Retired at the beginning of April, '05 and relocated to south central Missouri, specifically, the Rolla area. Purchased a house that is conSIDerably better than what we had in S. Calif. and moved in around the middle of May. Got an in-ground pool outside and a really neat "War Room" in the basement. If anyone is in the area sometime, let me know and you've a place to stay for a bit.
Resisted moving back here for some time but have no regrets. The area is beautiful and the people are really great.
As of April, 06, working again.....so much for retirement. Could only handle being around the wife 24/7 for so long. Besides............we needed the medical bennies.
In Jan. 07, joined the PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS--a group, mainly bikers, but not all, who attend funerals, memorial services and welcome homes ceremonies for veterans. At the funerals their primary purpose is to form a barrier between the family and any protestors who may show up.
YES, protestors DO come to these on occassion.
Other Comments:
As if 31 years of working around small children weren't enough, I was a Scout Master for 18 years, up until I retired. In all honesty, if it hadn't been for all those kids, I would have lost my mind a long time ago. They have been very theraputic for me and helped me keep things in perspective. Finally got my PTSD claim settled by the VA (had to move to Missouri to get though). Fortunately, the kids helped me stay reasonably coherent all those years.
At the beginning of 1965 Battalion Headquarters and 2 Anti Tank Companies were stationed at Camp Hansen, Okinawa with the 3rd Marine Division. One platoon was stationed in Hawaii with the 3rd Brigade.
Originally equipped with the M50 Ontos, the equipment was upgraded prior to Vietnam to the M50A1. Improvements included: (comparrison to follow)
Call Sign: HEAVY FIST 3
COMMANDNG OFFICERS:
First BC? 16 Jan 58 - ?
Maj E.E. Brooks 9 Jul 65 - 14 Jul 65
LtCol B.A. Heflin 16 Jul 65 - 12 Jul 66
Maj E.R. Larson 13 Jul 66 - 16 Aug 66
Maj K.E. Sharff 17 Aug 66
Maj D.E. Newton 18 Aug 66 - 22 Oct 66
Maj C.R. Stiffler 23 Oct 66 - 31 Dec 66
LtCol C.R. Casey 1 Jan 67 - 31 Jul 67
LtCol G.W. McCain 1 Aug 67 - 20 Nov 67
Maj R.M. Jordan 21 Nov 67 - ?
Best Friends To be honest, I can not remember the names of any of them. I lived off base with my wife in Carlsbad, about three miles south of the main gate of Pendleton. The MPs never came down there. On weekends my tiny apartment on the beach would any where from two to 10 of these guys visit. They could relax, enjoy the beach and not worry about MPs hasseling them (we had a 'dress code' back then and you couldn't walk around in just anything). Our only rule was that if you expected to eat, you needed to provide the food. Money was very tight for us and often these guys would buy enough food to get us by for the rest of the week. I'm ashamed that I can't remember their names.
Other Memories During a drunken company party one day, three of us PROCURED three 106mm rounds from the storeroom. 3rd ATs was an ONTOS unit and they carried six 106s. The rounds we took were dummy DRILL INERT rounds. Don't know what happened to the other two, but the last one is sitting on a wooden stand I made for it in my War Room.
