TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Second Platoon
Richard G. Harrison
Nickname: Rich
My Life Before Attending TBS: I Graduated from
Bucknell University in Lewisburg PA with a degree in
Electrical Engineering in June of 1966. I entered the
Marine Corps through the PLC program having
completed PLC training at Quantico in the summers of
1963 and 1965. I was married in August of the same
year to Sally Ashton who I had dated while in college.
TBS Graduation: I was given a MOS of 1811, Tanks.
After Completing TBS: Next was assignment to the
2nd Tank BN at Camp Lejeune for a few months before
starting the US Army, Armor Officer Basic School at Ft.
Knox KY; the school was five months so I got back to
2nd Tanks in February 1967. In April 1967 my first son
Brett was born at the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune.
At 2nd Tank Bn I had a platoon of Tanks until August
1967 when I received orders to be the Executive Officer
of the Marine Detachment on the aircraft carrier USS
Shangri-La, CVA-38 with a home port in Mayport FL. I
arrived at the ship the day it returned from a
Mediterranean Cruise. The ship stayed in port for a few
months with short deployments to the Caribbean and
Guantanamo Bay Cuba before leaving on a 7 month
deployment to the Med. Returning from the Med in
August 1969, I was stationed at NAS Jacksonville FL for
one month before leaving the MC.
After My Initial Obligation was up: After I left the
Marine Corps, I was unemployed but waiting to hear
back from the FBI for employment as a Special Agent.
In 1969 as I recall unemployment payments were
limited to 6 weeks. I was living at home with my wife
and son and not wanting to use up the short
unemployment I worked in a gas station, quite a
change from MC Captain with a degree in Electrical
Engineering to gas station attendant. Living at home in
Boston Mass and working in a gas station was not ideal,
so one morning I got up and drove to Washington DC
and went to the FBI office and asked to see my FBI
contact. I was told he was out of the office and it was
unknown when he would return. I told the receptionist
I would wait and I took a seat. About 3 hours later the
Agent returned and I requested to know if the FBI was
going to hire me and in true government fashion he
told me that he did not know and the application
process takes time. I returned home and made plans to
move to the Northern VA area with the hopes of the
FBI hiring me.
About one week after arriving in VA I had a note left on
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