Caldwell, Larry E., SSgt

Best Friends
1) GySgt John T. Allen...we met while on Recruiting Duty when he was the NCOIC, RSS Provo, UT office. I was working in the OSO Office. He joined MADCOP at the start of my 2nd school year. Tom came in and immediately became the senior enlisted. Unfortunately Tom died on 6Oct06 in Henderson, NV. His Obit can be found in the gallery.

Best Moment
1) Being selected to participate in the Associate Degree Completion Program (MADCOP), at Palomar College, San Marcos, CA. 2) Graduation. 3) Selected to Dean's List all four semesters. 4) Also earned 'Certificate in Police Science' upon graduation.

Worst Moment
1) Graduation...it was over and it was back to reality. 2) It never occurred to me or apparently anyone else to take a group photo of all the participating MADCOP members. All these years later it would have been nice to have such a photograph. Oh well, too late now.

Other Memories
1) Uniforms only on Friday when we had an informal formation to get the 'poop' from the NCOIC. 2) Except for one 6-week summer session, the rest of the summer we were off. It was too short. 3) Carried '5800' MOS during this assignment. 5800/8411/0141. Unfortunately, during my last semester the GySgt selection was released and as I recall, only two were selected. It became painfully obvious that HQMC had overstaffed this new field. I decided it wasn't in my best interest to be reassigned into this field, as much as I really had looked forward to it. My original goal had been to get into CID and ultimately become a Polygraph Examiner. I didn't want to stay in the 01 field, but chances for promotion were certainly better. Ultimately, an 02 MOS was considered and during that process I was transferred to G-2, 1stMarDiv. HQMC and I couldn't come together on what field would work for both of us. In the end I was ordered to 3rdMarDiv for an unaccompanied tour. I was due for this assignment since I had last been overseas in '66-'67. My decision to leave the Corps had been made...when my enlistment was up I'd try civilian life. I wish I'd had been more savvy when I arrived at 3rdMarDiv. I recall setting with a WO and him looking through a listing and then assigning me to Shore Party...I wonder if I could have asked for an assignment to MP Bn? I had by now already decided I wasn't reenlisting, so I doubt the assignment would have changed that. I had already passed on a major career change when I completed Palomar, but the assignment might have been more fun than how I ended up. But that's water under the bridge. As it is things worked out just fine. 4) Other related comments can be found under Assignments: Formal Schools, Associate Degree Completion Program (MADCOP), 1971-1973.