This is the third
installment of a three-part interview with my Senior Drill Instructor from boot
camp. Click here for the first
installment, which discusses his early career.
Click here for the second
installment, which discusses the latter part of his career.
What was your favorite
duty station/deployment/billet and why?
My favorite duty was Embassy Duty since
it was unlike anything else in the Marines. We were a very small unit in
both Indonesia and the Philippines. However
we had to be prepared for many different security threats. On this duty
we would have parties every Friday at the Marine House to raise funds for the
Marine Corps Ball, which was a big function for the whole Embassy staff. We
were required to attend cocktail parties at the Ambassador’s residence, and
also were tasked with being a Color Guard for formal functions. I was proud to
be in the color guard for President Regan’s inaugural party at the Embassy in
Manila. This was really an exciting duty, since you were able to meet many State
Department people, DEA agents, FBI agents and even foreign country officials.
You learned what other countries were like from the Marines who had been there
and from State Department employees. I was married at the Embassy in
Manila, and it was something I will never forget.
What was your least
favorite and why?
My least favorite has to be when I was
at El Toro the last time, because I was the Operations chief, which was a
Master Sergeant billet and after a new Second Lieutenant checked aboard the S-4
(Logistics Office), my boss reassigned me to his office so I could train
him. The billet in the S-4 was only a Gunnery Sergeant position, and for
my career it didn't look good to go down to a junior billet. I
contacted a good friend who arranged orders for me to report aboard my
second amphibious ship which is very good for my career.
I’m guessing this was in
the 1992 time frame. I don’t think I ever mentioned this to you, but you
were one of the last people I saw as a Marine. I was going through
SEPS when I saw you. You were a gunny at that point.
I didn't talk to you because I was one of the thumper privates from
PLT 3111.
You should have said something to me. I
was always hoping to run into someone who could tell me if I made a difference
for them. To be honest with you I was not aware that my Junior Drill
Instructors had any thumper privates, but I could understand. When I was
a strong Junior Drill Instructor, I was very hard on the recruits and
I didn't want them to like me even a little. I had two company
honor platoons in a row so they more or less had to make me a Senior Drill
Instructor. Being short I was surprised that they did make me a Senior Drill
Instructor and I wanted to do my best. We were always told that working at MCRD
San Diego, the Drill Instructors are in a fish bowl with everyone watching, and
we all had to train in accordance with the SOP (Standard Operating
Procedures). Every Drill Instructor has to take and pass the SOP test
every six months. The crazy part is we all know the rules, and we all
find our own way to break those rules, knowing if we are caught it could mean
our career. I learned when I first started that no matter what you do, you have
to be fair and only punish when there is a reason; so many just want to live up
to an image and always be hard. I felt that what we were teaching was the
basics and it was every Recruit/Marine’s responsibility to remember and build
on what they had learned in Boot Camp.
What's your favorite sea
story?
When I was aboard the USS Peleliu in
the Indian Ocean we couldn't outrun a Typhoon and we had to weather
the storm. The ship had some actual damage from the storm where the catwalk
around the flight deck was ripped off in three different sections. I think
that is an experience all of the Marines and Sailors aboard will never forget.
Crazy. I had a
similar experience when I was on the USS Tuscaloosa. We were going from
San Diego to Okinawa and caught the tail end of a typhoon shortly after
passing Hawaii. When we started entering the storm, we were on the 04
deck (the highest point on an LST) and taking pictures as the water would
splash over the deck of the boat. Water was spraying us. At the
height of the storm, we were taking 45 degree rolls. Biggest roll was 48
degrees. It was fun watching all of the other sailors and Marines getting
sea sick.
Many Marines I know have
close to as much sea time as sailors. How much sea time do you have?
I received sea pay for six and one half
years, but this is a little misleading because we still received sea pay when
the ship was in Dry Dock at the shipyard in Long Beach. However this is
also a very dangerous environment and one crazy thing that happened when I was
officer of the deck on duty, and the ship was up on blocks, one of the big
California Earthquake happened. I will always remember the ship bouncing
on blocks in Dry Dock at Long Beach.
What was your favorite
place to visit and why?
I enjoyed Bali Indonesia since the USS
Boxer went on liberty there and my experience at the Embassy had taught me how
to speak enough of the language to bargain; all of the locals were surprised to
see a white man bargaining in Indonesian.
What was your least
favorite place to visit and why?
I really didn’t enjoy the Middle East,
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. We were there to fight the war but
I didn't have the feeling that we were really welcome. Even
though being a Marine means you are trained to fight, I am sure most
Marines do not enjoy war. There is really nothing glamorous about war.
Truer words were never
spoken on both counts. I felt welcome while I was in the gulf in 1988
during Earnest Will. I felt welcome in 1991 and 1992 during Desert Shield
and Desert Storm. It seemed like we were doing something
worthwhile. But the “liberation” of Iraq seems to be a different
story. The Iraqi people initially wanted us to depose Saddam Hussein, but
after that, they just wanted us gone. They didn’t want democracy. I
believe that the people of the Middle East think in a fundamentally different
way than we do. I believe they don’t necessarily want democracy.
And I think we’re a bit foolish and egocentric to expect that we can change
their way of thinking. I also think that most Marines… most military
personnel… romanticize the thought of war, until they’re actually exposed to
the reality.Your thoughts?
I agree with you, we cannot expect them
to have a democracy when they don’t have a desire. I really think it was
a big mistake not to establish some sort of military base in Iraq. If you look what happened after World War II,
the US bases established in Europe and Japan are still there and they [have]
served a very important purpose to prevent another build up to a world war.
With Terrorism on the rise and this horrible organization of ISIS, there has to
be a US Base established, especially in Iraq which is the center of all the
trouble. It will also give us some leverage and observation capabilities
over Iran, which is another country needing close watch. I am sure they are the
primary supporters of ISIS, but nobody wishes to risk their life in order to
bring proof of this to the world’s attention.
How did your family
handle your career? Deployments, DI duty, etc?
I was very lucky since my wife had been
in the Philippine Army as a Nurse; she understood what being in the military
means. Since she has a career as a Nurse she was not bothered by the
numerous separations caused by training and deployments. She
encouraged me to stay in the Marines until I retired. Her father was a Filipino Scout,
who fought for the US Army in World War II and survived the Bataan Death
march. My step-father had been a China Marine, so we both had an idea
what we were getting into with my Marine Corps career. This life is very
hard on family relationships and I am very lucky to have a wife who
understands.
How does your family like
it now that you're retired?
We are very happy and since retirement
we have been able to remodel our house and do some traveling. We plan to
do much more traveling, especially when my wife retires in two to three years.
What did you do after
leaving the Corps? Are you still working? Did you return to
Seattle?
After I retired I went to Seattle and
spent a couple of weeks with some old friends. Then I just did nothing for
about five months and after that amount of time I decided it’s time to find
another job. I applied to work at Wells Fargo Telephone bank, which is where
banking is completed over the phone. I did well there and was awarded a trip to
Maui, Hawaii; it was the first time my wife had been to Hawaii and since then
we have gone almost every other year. After six years with the phone bank I
decided it was time for a change, so I applied for a position with Business
Banking. Our job was to review business loan applications and to make
sure the borrowing business was active with the Secretary of State which is in
compliance to the USA Patriot Act. Not loaning money to an organization
that support[s] terrorism or money laundering. This job is mostly that of
an auditor and I also did well at this position. Once my house remodel
was complete, and I made it to the companies retirement age with enough time, I
decided to retire for the second time so I can help maintain my newly remodeled
house.
How much of a role does
the Marine Corps play in your life now that you’re retired?
Once a Marine Always a Marine.
About once a month my wife and I go either to Camp Pendleton (60 miles)
or San Diego (100 miles) to shop at the Exchange and Commissary. [I]Want to use those benefits I worked so hard
to earn. I am in touch with a few Navy friends and Marines who served
with me during my career.
To what extent do you
stay in touch with your fellow Marines?
There are a couple who were on Embassy
Duty with me that are friends on Facebook. We share photos and stories every
now and then. I have a friend who is an active Sergeant Major on the East Coast;
he sends me information and updates about the Marine Corps. There is a friend
who was aboard the USS Boxer, and he now works as a contractor training Marines
at Camp Pendleton. With Facebook it is amazing how easy it is to get in
touch with old friends. But not everyone likes to use Facebook so I have
a couple of friends who keep in touch the old fashioned way by writing letters.
One last question:
What question did you think I’d ask that I haven’t asked, and what’s the answer
to that question?
What do I think of the Marine Corps today?
The Marines keep on evolving, which is a good thing, because
war and conflict always change around the world. Marines are ambassadors
of America to the world, and they are still respected. Today’s Marines
are expected to do more, learn more and adapt to changing situations
faster than ever before. To become a Marine is not easy but it is something
that will change your life.
Bonus: Picture taken at a Marine Corps Ball
No comments:
Post a Comment