An Anniversary of Importance to Me: USMC 234th

Today marks the 234th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps, which almost became my profession because of the Vietnam and Cold War.

I had a draft lottery number of 22 which meant Vietnam had I not gone to college, which I was always planning to do since I wanted to be a teacher. That war in Vietnam didn't seem like it was ever going to end. It started while I was in junior high and lasted all through high school and college.

I knew that after I got out of college I was going so figured I would go as an officer. I signed up for the Marine OCS, Officer Candidate School, where I would go to training for six weeks between sophomore and junior years and another six weeks the following summer.


THE VERY UN-MILITARY ME

The summer of 1971, I went to Quantico, Virginia, for the six weeks and have to admit that I didn't do anything right for the first three weeks, but then began to figure the military stuff out.

I went my first two years to Northern Illinois and junior year transferred to the University of Georgia. I decided to move back to Northern for senior year, but had to go to summer school at UGA in order to graduate on time. I called the Marines and thought I had it worked out, but, a few months later got a paper saying I had been honorably discharged. At the time, fall 1972, we were winding down the War in Vietnam, so I guess they didn't need me.

So, for six weeks, I was a Marine. I am still most fond of that branch of the military, America's Best Fighting Machine.


IWO JIMA MEMORIAL ANNIVERSARY

And, speaking of the Corps, it was also this date 55 years ago, November 10, 1954, that the Iwo Jima Memorial, inspired by the famous Associated Press photograph of the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi during World War II, was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Arlington, Va..

Ooo-Rah!! --RoadDog