TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Officer doing road and bridge condition
reconnaissance on Hwy 1 from Quang Nai to south of
Da Nang. Also did bridge design work and construction
materials procurement, we used a lot of Philippine
mahogany for bridge timbers. A couple months later,
took an equipment platoon to work about 3 months
with a Korean Marine Engineer Battalion near Quang
Nai assisting them with road and bridge construction
and running a rock quarry. They were mostly in the
field blowing up caves and other Vietcong activities.
Also learned about kimchi, hot & spicy!! Did R & R in
Hawaii with then fiance, great week, tough to leave but
duty called. Spent rest of tour until early May, 1968 as
2nd Platoon Officer, "C" Company, doing bridge
construction (built Bridge #40 four times because VC
would blow it up) and road improvements, and
minesweeping every day on Hwy 1. We were not
permitted to booby trap the bridge because of civilians.
After Vietnam: May 8, 1968 I flew directly from Da
Nang back to CONUS, El Toro MCAS with a planeload of
happy Marines, glad to be back home. Got married in
Quantico in June and was assigned to Headquarters
Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division.
Actually became the Company CO as a 1st Lt. because
we were missing Captains. Had a great First Sergeant
White who helped me tremendously as the CO. After 3
months Capt. MacDonald arrived, I became XO and
Battalion Special Services Officer. Best part was doing
coaching (with Capt, Joe Mancini) of our battalion 7-
man football team, we won the base championship.
8th Engineers also won the base championship in
bowling and we went to Norfolk Naval Base where we
won the all-east coast FMFLANT championship. I still
Second Platoon
have the very nice silver plated trophy we won. Last
training I received was at the Atomic Demolition &
Munitions School at Fort Belvoir, VA. in the Spring of
1969. That required Final Top Secret security clearance
and also got the FBI to contact me about joining their
organization. My Dad's first cousin was a career FBI
agent who shared with me some of the realities of the
life of an FBI agent. I chose not to pursue that path.
After My Initial Obligation was up: I ended active
duty August 31, 1969 and took a job in Construction
Management with the Argonaut Realty Division of
General Motors Corporation in Detroit. I left the Corps
because, quite honestly, I did not want to return to a
combat situation in Vietnam. On April 1, 1968 my
platoon went from 29 to 16 men in an instant from a
mine explosion. I was only a couple hundred yards
away when it happened and I will never be able to put
that day out of my mind. By the grace of God I
survived, but it is hard to ever erase the feeling of
guilt. Could I have done something different to have
prevented that? I will never know. I was on inactive
reserve duty for three years and ended with the rank
of Captain. After 5 years with GM, I went to Michigan
State University where I received my MBA in Real
Estate Finance in 1974 and was divorced from Miss
MWC. Was married to Alice a couple years later. We
had three children and in 1983 moved to Racine, WI
where I worked in commercial real estate development
with Johnson Wax Corporation, and Alice worked in
secondary school administration. Alice passed away in
2011 after a three year illness. All three children are
graduates of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
My Current Life: I retired from my commercial real
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