of the
square.
“Dog Company, Close Ranks-HUP!”
The prisoner, the drummer and the
“Chaser” headed for Basilone Road, then
toward the Ranch House. The four companies were marched to their respective barracks and dismissed. We started to speak
among ourselves about the tragic melodrama
that had just been played out before our very
eyes. We entered the barracks, stowed our
782 gear, showered, put on our dress greens
and took off on liberty.
A few of us hung back a bit, absolutely
overwhelmed by what we had just witnessed.
Approaching our Gunny Sgt. to pick up our
liberty cards, we asked him what would be
happening to the prisoner. The Gunny
answered that the prisoner would be escorted
to the Main Gate.
I said, “Hell, Gunny, that’s about 6 miles
away.”
He nodded in agreement.
“What about the poor “Chaser” and the
drummer?” I asked.
Gunny answered, “That’s the breaks.”
He added, “The prisoner will be marched
to the main gate and brought to a halt right on
the Camp Pendleton boundary line. The
“Chaser” will step up and, with his rifle at
high port, will unceremoniously, but with
force, give the prisoner a hefty shove in the
back, literally throwing him off Camp
Pendleton. A jeep will be waiting to give the
“Chaser” and the “Drummer” a ride back to
the brig.”
I said, “Gunny, you’re not serious, are
you?”
He answered, “Go see for yourself.”
Pete Simon, from Oakland, owned a
Buick convertible and we were planning to
The Old Breed News
Frank Turiace and Ben (“Doc”) Wolfe (L)
Scott’s poem, “The Lay Of The Last
Minstrel.” Standing on the deck of the ship in
an American port, he was able to see the
United States of America, but was never
allowed to set foot on its shores again.
With tears streaming down his cheeks, he
read the famous line, “This is my own, my
native land.” The pathos, the deep emotion,
and anguish of his predicament caused him
to choke up and the words stuck in his throat.
I wondered if similar thoughts had gone
through the mind of the man who had just
been drummed off Camp Pendleton.
**NOTE: This story was submitted by Frank
A. Turiace. Sadly, the author, Ben (“Doc”)
Wolfe, relinquished his earthly duties earlier
this year and went to “guard the gates of
heaven.” Incidentally, Turiace and Wolfe
earned the Silver Star in Korea for saving a
Marine’s life under intense fire. The Marine
had stepped on a mine in a snow-covered
mine field in North Korea in February 1952.
go to Burbank and North Hollywood for the
weekend. Before we headed north on
Highway 101, we drove on Basilone Road to
the Main Gate and passed the prisoner and
escorts on our way. By this time they were
approaching the Main Gate and had about a
mile to go. We didn’t have to wait too long
before we saw exactly what our Gunny had
described. The “Chaser” called a halt right on
the line and then gave the prisoner a shove
that almost sent him sprawling.
My mind harked back to my parochial
school education and my high school course
in American literature. I recalled my reaction,
as a boy, to reading about Philip Nolan in
Edward Everett Hale’s novel, “The Man
Without A Country.” I vividly recalled that
Philip Nolan, having committed a military
offense, had been sentenced to a navy vessel
never to be allowed to disembark.
He attempted to read aloud Sir Walter
2015
Membership Drive
“Recruiter of the Year”
The FMDA Is seeking new members!!!
The Marine Corps is a "Band of Brothers" and the First Marine Division Association (FMDA)
represents the best of what our Corps stands for. This Association cuts across:
• Age differences • Rank differences • Race/gender differences • Socio/economic differences
In conjunction with our 2015 Membership Drive, we are announcing an award to the
membership.The FMDA member that has recruited the most new members in the calendar year
2015 will be honored as the “Recruiter of the Year- 2015" and have his or her name engraved on a
plaque and celebrated during the 2016 Anniversary in Camp Pendleton,CA during the Anniversary
Celebration. Membership is open to those who served in the 1st Marine Division at any time since
its formation in 1941, to include those serving with attached or supporting units, such as corpsmen,
aviation units, Seabees, ships, other regiments, battalions and companies. We also have
“Associate Memberships" and “Friends of the Association" for families and friends of Marines.
**FMDA National Office will track the results backdated to 1 January 2015**
Please contact your local chapter or National Office for additional membership applications
Recruit a New Member Today!!
www.1stmarinedivisionassociation.org
Office: 760-918-5801
1902 Wright Place, Suite 200, Carlsbad, CA 92008
The Old Breed News
11
Remembering Operation Hastings
NOTE: Veterans of Operation
Hastings are invited to submit their
remembrances of it to the OBN Editor,
895 Ribaut Road #13, Beaufort, SC
29902 for inclusion in a future issue.
O
12
peration Hastings began as a
recon operation in Quang Tri
province in early July 1966.
Eventually it morphed into the
Marines’ largest operation in Vietnam,
which involved seven Marine battalions. It did not turn out well for the
Vietnamese, and the Marines paid a
heavy price as well. Here are a few
highlights of the two-week operation:
n Marine transport planes flew in
millions of pounds of men, munitions,
and materiel
n Marine jets carried out roundthe-clock bombing strikes, numbering
1,301 sorties, dropping thousands of
tons of bombs and napalm on North
Vietnamese troops
n Heavily armed Marine helicopters struck the Vietnamese in canyons
and valleys in 9,864 sorties
n At least 733 North Vietnamese
soldiers were confirmed KIA; esti- Note Quang Tri’s proximity to the Laotian border
mates suggest that another 902 may
• 155mm. artillery pieces and other
have been killed
mobile artillery fired over 34,000 shells
n The Marines captured an amazing on the North Vietnamese 324B Division
number of enemy weapons and supplies, troops—the greatest concentration of
USMC artillery used in a single operaincluding:
• 222 weapons, ranging from 12.7 tion as of that time
• The operation splintered a North
anti-aircraft guns to Russian 7.62 pistols
Vietnamese
division—even though it
• 1/4-million rounds of ammunition
could
reach
sanctuary at the nearby
• half a ton of medical supplies
demilitarized border with Laos (see the
• 10 barrels of web gear
nearby map)
• 300 pounds of captured documents
Source: Sea Tiger, Aug. 9, 1966, Vol.
• 20,000 piastres
11, No. 29, p.1.
• 868 packs
3rd Bn., 5th Marines
• 37 pairs of tennis shoes
One unit’s experiences in particular
• odds and ends such as sweatshirts
epitomize events in the operation. Here
• An air-support radar team at Dong is an account of 3/5/1’s involvement. It
Ha directed 479 radar-controlled strikes was written by SSgt Ed Grantham:
that included 672 tons of bombs on 907
Two Marine Companies of the 3rd
targets
Battalion, 5th Marines, found what
• The number of air sorties up to that appeared to be a major staging and
time represented the highest amount of training area while pursuing a retreating
tonnage employed in any single Marine North Vietnamese Regiment.
Corps operation
The searching mission, which took
place six miles south of the DMZ,
revealed that the area was well
equipped with training facilities and
storage areas.
The Marines found approximately
500 packs. The packs contained military issue items including medicines
and canned foods identified as coming
from Russia, Communist China,
Poland and North Vietnam.
Various other items were also
found, including new hammocks, gas
masks, light plastic ponchos, blue
sweat shirts, tobacco, pre-cooked rice,
sewing kits, and personal toilet items.
The Marines continued their search
the following day and found several
hundred pounds of explosives, ammunition and training devices. A Russian
made mine detector and several antitank rockets were also found.
Patrols sweeping the thick jungle
valleys found hundreds of one-man
fighting holes, sanitation facilities,
bunkers and communication equipment.
The Leathernecks found what were
identified as weapons of anti-aircraft
battalions. Several heavy and light .50
caliber machine guns were captured,
along with 6,100 rounds of ammunition.
Marines of “L” Company surprised
an estimated reinforced platoon of
North Vietnamese troops, killing seven
and capturing a light machine gun.
The enemy troops returned later to
the same area to collect their dead and
were ambushed again by the Marines.
This time four of the enemy were killed.
Two enemy soldiers, believed to be
high ranking officers, were killed by
“M” Company. One of the soldiers was
wearing the rank of a major, the other
wore no rank but carried important documents believed to be carried only by
officers.
Before moving out of the area, the
Marines marked the trails with landing
panels so that it could be bombed and
burned to prevent any further use by the
enemy forces.
The Old Breed News
13
The Old Breed News
Feedback/Letters to the Editor
70,000 Marines At Inchon?
I hope that you can take this constructive criticism in the spirit
of which it is intended. For a number of years I have noticed that
the Old Breed News prints editorial stories and comments from
others that are not always accurate, factual and true. When someone submits a story or article, it is usually printed verbatim, without OBN review or editing.
I know that your editorial staff doesn’t always have all of the
facts, but I believe it is incumbent upon OBN to at least make an
attempt to decline stories that seem too farfetched, or require the
applicant to support suspicious comments.
The recent article “Korean War veterans get medals” in the
Jan-Mar 2015 issue, written by Linda McIntosh of the San Diego
Tribune, is an example of poor factual writing, wherein poetic
license is obviously introduced. She states that: “...Sgt. Maj.
Martin Vasquez is ...marching...wearing ponchos to keep off
snow, (and) building a fire in his foxhole to survive, so he could
fight.”
Now, I know that Sergeant Vasquez never said those things,
because if he did, he wasn’t there. There was no marching, wearing of ponchos, or fire building in the Chosin Reservoir campaign, nor were there 70,000 Marines who landed at Inchon. The
1st and 5th Marines (7th held in reserve), 1st Tank Bn., and some
support units participated in the assault upon Wolmi-do and
mainland points, which maybe totaled 10,000, and MacArthur
did not “lead” anything.
MacArthur sat comfortably in Flying Fish channel and
observed as the Marines from the First Division carried out “his”
plan. In spite of the fact that the Army must have had experts in
amphibious landings (just look at the fiasco at Normandy), he
asked for the Marines to execute this landing because his aides
all recommended against it, and he knew that if it had a chance
of success, the Marines would not let him down.
Finally, in her comment regarding the withdrawal from the
Reservoir, she said: “...getting through to the coast for reinforcements and supplies” is a total fabrication. There was no hot pursuit by Chinese troops, and we methodically evacuated Hungnam
with military order, just as the withdrawal had been carried out.
If 10th Corps had not ordered the 1st Division out it would
still be there.
John Mixon, [email protected]
Editor’s Response:
14
John:
Thanks for the feedback. I accept it as accurate criticism,
which goes with the job of being the editor.
We do not always print stories verbatim. There is some editing
that takes place. However, the editorial staff has little or no
choice but to accept “sea stories” as fact. I am the entire editorial
staff, and I do not have the resources to track down the facts in
every story. That is why we have a “Return Fire” section: so we
can get people like you to point out and rectify errors, inconsistencies, outright lies, etc. Unfortunately, not many of our mem-
bers take the time to do so. I thank you for your effort.
And, I would not try to change anything pertaining to the
Chosin battle. I was only nine years old when that occurred, and
by the time I got to Parris Island in 1958 the Korean unpleasantness was over for the most part.
Regarding the San Diego Tribune story you reference, I cannot change a story as printed in another source. I have to run
them as they are, lest I run into copyright problems, which could
cost the FMDA money. I can’t print them at all if I don’t have
permission, unless they are in the public domain. Even then I am
loath to change someone else’s story. (Poetic/editorial license
and all that.) In this case, Ms. McIntosh was kind enough to grant
us permission to reprint her story, as long as we didn’t change it
and as long as we gave the newspaper proper recognition.
I will print your letter in the next edition of OBN, since I am
sure many other FMDA members have similar criticisms to
yours. I just wish more of them would make the effort to voice
them.
Semper Fi,
Art Sharp
Adventures Of An Ohio River Rat—And Proud Marine
Stephen A. Tomko, who served in WWII, went to “guard the
gates of Heaven” on 14 September 2014. According to his son
Greg, Stephen was quite proud of his service in the Marines. He
left behind some amusing stories of his service in the Pacific
Theater.
Greg noted that, “Although he did not speak much of the combat, there were several stories that stand out. I’ll mention them
here as best I can remember them.”
“I know at times he was hunkered down in a fox hole and
being bombarded, but that he was high in his praise of the Marine
aviators, Joe Foss and fellow fliers, who did such an outstanding
job in protecting them from the Japanese Navy and landings.”
“He was also assigned a position in a number of parallel lines
on the beach with other Marines and told to write home and be
prepared to shoot anyone coming from below on the beach
because the Japanese were expected to invade the island en
masse.
“Another recounting was his experience with the torpedoed
cargo ship Alchiba, that had been grounded in Guadalcanal harbor to save the critical cargo of fuel, ammo and supplies. He had
been swimming and diving in the harbor (he was a river rat as a
kid in Ohio) near the grounded ship.
“Dad dove down and gathered some small shells which were
made into cuff links, which I now have. Later that day he was
assigned to a work detail to unload ammo from the hold. A miscommunication led to his hand being slammed between two large
ammo boxes, and he was sent to get his hand treated. Upon
returning he saw a mini two-man Japanese submarine where he
had been swimming a few hours earlier. It fired a torpedo into the
Alchiba, which created a large explosion. He saw a sailor who
was sitting go flying from the ship. Dad learned later that three
men had been killed.
The Old Breed News
“On another detail he was in a field, possibly an airfield, with
other Marines when they got a radio call that a couple of
Japanese “Betties” were flying up the beach their way. In
moments they saw them with a couple zeros that were accompanying them. The sergeant yelled, “take cover.” Most of the
Marines ran to the island side of the field. Dad ran toward the
palms along the beach.
“Over his shoulder he saw a zero peel off and come his way.
He got to the palms and all around him the trees were being
shredded. As he hit the ground he said to himself, ‘That SOB is
trying to kill me.’
“Dad had a hard life as a kid. His mom died when he was
young. His dad couldn’t handle things after that and life got harder for he and his siblings. They were dirt poor. The Marines provided structure. After he got out he got married, got a two-year
business degree, and worked his way up to be his plant’s accounting manager. Dad successfully raised a family and he and my
mom were married for 69 years before they both passed in 2014
at ages 94 and 95.
“He was always proud to be a Marine.”
Greg Tomko, [email protected]
Serving sea services; Eighth chaplain of Marine Corps
laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery
By Cpl. Eric Keenan
“Takesian is most renowned for the care and aid
he provided to the Marines of 1st Battalion, 5th
Marine Regiment at the bloody battle of Hue
City during the Vietnam War.”
ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Navy chaplain Capt. Eli
Takesian was ceremonially laid to rest at the Arlington National
Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on Dec. 4, 2014.
Takesian served as the eighth Chaplain of the Marine Corps
and during his career he earned the Legion of Merit, two
Bronze Stars and four Presidential Unit Citations. Upon retiring
in 1987, he had given nearly 30 years of service to his country.
“He has served as an icon, as a mentor, [and] as a hero for all
of us chaplains, who are serving today,” said Rear Adm. Brent
Scott, 19th Chaplain of the Marine Corps.
A large number of family, friends and service members participated in a final rites mass at the Old Post Chapel at Fort
Myer, Virginia.
“(Takesian) is one of my military brothers that I just never
met and quite frankly we say goodbye to our brothers and sisters, who have served honorably,” said Capt. Steven Unger,
Command Chaplain for Marine Corps Installations Command.
“It’s important for as many of us to pay tribute as we can.”
Following the mass, the Navy Honor Guard marched the
casket draped in the broad stripes and white stars of the
American flag, Takesian’s ashes were escorted to his final resting place.
“We honor him with the countless chaplains that follow him
with the reminder that courage is not in the uniform, it’s not of
a profession, it’s not of a race or gender,” said Scott. “Courage
is a matter of the heart, a matter of calling, a matter of character.”
Takesian first answered the call of duty as an enlisted Marine
serving the Corps during the Korean War from November 1951
to November 1952. When he completed his time, he attended
the Princeton Theological Seminary earning a master’s degree
in theology. Takesian returned to service soon after, this time as
a Navy chaplain, completing two tours in Vietnam alongside
the troops he served.
“I think he was a chaplain, who got it,” said Scott. “He got
what it meant to be a chaplain on the deck plate, he was with
his people.
“He is a Navy chaplain, who is known throughout the ranks
for the kind of man he was and the kind of service he brought
to sailors and Marines.”
The Honor Guard fired three volleys from their rifles for the
21-gun salute, a naval tradition to pay respects to a fallen shipmate. At the close of the ceremony, all attending gave their condolences to Mrs. Margaret Takesian, Takesian’s wife.
Takesian is remembered for his service and care of the men
and women of the United States Naval forces, who work to protect their county by land, sea and air.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, courage is bold,” said
Scott. “That’s the Eli Takesian the Navy, the Marine Corps and
the church grew to love and revere.”
ARLINGTON, Virginia - From left, Capt. Eli Takesian’s ashes and service flag rest in the Old Post Chapel in Fort Meyer, Va. before being marched by the
Navy Honor Guard to Takesian’s burial site. The Navy Honor Guard fires a volley as part of the 21-gun salute in honor of Capt. Eli Takesian. The Navy
Honor Guard escorts Capt. Eli Takesian’s remains to his burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
The Old Breed News
15
First Marine Division Association Reunion
August 18 – 22, 2015
Crowne Plaza San Diego – San Diego, California
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
MONDAY, AUGUST 17
1400 – 1900..................Reunion Registration Open
......................................PX Open. The PX will be open
......................................0800-1700 every day with the exception
......................................during Memorial Service
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18
0900 – 1500..................CITY TOUR (description follows)
1730 – 2300..................PADRES BASEBALL GAME
......................................(description follows)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19
1000 – 1500..................USS MIDWAY/SEAPORT TOUR
0800 – 1430..................National Committee Meetings
......................................• Chapters
......................................• Awards
......................................• Warrior Liaison
......................................• Reunion Destination
......................................• Scholarship Fund
......................................• Scholarship Selection
......................................• Finance
......................................• By-Laws
......................................• Fund Raising
......................................• Membership
1930 – 2230..................Reunion Rendezvous
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
0645 – 1645..................CAMP PENDLETON TOUR
0930 – 1530..................MUSEUM AND GARDEN TOUR
16
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21
0700 – 1400..................MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT TOUR
......................................(description to follow)
1300 – 1530..................Executive Committee Meeting
1600 – 1800..................Board of Directors Meeting
1830 – 1900..................Banquet Table Reservation Sheets will be
......................................collected at Reunion Registration Desk
1900 – 2000..................Memorial Service
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22
0800 – 1100..................General Membership Meeting
1000 – 1200..................Ladies Brunch
1600 – 1700..................Catholic Service
1800 ..............................Cocktails
1900 – 2200..................Dinner Banquet
TOUR DESCRIPTIONS
CITY TOUR – TUESDAY, AUGUST 18
Travel north to La Jolla, the “jewel” of San Diego. You will then continue on to Mt Soledad where a 29-foot tall cross, built in 1954,
serves as a memorial to Korean War casualties and veterans. We
will then continue on to Balboa Park, home to 15 major museums,
renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens, and the San
Diego Zoo. Then it’s on to the Veterans Museum & Memorial Center
located in the historic Old Navy Chapel. We will stop during the tour
for lunch on your own. Afterwards, it is on for a tour of Coronado,
home to the Amphibious Base where the SEALs are trained, North
Island Naval Air Station and seeing the #1 family beach in the
United States, the “Baby Del” and “Crown Manor.” On the return trip
to your hotel, you will be driven through Old Town, which is considered the birthplace of California as the American Flag was raised
here in 1846.
0900 board bus, 1500 back at hotel
$40 includes transportation and trained tour guide. Lunch on your
own.
PADRES BASEBALL GAME – TUESDAY, AUGUST 18
Out to the ballgame you will go as we watch the San Diego Padres
play the Atlanta Braves. Baseball tickets include all you can eat hot
dogs, popcorn, peanuts, soda, bottled water. A beautiful evening at
Petco Park cheering on the local team is not to be missed!
$56 includes transportation and “all you can eat” ticket as
described.
USS MIDWAY/SEAPORT TOUR – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19
No other carrier has the history or the crew to match the USS
Midway. Its 47-year career spanned from the end of WWII to Desert
Storm and on which more than 225,000 Americans have served.
“Midway Magic” is now a premier attraction in downtown San Diego
that opened in 2004. Its self-guided audio tour allows you to explore
the 60 exhibits and 24 restored aircraft at your own leisure. Lunch
on your own at nearby Seaport Village, home to many shops, eateries, and restaurants.
$41 includes transportation and admission to USS Midway
Museum. Lunch is on your own.
The Old Breed News
CAMP PENDLETON TOUR – THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
Board bus for Marine Corps Base Camp Joseph H. Pendleton, the
nation’s busiest military base. Located north of San Diego, Camp
Pendleton covers over 250,000 acres and approximately
200 square miles of terrain. The stretch of shoreline along the
base, over seventeen miles, is the largest undeveloped portion of
coastal area left in Southern California. Camp Pendleton provides
training facilities for many active-duty and reserve Marines, Army
and Navy units, as well as national, state and local agencies. Over
60,000 military and civilian personnel work aboard the base every
day. The base is the home of I Marine Expeditionary Force, 1st
Marine Division, 1st Force Service Support Group, and many tenant
units, including elements of Marine Aircraft Group 39 and Marine
Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA). Note: This tour
may be substituted if clearance on the base is not permitted by the
military.
$46 includes transportation and lunch.
MUSEUM AND GARDEN TOUR – THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
Our day will begin by touring the San Diego Natural History
Museum. The museum features fascinating exhibitions and a giantscreen 3D theater showing films with a focus on the natural world.
Following the museum, lunch will be in your own in Balboa Park
where several options will be available to you. After lunch, we will
head through Balboa Park to take a guided tour of several different
gardens, including the renowned rose garden.
$54 includes transportation and admission.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT – FRIDAY, AUGUST 21
We will visit the MCRD for a graduation ceremony right on Shepherd
Field Parade Deck. Celebrate the newest class of recruits as they
complete this milestone. Following the ceremony, we will go to the
Bayview Restaurant for a delicious buffet in a beautiful setting.
$54 includes transportation and lunch.
Please plan to be at the bus boarding area (in front of the hotel) at
least five minutes prior to the scheduled time.
Driver and Staff gratuities are not included in the tour prices.
“Like” Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/ArmedForcesReunions
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY
FOR ARMED FORCES REUNIONS, INC.
For attendees canceling reunion activities prior to the cut-off date,
Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. (AFR) shall process a full refund less
the non-refundable AFR registration fee ($7 per person). Attendees
canceling reunion activities after the cut-off date will be refunded to
the fullest extent that AFR’s vendor commitments and guarantees
will allow, less the non-refundable AFR registration fee.
Cancellations will only be taken Monday through Friday from
9:00am until 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time, excluding holidays.
Please call (757) 625-6401 to cancel reunion activities and obtain a
cancellation code. Refunds processed 4-6 weeks after reunion.
Canceling your hotel reservation does not cancel your reunion activities.
The Old Breed News
LODGING AND AMENITIES
CROWNE PLAZA MISSION VALLEY- SAN DIEGO
(888) 233-9527 or (619) 297-1101
Location
2270 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108
Located just minutes from downtown San Diego, Mission Valley and all
of the San Diego’s beaches and attractions.
Reservation Information
Call the number above and reference the First Marine Division
Association or reserve online at https://resweb.passkey.
com/go/FirstMarineDivisionAssociation to receive the discounted group
rate Group Name: First Marine Division Association.
Reunion Dates: August 18-22,2015
Rate: $120 +tax (currently 12.5%+ $.16). Rates are available 1 day
before and 3 days after reunion dates, based on space and rate availability.
Cut Off Date: 7/23/15 Late reservations will be processed based on
space availability at a higher rate.
Cancellation Policy: Reservations must be cancelled 48 hours in
advance in order to receive a full refund. All reservations must be guaranteed by credit card with a deposit of one night’s room rate plus tax.
Parking & Shuttle Information
The Crowne Plaza is offering attendees parking at a discounted rate of
$6 for local and overnight guests. The Crowne Plaza does not offer complimentary shuttle service to or from the San Diego Lindbergh Airport.
The hotel recommends SuperShuttle for transportation to and from the
airport. Currently prices are $12 per person one way; prices are subject
to change, please contact SuperShuttle for accurate pricing. Advance
reservations are recommended for convenience, either call (800) 9748885 or visit www.cloud9shuttle.com for reservations and to verify
prices. If you do not make advanced reservations, shuttle service is
available at the San Diego Airport at the Transportation Plazas located
across from Terminals 1 & 2, and curbside at the Commuter Terminal.
Wheelchair Rental
ScootAround rents both manual and power wheelchairs by the day and
week. Please call (888) 441-7575 or visit www.scootaround. com for
details and to make reservations.
17
18
The Old Breed News
Quests & Queries
Veterans Of Okinawa Wanted
I am the Okinawa reporter for Stars and Stripes newspaper.
Hope this finds you all well.
Quick question for you. I am looking for Battle of Okinawa
veterans to profile ahead of the anniversary of the battle. My
grandfather was a Marine and was here, but he was on a ship. I
was hoping you know a couple of the Old Breed who would talk
to me.
God Bless them. It would be an honor. Thanks so much for
your help!
Matthew M. Burke, Office: 098-970-3358, Cell: 0908054-8234, [email protected].
From the states: 011-81-90-8054-8234
Officers Who May Have Served In Vietnam
I am searching for Marine officers who MAY have served in
the 1st MarDiv in South Vietnam during 1967-68. The purpose of
my inquiry is to invite them to a 50th Anniversary Reunion of B
Company, Class 1-67, The Basic School, MCB Quantico, VA.
The following officers would have been lieutenants at the time
of service in Vietnam:
• Larry Aker 092939
• Jim Burt 094230
• JO Davis 094243
• Ed Dick 094244
• TJ Gleason 094261
• John Hamilton 094414
• Rob Hill 094275
• Steve Lindsey 094131
• WJ Lovitt Jr. 094451
• Ben L. Marshall 094303
• Ed Myers III 094384
• Richard Newton 094461
• John Noel Jr. 094133
• George Patterson 094327
• Charles Phillips 094464
• WJ Poser 094014
• Ross/Rusty Reeves III 092899
• Tom Reeves 094336
• WJ Russell 095034
• Joe Thomas 092674
• Larry Wright 095199
If you have any information on any of these Marines, I would
appreciate your help in locating them. Hopefully some of them
would be members of the 1stMarDiv Assn.
Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
Lawrence G. Karch, Colonel, USMC (ret),
[email protected]
Korean War Veterans’ Stories For Book
I recently published two volumes of autobiographical and
biographical stories of 35 men who were in combat in WWII. I
have now gathered stories of 17 men who were in combat in various campaigns during the Korean War and plan to publish those
interviews in a book of autobiographical stories of men that
fought in the Korean War.
In order to publish a book that gives its readers a fair understanding of different combat situations men were in during that
war, I want also to interview a man who was sent to Korea, in
mid-1950, to try to stop the North Korean invasion; a man who
was in combat defending the Pusan Perimeter; a man who was in
the initial landing at Inchon and fought on inland; a man who
fought to capture Seoul, after the Inchon landing (this could be
the same man as the one in the initial Inchon landing); and a man
who was on the Main Line of Resistance when the Chinese
launched a massive, unexpected attack, in July 1953.
Will you please let your members know about my interest in
interviewing men who had the experiences mentioned above or
can refer me to men that did? I may be contacted at
[email protected] or at 404 641-9613.
Norman Black
Support For A Wall Of Remembrance at Korean War Memorial
Fellow Marines:
I
am a Marine veteran of the Korean War — 2d Bn./1st Marines,
1951-52; Chesty Puller was our Regimental Commander when I
arrived on the frontline in early March, 1951. My two sons are
Marine veterans of the First Gulf War. John flew a Cobra helicopter and Robert was a grunt with the 13th MEU that was sent
there. The three of us have our names together on a memorial brick
at the Museum in Quantico.
I am also Director for Legislative Affairs of the KWVM
Foundation. We are seeking Congressional approval for erecting a
Wall of Remembrance (WOR), privately funded, at the Korean
War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington
D.C. Our wall would show the names of America’s 37,000 KIAs
— etched in glass. (You can find additional info at our
website, www.koreanwarvetsmemorial.org. On the home page,
upper right-hand corner, click on Wall of Remembrance.)
On March 19, 2015, Korean and Vietnam war veteran Rep. Sam
The Old Breed News
Johnson (TX-03) introduced H.R. 1475, the measure we need
passed. I want to work with you to make the case for co-sponsorship of H.R. 1475 by all of your assigned Representatives. In the
last Congressional Session, the identical predecessor bill – H.R.
318 – was cosponsored by Rep. Coffman. It went nowhere.
Next, my plan is to contact Fellowship assignees from the other
Armed Services and enough other pro-veteran Representatives’
staffers to see H.R. 1475 pass by the time we 2/1 vets hold our biyearly reunion, July 7 thru 11, in Washington D.C. This may be
the final reunion of 2/1’s diminishing ranks.
We do not yet have a Senate bill sponsor. I do not know whether
the Military Legislative Fellows program includes assignments to
Senators’ offices. I welcome any information you have and suggestions about working with the Senate.
Semper Fi,
Bill Alli, 240-441-9611, 2803 Baker Lane
Bowie MD 20715-2411
19
Chapter Scuttlebutt
News from the Chapters of the 1st Marine Division Association
Chapter representatives are encouraged to send their news to
be included in the OBN. FMDA members are always interested in
what their counterparts are doing across the U.S. Please send your
news and photos to the OBN Editor, 895 Ribaut Rd. #13,
Beaufort, SC. Or, email them to [email protected].
(If you email the items, make sure you use underscores after sharp
and arthur and send them to sbcglobal.net, not sbcglobal.com.)
NEW YORK [NY]
Our Christmas party was held on December 9, 2014.
We celebrated the 50th anniversary of our chapter at Tun
Tavern, 1st District HQ, Garden City, Long Island on October 11,
2014. Our chapter was founded on 17 October, 1963. Sixty people
attended the event.
DALLAS [TX]
Members and guests gathered at Frisco to partake in a
Roughriders baseball game. (The Roughriders are the Class AA
affiliate of the American League Texas Rangers major league
baseball club.) It was a beautiful summer evening and, needless to
say, everyone had a great time.
Dallas Chapter Associate
Member Laudine
Schmick and members
Ed Morbitzer and Charlie
Brittin at Frisco
RoughRiders game
Officers and members of the New York chapter celebrate their 50th
anniversary
Nora Walker, widow
of Joe Walker, Cadet
Captain Lucero
Villalobos, and Dallas
Chapter President
LtCol Walt Schmick,
USMC (Ret) (L-R) at
presentation
20
On 14 May 2015, we presented the 5th annual “Joe Walker”
Award at the annual WT White High School Marine JROTC
awards ceremony. The award is named in memory of the chapter’s
Past Treasurer, Joe Walker.
Joe was an education advocate and played an instrumental role
in orchestrating the chapter’s Marine Reading Raider Program
conducted at local Dallas elementary schools. When Joe passed,
the chapter wanted to memorialize his spirit and recognize the
cadet who best demonstrates the Corps’ ethos of courage, honor
and commitment.
The 2015 “Joe Walker” Award was presented to Cadet Captain
Lucero Villalobos. Lucero is a graduating senior and has been
accepted to El Centro College in Dallas. She will be pursuing a
degree in architecture.
Walt Schmick, [email protected]
Gus Logerfo, Jim Stasio, Ray Meaney, Bob Rohde, Jerry Vilbig, Eugene
Marksteiner, and Richard Begandy of New York chapter man Check Point
#2 at “March for Babies” event
Members monitored “Check Point #2” at the annual March of
Dimes “March for Babies” at Eisenhower Park on 26 April 2015.
James Stasio was named “Marine of the Year” for the chapter.
Twenty members attended the “Poor People’s Dinner” of
Project Hospitality, Staten Island, on April 15, 2015.
Robert T. Rohde, 182 Roxton Rd., Plainview, NY
11803, 516-433-5212/Neal Mishik, 718-761-5442
The Old Breed News
ROCKY MOUNTAIN [CO]
ST. LOUIS [MO]
“The Mountain Breed” continues to be active in 2015 with a
bimonthly business meeting alternating with a bimonthly social or
community event. On 27 January the chapter held a coed luncheon which was chaired by Gary Wilkins. Twenty-seven members
and guests met for lunch at The Shack restaurant in Littleton,
Colorado.
Alan Kennedy, our current president, reported the loss of two
long time members, former president Troy Lewis (Nov. 2014)
and historian William Merritt (Dec. 2014). Both of these Marines
were laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery with full
military honors provided by the Chapter Funeral Honors Team
and active duty
Marines from the 3d
Bn., 23rd Marines I
& I Staff.
Rocky Mountain contingent at Denver, CO St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The February business meeting, which was held at Denver’s
American Legion Post 1, featured a Power Point presentation by
Bob Brockish on his recent trip to the FMD 74th Anniversary at
Camp Pendleton.
On 14 March the chapter participated in the Denver St.
Patrick’s Day parade. The parade unit consisted of four members
leading the chapter on foot and carrying the chapter banner, followed by John Decker’s decorated flatbed truck carrying members and guests. Bringing up the rear was Gary Wilkins’ SUV with
three members.
After the parade, twenty-five members and guests gathered for
lunch at the Cap City Tavern to enjoy camaraderie, Guinness,
Jameson’s and Irish fare.
Bob Brockish, President, 303-499-9629,
[email protected]
Visit the 1st Marine Division Association Website at:
www.1stMarineDivisionAssociation.org
Southern Cross
Team Contributions
15 Donations: Total = $1,600
•.GYSGT DANIEL WAYNE. ABBOTT USMC (Ret)
• SSGT RALPH C. AST
• MR. LOUIS A. IMFELD
• CPL ALFRED ROBERT. JORDAN
In Memory of George Waselinko
• LTCOL STEPHEN PERCY
• CAPT CHARLES W. SMITH Jr USMC (Ret)
• MGYSGT ROBERT R.. TOMPKINS SR. USMC (Ret)
The Old Breed News
3rd
33rd
8th
5th
100
100
100
100
36th
10th
2nd
100
100
100
Team Leader Alan
Kennedy of the St.
Louis chapter saluting
as ‘Taps’ is played for
fallen chapter member
Reunion Calendar: 2015
Mail your info to OBN Reunion Editor, 895 Ribaut Rd., #13, Beaufort,
SC 29902 or email it to [email protected]. Include Unit,
Date(s), Place, and Contact’s name, address, phone #, email address.
Entries are posted “first come, first served.” The OBN is not responsible
for the accuracy of the information published. NOTE: Submissions may
be edited for space considerations..
JULY
2nd Bn., 1st Marine Regt. (Korea, 1950/1955). 8-11 July, Washington
DC/Arlington, VA area. George Coyle, 732-254-2787, [email protected]
Korean War Veterans Assn. (KWVA), 22-26 July, DoubleTree by Hilton,
Washington DC-Crystal City, 300 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, VA 22202,
703-416-4100
AUGUST
1st Bn., 3rd Marines (BLT 1/3), WW2, Korea Vietnam, Iraq and
Afghanistan veterans,11-16 Aug., Orlando, FL. Richard Cleary, PO Box
128, Mammoth, AZ 85618, 520-487-0327, [email protected]
Item Co., 3-1, 1st Mar Div (Korea, 1950-55). 19-23 Aug., Branson, MO.
Suzie Woodward, 860-262-1334, [email protected]
SEPTEMBER
2nd Marine Division Assn., 8-12 Sept., Huntsville, AL. Bret L. Roy,
910-451-3167 or 910-546-0084, [email protected]
Subic Bay Marines, 16-20 Sept., Milwaukee, WI, Best Western Plus
Airport Hotel and Conference Center. (414-769-2100) or bestwesternmilwaukee.com. John Laccinole, 818-591-8916 or
Subicbaymarines.com
A-1-7 Assn., 29 Sept.-1 Oct., Virginia Beach, VA, Surfside Inn (in conjunction with Veterans of the Korean War Reunion Inc.). Leonard R.
(“Shifty”) Shifflette, 25 Emery St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801, 540-4342066/540-746-2066 (cell), [email protected]
21
Contributions to the First M
General Fund
General Fund Donations = 81 Total = $ 3,156.00
22
•LTCOL WM A ALLANSON USMC (Ret)
• MR. GEORGE L. AYER
• HM3 CHARLES E. BERGER
• HM3 CHARLES E. BERGER
• 1STLT GEORGE W. BIGELOW
In Memory of Capt. William Van Antwerp KIA
• ELLA A.. BOND
Willard K. Bond USMC (Ret)
• CHRISTOPHER L. BONOMO
• STEVEN N. BOSSHARD
• SGT PAUL D. BUNNELL
• SGT ROBERT L. CALKINS
• LTCOL FRANK S. CANNON USMC (Ret)
In Memory of GSgt. Donald J. Lupo
In Memory of Anthony Mucci A-1-5 KIA
In Memory of Joseph Cardilio A-1-5 KIA
• GYSGT STAVROS D. CHANTILES (Ret)
• PHM3/C EARL J. COOK
• 1STLT DANIEL J. CRONIN USMC (Ret)
• SGT EARL R. DAVISON
• HM3 DOUGLAS J. DECKER
• SGT FELIX DELGIUDICE
In Momory of Cpl. P. Reynolds E 2-1
• CPL GINO F. DELSIGNORE
• PFC WILLIAM J. DENNIS
In Memory of PFC James E. Moffitt KIA Korea 1953
• HOWARD E. DENTON
In Memory of Sgt. Edward Marsh, KIA Pelelive 9/1944
• CPL LEONARD A. DIBBS
• SGT CHARLES G. DIEZ
• 1STSGT PAUL R. DOBSON
• SGT WILLIAM R. DOWDLE JR
• SSGT ROBERT EUGNE. DUGAN
• MRS LOIS ERICKSON
In Memory of husband Eldon Erickson
• MRS LOIS ERICKSON
In Memoey of Hoover Ginn
• SGT LOUIS E. FARRAYE
• CPL DANIEL FELSEN
• SGT RICHARD J. FEUERHERM
In Memory of the Chosin Few
• 1STSGT GEORGE E. GALVAN USMC (Ret)
In Honor of All Marines
• SGT DONALD L. GRIMES
• SGT CLARENCE L. HILL
• CPL FRED HOLLIER Sr
In Memory of my wife June
• JAMES A. HOWARD
• MAJ JAMES B. HUNTER Jr USMC (Ret)
• PFC LLOYD M. JARSON
• 1STSGT C T. JOHNSON USMC (Ret)
• LCPL J R. JOHNSON JR
• GYSGT PAUL E. JOSIF USMC (Ret)
• MGYSGT JAMES L. KEELY (Ret)
• MGYSGT JAMES L. KEELY (Ret)
• MSGT DAVID E. KEENE
• CPL ERIC L. KURTZ
• CWO3 PATRICK LEACH
• SGT KARL EDWARD. LIMNER
• CAPT CHARLES S. LINDBERG
In Memory of William Chalfant
• SGT MURDO A. MACLENNAN
• COL THOMAS M. MCCABE USMCR (Ret)
• PFC RAY F. MCGUIRE
49th
34th
15th
13th
14th
7th
15
25
10
25
25
50
1
50
5th
22nd
5th
18th
33rd
25
100
35
25
50
34th
50
35th
50
5th
5th
30th
18th
11th
20th
5
35
50
25
65
20
6th
15th
10
25
3rd
100
7th
6th
7th
17th
1
1st
100
50
10
25
50
100
2nd
25
7th
15th
4th
50
5
20
48th
50
10th
5th
13th
100
50
25
3rd
10th
66th
7th
1st
17th
79th
80th
16th
4th
9th
32nd
50
75
50
100
20
20
30
30
25
25
25
10
25
25
25
44th
12th
12th
25
25
10
• SGTMAJ GEORGE F. MEYER USMC (Ret)
• CPL ARTHUR F. MOSHER
• E-5 DIRK P. MOSIS III
• CPL THOMAS W. MULLEN
• CPL EUGENE L. NORHEIM USMC
• CPL MELVIN L. OAKES
• SGT JOHN S. OKEEFFE
• SGT GILBERT L. OLSON
• CPL BERNABE F. PADILLA
• MRS MARILYN PAIGE
In Memory of Col. Mitchell Paige
• MSGT LAURENCE H. PETERSON
• CPL THOMAS J. POWERS
In Memory of W.E. Nash & Thomas Dunne KIA Korea
• CPL RICHARD J. ROBBINS
• CAPT CARL A. SCHULTZ
• CPL ART B. SCHWARTZ
• GYSGT AUGUST J. SHUMAKER
• GEORGE M. THOMAS
• MGYSGT ROBERT R.. TOMPKINS SR. USMC (Ret)
• SGT WALTER H. TRASKA
• GYSGT BUDDY TREICHEL USMC (Ret)
In Memory of Sgt Dallas Young KIA Vietnam-1966
• SGT GARY D. VAIL
• 1STSGT FRANK T. VONRINTELN USMC (Ret)
• SGT LEWIS E. WEINSTEIN
In Memory of PFC Al Silver (USA) KIA Korea Aug 27,1951
• GYSGT WILLIAM D. WEISGERBER
• GYSGT WILLIAM D. WEISGERBER
215th
1st
9th
10th
24th
10th
63RD
64th
12th
2nd
40th
200
15
50
100
25
25
10
10
25
25
50
5th
1st
25
65
6th
5th
12th
5th
7th
1st
23rd
4th
50
15
25
25
50
50
20
50
1st
32nd
23RD
25
50
10
24th
25TH
3
33
Scholarship Fund
Fund Donors = 29; Total = $ 939.00
• SGT STEVE L. BERNTSON
• DONNA L. BROWN
In Memory of Curtis Allen Spach
• MGYSGT LAMBERT CONSIJIO Jr USMC (Ret)
In Memory of my beloved wife. Miyoko Mary
• PHM3/C EARL J. COOK
• 1STLT DANIEL J. CRONIN USMC (Ret)
• PFC ROBERT R. DEPP
In Memory of Paul Dukes and Mickey Hooks
• SGT RICHARD P. DOYLE
In Memory/Honor of Bob Denney (Cpl) Jim Bunker
(Sgt) Jim Kreil
• MRS. JUNE (GORDON F.) ELWYN. HEIM
In Memory CWO Gordon F. Heim Twelve Years Gone. Loved
and Missed. June and Diane Heim
• SGTMAJ KENNETH R. HOLSAPPLE
• HMC JOHN T. JOYCE
• MAJ THOMAS J. KENNEDY
• 1STLT JOHN MCDOUGALL
In Memory of/ Honor of 2dLt Joseph Missar, Jr,
died RVN 2/66 Basic Class 2-66
• CAPT WILLIAM R. OTTO USMC (Ret)
• CAPT CARL A. SCHULTZ
• LTCOL JOHN R. STEVENS USMC
In Memory of Lt. Baldermo Lopez
16th
2nd
1st
10
10
25
225th
20
4th
31st
14th
8th
15
50
25
25
3rd
75
81st
100
6th
1st
67th
2ND
11th
5th
13th
50
50
25
100
20
10
9
10th
7th
188th
6th
32nd
50
10
25
15
10
33rd
10
34th
10
35th
10
The Old Breed News
Marine Division Association
• CPL WALLACE T. STEWART
• SGTMAJ FRANK W. VAN WAES USMC (Ret)
• CPL ROBERT E. WAHLBECK
• SGT LEWIS E. WEINSTEIN
In Memory of PFC Al Silver (USA) KIA Korea Aug 27,1951
15th
9th
142nd
26th
25
25
120
10
OBN Plea 1 – 2015
OBN Plea = : Total = $
• 1STLT CLARENCE E. ADAMSON
• SGT THOMAS M. BARRETT
• CHRISTOPHER L. BONOMO
• SGT BERNARD P. BRUCE
• GYSGT GEORGE R. BURMEISTER USMC (Ret)
• CPL CHARLES W. CARTER
• SGT RICHARD J. DOBSON
• SGT JAMES O. ECKERT
• CPL DANIEL FELSEN
• SGT DANIEL T. FLAVIN
• 1STSGT ROBERT L. GAINES USMC (Ret)
• CPL ROBERT W. GROSS
• GYSGT RICHARD L. HALL USMC (Ret)
• SSGT VICTOR S. HANDO
• JOHN A. HANSEN Jr
• JOHN A. HANSEN Jr
• CPL DANA T. HUGHES
• MAJ JAMES B. HUNTER Jr USMC (Ret)
• 1STSGT AL JAINNINI Sr USMC (Ret)
In Memory of POW MIA’s
• CPL ALFRED ROBERT. JORDAN
In Memory of George Waselinko
• MR. GERALD D. KEFFER
• SGT WALLIS W. KIGHT
• SSGT EDWARD L. KING
• CPL THOMAS LADNER
In Memory of My Dad Red Ladner, 482nd Bombardment
Group 812th Bomber Squadron WWII
• CPL RICHARD L. LARGE
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• CPL MELVIN L. OAKES
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• SGT JAMES V. PELLA
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• MGYSGT LAWRENCE H. ROANE USMC (Ret)
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9th
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23
The Tragedy Of War
This is part two of Robert Olsen’s story about
the consequences of war. Part I appeared in
the Oct/Nov/Dec 2014 edition.
SEOUL
After securing Yong Dung Po, we
crossed the Han River to enter Seoul, the
capital city of South Korea, where the
combat we encountered was mostly
street fighting. I remember seeing a little
Korean girl and her grandfather on the
rooftop of a burning three-story building
in Seoul. We tried to get into the building
to save them but the heat and flames
were so intense that, sadly, we could not
save them.
As we continued to advance through
Seoul, we noticed that on almost every
street corner the North Koreans had built
barricades of large rice bags. Our tanks
helped to minimize the number of casualties that we would have suffered without their support, but even that was not
always sufficient protection. One day, a
blue ball of fire the size of a golf ball
streaked from a nearby North Korean
anti-tank gun. Its target was the tank to
my right. Instead, a sergeant to the left of
me took the hit in his right thigh. He was
quickly moved out of the area so his
wounds could be attended to.
We identified a church located a few
blocks ahead of us as a perfect place for
the enemy to hide in waiting for us, so
we approached by a back way through
the alleyways until we neared the building. We didn’t know it then, but the
North Koreans, who had no respect for
the sanctity of the church, had positioned
a machine gun back inside the church
doorway, and from the safety of that
position they intended to inflict huge
casualties on our platoon. We took them
out before they could do any damage.
As we moved on after that skirmish,
an elderly man came out of a nearby
building with tears in his eyes and
hugged us. Just that emotional expression of appreciation made it all worthwhile.
WONSON AND KOJO
24
After breaking the backs of the North
Korean army, relieving the pressure from
the south, and securing Seoul, we were
Robert Olsen
trucked to the docks where we were to
board ships headed for the North Korean
port of Wonson. On the way we passed a
young girl who was obviously suffering
from burns on her body. We threw her
some cans of C rations and a field jacket
to shield her from the cold.
Unfortunately, our voyage to Wonson
was delayed for over a week while mines
were being cleared from the ocean so
that it would be safe to land. After finally
arriving at Wonson, we went south to
Kojo, traveling in empty railroad coal
cars. Our orders were to handle guerrilla
activities in that area, and when we had
completed that mission, we were ordered
to the Frozen Chosin Reservoir at Kotori.
THE CHOSIN RESERVOIR
CAMPAIGN
The 78-mile journey to the Chosin
Reservoir over a narrow, winding dirt
road began the worst campaign any of us
had ever experienced, during the coldest
winter in North Korean recorded history,
far worse than the cold I had experienced
when I was stationed in North China in
1948 and 1949.
For the next approximately two weeks
we lived in frozen foxholes. Daily, we
experienced weather that was 30 and 40
degrees below zero. The wind chill factor coming down from Siberia and
Manchuria lowered the temperature to
between 70 and 75 below zero, and the
blinding snow made it impossible to see
your gloved hands in front of you. The
perspiration generated by fighting to
drive the Chinese off the high ground in
that weather caused a further chilling
effect on our bodies as we cooled down.
We were not prepared for such severe
weather conditions. Our clothing was
inadequate, to say the least, and getting
nourishment was always a challenge. We
could not thaw out our C-rations, even
when we placed them close to our bodies. So we used bayonets or K-bars to
break up chunks of food to suck on. To
quench our thirst, we ate snow.
Trying to have a bowel movement
was quite a chore. Digging a hole in the
snow and exposing your buttocks to the
elements was quite awkward. Negative
30-40-degree weather and the negative
70-75-degree wind chill factor created
major trouble. Urine froze when it hit the
ground.
To this day, I suffer from flaky skin
tissue that peels off my ears, scaly skin
and blotches on both sides of my face,
and cold injuries to other parts of my
body, conditions that I believe are all
attributable to the brutal temperatures we
were continually exposed to at the
Chosin Reservoir in North Korea.
All of our supplies were dropped by
air: C-rations (a day’s supply of food for
each man), medical supplies, ammunition, fuel for the trucks and tanks. If our
vehicles ran out of fuel and stopped running they could not be started up again
because of the severe cold. So we had to
keep them running nonstop for 24 hours
a day.
The frozen ground was like concrete.
While the engineers were trying to
scrape out an airstrip at Koto-ri so small
planes could land to evacuate the
wounded, the Chinese were constantly
firing on them. Our company and Dog
Company were sent to clear out the
Chinese from the high ground. When we
drove them off, we captured a machine
gun that was like our light, air-cooled .30
caliber machine gun, except that this one
was made in Czechoslovakia. I carried it
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back to our command post.
The weather conditions made it deadly even to use sleeping bags to cover our
bodies. We were told that a few Marines
had zipped up their sleeping bags, and
when they could not open them because
their breath had frosted the zippers, they
were bayoneted by the Chinese. After
that incident we were ordered not to pull
our sleeping bags up any higher than our
legs. Living out of a frozen foxhole in
that snow and freezing weather was no
picnic.
Our Navy doctors and medics did an
outstanding job tending to the wounded
in unheated tents, saving lives under
incredibly primitive conditions. It was so
cold that the doctors and medics had to
wear gloves when they were operating.
They had to keep the morphine syrettes
in their mouths to prevent them from
freezing, and they could not use the
blood plasma because the bags were
frozen. The doctors and medics were our
unsung heroes.
And the airstrikes carried out by the
gallant U.S. Navy, Marine, and Air Force
fliers, under the most adverse weather
conditions, helped us to survive, also.
They were angels of mercy.
The Chinese, who at that point were
fighting with the North Koreans, controlled the roads and blew up the
bridges. Our 1st MarDiv’s three regiments—the 1st, 5th and 7th—were
divided into four main groups, approximately ten miles apart from each other.
We were joined by two battalions of the
U .S. Army’s 7th Division and a force of
British Royal Marine Commandos, creating a force of 15,000 men all totaled.
And we were completely surrounded by
120,000 elite Chinese Communist soldiers.
It was a shame that the North Korean
arm did not accept defeat instead of having the Chinese intervene because of
pressure from Russia. A unified Korea,
north and south, would have benefited
all of Korea, and North Korea would
have shared in the prosperity of South
Korea.
EVACUATING TO PUSAN
When the Chinese entered the war we
were ordered to withdraw to the coast at
Hungnam, 78 miles away, for sea evacuation to Pusan, South Korea. Before we
The Old Breed News
could move out, the bridges had to be
repaired. Steel beams had to be parachuted to the ground by air. The engineers
did a remarkable job of repairing the
bridges so that all of our trucks, artillery,
tanks, equipment, and troops were able
to fight their way out of the Chinese trap,
defeating seven Chinese divisions and
impairing the effectiveness of three more
Chinese divisions for many months.
In preparation for the evacuation to
Hungnam, dead Marines were loaded on
the trucks like cordwood. Their bodies
were piled six high. It was a very sad
sight.
Because of the combination of weather and combat conditions, I suffered
excruciating ankle pain during the entire
strategic withdrawal, carrying a
Browning Automatic rifle (BAR), a
magazine belt of ammunition, and a
heavy field pack on my back as we
fought our way 78 miles over the narrow,
twisting, torturous, icy mountain roads
that led to the coast.
I believe it was divine intervention
that helped us escape the Chinese forces.
One of the Marines wrote that during the
evacuation he saw a blue cross at the top
of a mountain we were passing one
night. He asked some other Marines if
they had seen anything. No one saw anything unusual. Nevertheless, for several
nights he saw the same blue cross. He
said he knew then that we would make it.
We were doing a compassionate and
noble deed for the Korean people.
We sailed from Hungnam on
Christmas Eve with a precious cargo of
100,000 North Korean civilians—men,
women, and children.
Freedom, the greatest gift, which we
often seemed to have taken for granted,
was bestowed upon these worthy people
who had suffered under the tyranny of
Communism for many years.
THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE
After landing at Pusan in South Korea
following the strategic withdrawal from
North Korea, we boarded trains for
Masan, where we regrouped and resupplied before starting our counteroffensive north to recapture lost territory.
That campaign was much like the others that had preceded it. The same deafening noise from the 90mm cannons on
the tanks supporting us...the same back
blast from the cannons that would knock
you off your feet...the same dead bodies
missing limbs, and those whose heads
were decapitated...the same nauseating
stench of burned bodies hit by napalm.
One day on our way north, when we
came upon what I assumed was a MASH
unit convoy that had been ambushed by
the Chinese, we discovered two nurses
lying face down in a stream of water. I
did not want to turn them over to see
their faces, for fear it would have haunted me for the rest of my life. There were
no visible signs of bullet wounds on their
backs. Their trucks were burned and
there were more dead bodies lying near
the trucks.
The North Korean and Chinese soldiers had no respect for the sign of the
red cross on military ambulances. The
ambulances were shot up and the wounded were killed. They had no respect for
the Geneva Convention in regard to prisoners of war (POWs). American prisoners, with their hands tied behind their
backs with their own shoelaces, were
assassinated by the North Korean and
Chinese soldiers.
As we advanced north in the face of
artillery barrages from the Chinese, a
jagged piece of hot steel, larger than a
golf ball, missed my face by inches when
it landed at the edge of my foxhole, kicking up dirt in my face. Once again, I was
saved by inches. A direct hit into a foxhole and you can pick up the remains
with a blotter.
I believe that the constant ringing in
my ears I have suffered for over 50 years
is attributable to the loud cannon fire and
incoming artillery shelling that I experienced in Korea.
During that same advance, while digging my foxhole on yet another hill, a
bullet went through my entrenching tool.
I kept on digging so that the Chinese
wouldn’t know how close their aim was.
As we regained more ground, the
stench of dead bodies was nauseating.
One corpse was strewn across a hill, the
lower half of the body on one side of the
slope and the other half on the other side
of the slope, connected by the intestines
strung out over the top of the hill.
We usually had a warning that the
Chinese planned to advance on our position, because they blew bugles and whis-
25
tles to signal to one another that they
were ready to attack. One night the
Chinese were blowing their bugles to
communicate with their other units, and
in response to the eerie sound, our side
shelled the hill in front of us all night, to
try to soften them up.
At daybreak we saddled up and started charging across the field, toward the
base of the hill. The Chinese were firing
at us and bullets were kicking up patches
of ice and snow on the ground around us.
We could hear the bullets zinging by. As
we closed in on the Chinese positions,
Marines started falling where they were
hit. We kept moving up the hill, firing
until we secured the position.
THREE DAYS OF REST
26
Finally, after being on the front lines
for over a month, we were relieved by
other units so we could go to the rear for
what we were told would be three days
of rest. The first thing you learn in battle
is that there are no sanitary conditions
on the front lines. An outdoor shower is
set up. A water truck fills a portable pool
with chlorinated water. We remove our
filthy fatigues, underwear, and socks
that are so dirty they stand at attention
by themselves. We also remove our
Boondocker boots and, because they are
all worn out from climbing the mountains, we are issued new boots. After our
bodies are fumigated to kill the lice, we
are allowed, for the first time in a month
or longer, to take a shower—something
we consider a real luxury.
We are supposed to receive a hot
meal, something else we wouldn’t have
had for over a month.This time, however, we did not receive the hot meal
because we were told our lines had been
broken through.
I was looking forward to a long rest.
I put together some leaves as a mattress
under my sleeping bag so I could rest
horizontally, a welcome change from
the constant squatting positions we had
to maintain in our foxholes.
However, it was not in the cards for
me. I had enjoyed just three hours of
nice, comfortable rest when we were
ordered to saddle up and move out again
because we had to push back the
Chinese who had broken through the
South Koreans’ (ROK) lines, and then
plug up the lines again. We would have
to wait another month or so to make up
for any respite we had missed. So much
for the promised three days of rest.
HONGCHON CASUALTIES
One of the dates I remember most
clearly is March 15, 1951. All that day
we had been facing Chinese troops who
were entrenched in well-fortified
bunkers. During that day’s battle, Harry
Ziegler, a rifleman to my right, suffered
a head wound from a Chinese grenade.
His brain started spilling out on the left
side of his head. Bob Yorka, our corpsman, pushed his brain back into his head
and bandaged his wound.
A couple years later, Salvator
Mattera, who had been in our platoon,
told me he had run into Harry in San
Diego. Sal said that Harry still had his
good looks and black, wavy hair. No
scars on his face. But halfway through
the conversation, Harry’s mind drifted
to something else. Apparently he had
suffered some kind of brain damage
from the attack.
While Bob Yorka was tending to
Harry, l was struck by a bullet in my
right thigh, slamming me to the ground.
At first I thought I had tripped, but when
I tried to stand up, I fell backwards from
the weight of my field pack and the
BAR magazines around my waist. I
started to roll down the hill. Luckily, a
boulder broke my fall. Immediately my
thigh swelled up to the size of a watermelon. When Bob had finished treating
Harry, he ran over to treat me. My right
femur was broken and the artery was
severed. The Chinese were firing at
Bob, and the bullets were kicking up dirt
all around us. How we survived that barrage of bullets I will never know.
Neither Bob nor I were hit.
By late afternoon that day, 28
Marines had been wounded. Twenty of
them were evacuated, but eight of us
were left behind on the battlefield
because nightfall was setting in and the
Chinese were lobbing mortar fire, trying
to hit the choppers, fortunately without
any luck. For twelve hours I lay in a
pool of blood, right where I was wounded. It was so dark and I was so thirsty.
Bob would not let me drink any water;
he could only moisten my lips. To this
day I can’t understand how Bob kept me
alive.
Long hours later, at daybreak, the last
eight wounded were flown from the battlefield by helicopter to a field hospital.
It took a while to get us all out; in those
days the helicopters were only able to
carry two wounded at a time, in sidemounted baskets.
At the field hospital, medical personnel inserted a red-hot poker into my
right thigh to stop the bleeding, and then
put me in an orthopedic (spica) body
cast. I was sent by train to the hospital
ship Repose where, for each of the next
several nights, Dr. Egdahl, the Navy
orthopedic surgeon on board, administered nerve blocks to my back to ease
the pain. Finally, on March 20, 1951, he
amputated my right leg above the knee.
It was my 20th birthday.
IT’S NOT ONLY THE
MARINES WHO DIE
Another casualty of the Hongchon
battle was my assistant BAR man, John
Quinlin, who was hit near the heart.
They worked on John for eight hours at
the field hospital, but could not stop the
bleeding. It was very sad. John was a
good Marine.
John’s brother, who was part of the
Merchant Marine force that landed in n
Korea, was given permission to visit
him. Unfortunately, he could not get to
the field hospital in time. It must have
been very hard not to see his brother
before he died.
A while later, after I had been transferred to the Philadelphia Naval
Hospital, still in an orthopedic body
cast, John’s parents, wonderful people,
visited me. By the time John’s body was
returned to the states, I was out of the
body cast and walking on crutches. I
attended his funeral in Connecticut, saw
his parents’ lovely home, and met his
high school sweetheart.
John had had a lot to live for. He had
planned to take over the family business
when his father retired. Unfortunately,
less than a year after the funeral, John’s
mother died from a broken heart. I
named my oldest son John, after John
Quinlin.
MAKING THE ROUNDS OF
HOSPITALS
After my leg was amputated I was
transferred to a sequence of military
hospitals: Yakuska, Japan; Tripler,
The Old Breed News
Hawaii; Oak Knoll, California; Anny,
Texas; Naval Hospital, Philadelphia;
Fort Hamilton VA Hospital, Brooklyn,
New York.
During my first thirteen months as a
patient in both overseas and stateside
military and VA hospitals, I underwent
sixteen major and minor surgical procedures. Sometime after those first thirteen months, I had to have more surgery
at the New York City VA Hospital,
where I was a patient for many additional months. I have since been hospitalized again, at the Long Beach, CA VA
Hospital, for more surgery on my right,
above-knee (AK) stump.
My last operation was performed by
Dr. Robert Murphy in 1980, at the Camp
Pendleton Naval Hospital. During the
time leading up to that operation, when I
walked it often felt as if a red-hot poker
was going from the hole in the end of
my stump right up to my brain, and there
was constant drainage that smelled like
a sewer every time I took a step and
expelled air from my prosthesis.
BEYOND THE BATTLEFIELD
I still have recurring nightmares. My
wife has told me that I sometimes shout
and swing my arms in my sleep. At
times I have gotten up out of bed in my
sleep and fallen on my face because I
have only one leg to stand on.
Over the years I have had a sleeping
disorder, contemplated suicide, and
sometimes displayed irrational behavior
without realizing it.
I have learned that war is hell for
those who have to fight in it and for the
innocent victims caught in the crossfire.
There are no winners in a war. Both the
victor and the loser suffer. Much blood
is shed on both sides. Families from
both sides suffer from broken hearts.
Bodies are torn apart and maimed for
life. The cost of rebuilding the affected
nations is staggering.
Satellite photos from outer space of
North and South Korea at night show
South Korea lit up like a Christmas tree
and North Korea as a black void. This
tells us that all is still not well in North
Korea.
Reach Robert Olsen at 734 S. Melrose
Dr., Vista, CA 92081. PFC Olsen served
with F/2/1 in Korea.
The Old Breed News
MARSOC Marine receives Navy Cross
By his decisive actions, bold
initiative, and complete dedication to duty, Jacklin
reflected great credit upon
himself and upheld the
highest traditions of the
U.S. Naval Service.
Gunnery Sgt. Brian C. Jacklin
By Headquarters Marine Corps
Camp Pendleton, California —
Gunnery Sgt. Brian C. Jacklin, a critical
skills operator with 1st Marine Special
Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps
Forces Special Operations Command,
was awarded the Navy Cross for his
heroic actions while deployed to
Afghanistan in 2012.
The award was presented to Jacklin
during a ceremony at the 1st MSOB
headquarters aboard Marine Corps Base
Camp Pendleton, California, April 9, at
10 a.m.
Jacklin, a Los Angeles native, was
second in command of a team conducting
village stability operations in the volatile
Upper Gereshk Valley of Helmand
Province. The enemy suddenly poured
heavy fire into the team’s position, and
his team leader and another Marine each
suffered
life-threatening
gunshot
wounds.
Without hesitation, Jacklin seized
control of the situation and orchestrated a
counterattack. He personally established
an alternate means of communication
with a nearby supporting unit and began
prosecuting direct, indirect, and aviation
fires on the enemy, while simultaneously
coordinating evacuation of the casualties.
He courageously led his team out of their
compound and through open terrain in
order to secure a landing zone. Jacklin
remained in the open, raining M203
grenades on the enemy and directing the
fires of his team, until the aircraft could
land and evacuate the wounded. When
his team was relieved in place by another
special operations unit, Jacklin voluntarily remained behind, and throughout a
raging battle all the next day, he provided
vital intelligence, tactical assistance, and
deadly accurate personal fires. By his
decisive actions, bold initiative, and
complete dedication to duty, Jacklin
reflected great credit upon himself and
upheld the highest traditions of the U.S.
Naval Service.
The Navy Cross is the second highest
valor award, second to the Medal of
Honor and must be approved by the
Secretary of the Navy before being
awarded. Jacklin becomes the eighth servicemember in MARSOC’s nine-year
history to be awarded the Navy Cross as
a result of his extraordinary heroic
actions taken during Operation Enduring
Freedom. Major Gen. Joseph L.
Osterman, commander of U.S. Marine
Corps Forces Special Operations
Command, presented the award.
Also during the ceremony, Maj. Gen.
Osterman awarded the Bronze Star
Medal with combat distinguishing device
to GySgt. William C. Simpson IV, Staff
Sgt. Christopher Buckminster, Staff Sgt.
Hafeez B. Hussein, Sgt. William P. Hall,
and Sgt. David E. Harris, all critical
skills operators who boldly displayed
their courage and gallantry during the
same engagement as Jacklin.
27
Navy Cross Recipient Thomas P. McGuire Guarding
Gates Of Heaven
Sgt. Thomas P. McGuire, a Navy Cross recipient, who was
with I/3/7, passed away on 13 April 2015. He earned his medal
on Hill 134 in Korea. Here is his citation:
McGUIRE, THOMAS P.
Citation:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the
Navy Cross to Thomas P. McGuire (1187571), Sergeant, U.S. Marine
Corps, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations
against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Squad
Leader of Company I, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine
Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in the
Republic of Korea on 8 January 1953. Leading his group in the assault
against the right flank of a numerically superior enemy force occupying
strongly entrenched positions on the crest of Hill 134, Sergeant McGuire
exhibited exceptional leadership and repeatedly exposed himself to
intense hostile small-arms, grenade and automatic-weapons fire to rally
and encourage his battered unit in the advance up the slope to reach the
objective. With enemy resistance becoming increasingly severe as he
approached his destination, he personally leaped into the trenches and
fought at extremely close quarters, accounting for several enemy dead
and silencing a concealed gun position which was halting the advance
of his unit. Upon learning that the platoon commander on the left flank
was severely wounded, Sergeant McGuire quickly reorganized his own
squad and led his men to the opposite side o the hill where he assumed
command of the remainder of the force. In the face of fierce hostile fire,
he commenced his withdrawal and supervised the orderly evacuation of
the dead and the wounded, assuring himself that all his men had withdrawn before he rejoined them and returned to friendly lines. By his daring initiative, great personal bravery and inspiring leadership, Sergeant
McGuire contributed in large measure to the success of the assaulting
group in destroying and demoralizing the enemy and in obtaining invaluable intelligence. His heroic actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Authority: Board Serial 215 (March 30, 1955)
Born: December 19, 1930 at East Norwalk, Connecticut
Home Town: New York, New York
McGuire went on to serve as a firefighter in New York City,
retiring after 33 years.
Read more about him at http://www.findagrave.com/cgibin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSlh=1&GRid=145146535&
Left, Thomas McGuire in his USMC days, and right,
Firefighter Thomas McGuire
28
The Old Breed News
Welcome Aboard!
* Life Member
New Members of the 1st Marine Division Association
NAME
UNIT
ADDRESS
PHONE
RECRUITER
NEW MEMBERS
GREG M. ATTL
*1STSGT HERB D. BREWER
CAPT PAUL BURTON CLIFFORD II
SGT TERRENCE W. HENRY
CPL RICHARD LE BLANC
SUSANNE IRENE. LYNCH
SGT EDWARD D. MAGINN
CPL LEONARD P. MCGUIRE
ROBIN MONTGOMERY
GYSGT RAMON LUIS. MORALES
SSGT RICHARD OCHOA
CPL RAYMOND L. PARRISH III
LCPL JAMES D.. REARDON
GEORGE WYLIE. SMITH
SGT CHARLES L. THOMPSON
SSGT TIMOTHY ROBERT. VICK
MRS LEATHA A. WHITERIVER
HM2 DAVID R. WOLF
FRIEND
A CO 1-5 1-1 VN CW
1RECON BN/ 1 MAR REG
D-1-7 VN 0215
FOX 2-1A-FLC VN
3 MAS
A-1-5 WTB QUANTICO VN
2-1 & 1-4
E-2-26 VN
H&S 1STBN-1STMAR
B-1ST BN 5TH MAR VN
1ST FORCE SVC REG’T
ASSOCIATE
2ND BN, 5TH MAR
2667 LA COSTA DR, BULLHEAD CITY, AZ 86429
275 WILLOW SP RD, MEAD, OK 73449
309 WM PITTENGER PL, FALLBROOK, CA 92028
14 SAYLOR DRIVE, GOPLAY, PA 18037-1425
251 MOSER AVE, BULLHEAD CITY, AZ 86427
2647 VIVIAN ST., PORTAGE, IN 46368
830 WYNDOM TERRACE, SECANE, PA 19078
137 VIA ESTRADA, CATHEDRAL, CA 92334
12 YANKEE DRIVE, BROOKFIELD, CT 06804
5226 STORMY SKIES, SAN ANTONIO , TX 78247
1250 N. WESTRIDEERS, BULLHEAD CITY, CA 86429
14263 BAKER ST., WESTMINSTER, CA 92683
117 PALM CIR, ATLANTIS, FL 33462
5811 ROYAL CLUB, SAN ANTONIO , TX 78239-1406
10012 RUTH, ALLEN PARK, MI 48101
3612 SW 16TH CT., GRESHAM, OR
194 S PIXLEY ST, ORANGE, CA 92868
1664 C BETA DRIVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92126
661-373-3704
405-740-7856
Sgt James Robinson
610-262-4747
928-899-6313
(219) 763-9935
267-246-7145
760-844-2366
Vince Rios
210-526-9607
(928) 404-4332
562-598-4630 J. Allen & J. Kittinger
210-656-3366
316-300-9264
503-667-3581
714-450-3435
224-545-2890
Harold Thrasher
Bill Call
Bob Bobst
RENEWAL TO LIFE
*1STSGT JOSEPH M. MILLER (Ret)
*SGTMAJ R N. PEMBERTON USMC (Ret)
*MGYSGT FRANK B. ZUGAJ
H&S/K/M-3-7 VN
H&S-17MAR FMF CW
COMM-HQ VN, 3-7MAR CMC
112 RUMSEY ST, OSWAYO, PA 16915-7961
11 CAMBRIDGE ST, GLEN COVE, NY 11542
121 N BARNWELL ST, OCEANSIDE, CA 92054-3742
C-1-7 VN
4.0 MTR 7TH REGT KO
1MAR DIV 11TH MAR KO
H&S/B-1-5 VN
B-1-5 VN
3RD AAV’S
I-3-1 KO
HQBN DIV SCH 1MARDIV OIF
30 LEXINGTON WAY, COTO DE CAZA, CA 92679-4720
400 HIGHLANDS DR, ALBANY, NY 56307
128 GRESHAM ST, GLENDIVE, MT 59330
7221 S 46TH ST, FRANKLIN, WI 53132-9456
1617 WARPATH RD, WEST CHESTER, PA 19382
252 REMINGTON LOOP, DANVILLE, CA 94526
4262 LAKE UNDERHILL RD APT B, ORLANDO, FL 32803-7008
2894 OAK BRANCH RIDGE, NEW BRAUNFELS, TX 78130
REINSTATE
THOMAS M. BARKER
SGT CLARENCE B. ENNEKING
SSGT DONALD H. KETTNER
LCPL CHARLES J. KOCOUREK
JAMES LATTA
CAPT GENE REDDING
CPL DONALD SCHYBERG
MGSGT BLAINE L. SCOTT
The 1st Annual Blue Diamond Classic Golf Championship
What:
A Fun Fund-Raiser Event, sponsored by the 1/5 Vietnam
Veterans (1/5 VV), the Southern California Chapter, and the
1st Marine Division Association (FMDA)
Where:
To Be Determined (in or near Oceanside, CA)
When:
Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - Shotgun Start – 0900
How Much? Cost to play is $95.00? per player, which includes green fees, shared
cart, range balls, (2) door prize drawing tickets, catered meal, one “Magic Mulligan,” entry
into a putting contest, and the opportunity to win the tournament prizes (Team Cash
Prizes, Hole in One, Long Drive, Putting Contest, Door Prizes, and Closest to the Pin).
The Old Breed News
29
30
The Old Breed News
TAPS
* Life Member
*PFC TROY J. LEWISA-1ARM AMPH WWII KO
BRIDGETON, MO
*SGT EINAR A. ANDERSON 3AMTRAC 1TK WWII
*COL CARL K. MAHAKIAN USMC (Ret) 3-5 MAR
KO SPOKANE, WA DOD 1/29/2015
WWII KO VN PALM DESERT, CA DOD
3/9/2015
JEANE BENDER OBN SARASOTA, FL
*HA1 BERYL A. BONACKERE-2-5 WWII CH EAGLE *SGT VINCENT D. MCCORMICK HQ-2-11 KO
BINGHAMTON, NY DOD 2/24/2015
POINT, OR DOD 3/2/2014
*SGT
THOMAS P. MCGUIRE I-3-7 KO LINDEN*CAPT WILLARD K. BOND USMC (Ret) 1TK
HURST, NY DOD 4/13/2015
RECON-HQ WWII KO SILVER SPRING, MD DOD
11/30/2014
SGT CESAR R. MEDINA H-3-5 KO CHULA VISTA,
CA DOD 4/29/2015
*CPL SAL CAVALLA ROC-1 -5 WWII CH KO WEST
HEMPSTEAD, NY DOD 4/3/2015
*PFC WILLIAM J. MERRITT HQ-1SVC WWII
SAINT LOUIS, MO
*SGT JOHN E. CISNEROS WHITE RIVER 7MT KO
ORANGE, CA
SGT FRED R. MYERS A-1-1 KO BUENA PARK, CA
DOD 5/5/2014
*SGT LOUIS P. GALLUZZI WPNS-2-5 KO BROCKPORT, PA DOD 3/24/2014
*CWO3 WILLIAM C. OWENS USMC (Ret) LFAS
IIIMAC WWII CH VN PARADISE VALLEY, AZ
*CAPT EDWARD GARR USMC (Ret) D-2-7 MP KO
VN OCALA, FL DOD 4/19/2015
*SGT ROBERT M. PAYNE DOD I-3-1 KON TRO, WV
1/23/2015
SGT DANIEL J. GREEN H&S-7MAR KO AMBLER, P
DOD 3/21/2015
*PFC BEN F. ROMINE HQ-2-7 WWII CH WARMINSTER, PA DOD 2/8/2015
*SGT MARTIN B. HELMICK D-2-5 KO RICHMOND,
VA DOD 1/22/2015
*LTCOL CHARLES A. ROSENFELD USMC (RET.)
1TK & 1MT KO VN SAN DIEGO, CA DOD
CPL JOHN JOSEPH. KELLEHER M/3/1 LONGMEAD11/15/2014
OW, MA DOD 11/19/2013
Members
*CPL CURTIS A. SPACH Jr USMC (Ret) L-3-5
WWII LEWISVILLE, NC DOD 3/31/2015
STEPHEN A. TOMKO DOD I-3-5 WWII Lexington,
KY DOD 9/30/2014
PFC JOHN A. VELARB-1-1 WWII CHPINE BUSH, NY
DOD 3/10/2015
*COL FRASER E. WEST USMC (Ret) K-1/3-7 35MAR WWII CH KO IONE, CA DOD 1/2/2015
*CPL NORMAN O. WHITE 5MAR SPL WPNS WWII
CH KEY LARGO, FL DOD 12/10/2014
*SGT MILTON C. ZARBOK 1MAW KOVILLARD, MN
*SGT RAYMOND W. ZINK B-1ENGR WWII CH KO
FAIRPORT, NY DOD 1/14/2014
NOTICE
Please send all mail for the OBN
Editor to his "southern office":
Arthur G. Sharp
895 Ribaut Rd., #13,
Beaufort, SC 29902
[email protected]
31
The Old Breed News
1st Marine Division Association
1902 Wright Pl., Suite 200
Carlsbad, CA 92008
PERIODICAL — TIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL

April - May - June 2015 - 1st Marine Division Association

Transcription

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