TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

destined for Flight school but sent back to U Wisconsin
for a couple of weeks of recruiting first. Walking
around the Madison campus in Blues during 1967 was
not optimal duty. I reported in to Pensacola in March
but didn’t start preflight until late April due to an
oversupply of Marines vs the class quotas. I got my
wings in late May of 68 and headed back to Wisconsin
to marry Tori, my now wife of 50 years. Our
honeymoon consisted of a two day drive to New River
NC where I was assigned to HMM 261 to transition to
the H-46.
Vietnam Era Service: I got to Vietnam in October 68
and joined HMM 364 the “Purple Foxes” at Phu Bai.
Second Platoon
The squadron moved down to Marble mountain in Dec
of 68. The tour high light was flying the Bob Hope show
around for 2 days Christmas of 68. I had the Gold
Diggers on my bird and got to make a couple of
landings on the New Jersey where they did a show
there. I flew something over 700 missions and lost a
couple of aircraft, one to enemy fire and one
mechanical. The best lessons learned was always have
multiple contingency plans.
After Vietnam: I returned stateside Nov of 69 with
orders back to Pensacola as an instructor but received
a change of orders while on leave. Due to the cutbacks,
apparently they needed fewer instructors, so I was sent
to MCAS Yuma, AZ were I ended up as custodian of the
recreation fund (i.e. The money side of special
services). After two years of that I was ready to get out,
so I resigned Jan of 72. As a point of interest CH 46
Bureau # 153369 which I flew at Marble Mountain in
1969 is currently in the museum at Dulles, bound
eventually for Quantico.
My Current Life: As a civilian I got a master’s degree in
finance and worked with investment operations,
record-keeping, and trade clearing, retiring in 2006. I
am still married after 50 years and have 2 daughters.
One is a business analyst living about 50 miles away,
the other teaches at Johns Hopkins DC campus for
Advanced International Studies.
Plans for the Future: Retirement keeps me busy.
Winters I curl and do volunteer teaching of curling to
high school gym classes. Summers are spent in my
vegetable garden, playing senior softball and fishing. I
am working on fishing in every state.
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