The Swabbie and the Marines

We finished our boat basin training in just a few days and it became commonplace to line up to go about our duties only to be told we were dismissed for the day. It was free time and with the fence and regular liberty every other day and night we were essentially free to do anything. It was essentially the same thing for my really great friends from my high school in Colorado; Fred and Buddy were in the 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton and we took liberties into Long Beach to ride the roller coaster. It was a lot of fun. We had to line up alongside the road and wait for any vehicles to stop for scores of men hitch hiking their way into the Los Angeles area. Sometimes we had to wait for an hour or more to get a ride. On one occasion we decided to get our pictures taken and all three of us seemed to treasure this picture. (When I went back for our twenty-fifth high school reunion Fred seemed his old self, but his wife told me he had leukemia, terminal. I was sad about this; Fred was a happy, relaxed guy, smoking a cigar at the party. Buddy passed away about four years ago at about 81 and Patty, his wife, said our picture was the one she chose to show in a building dedicated to veterans.) The three of us knew we had to do our part to get this war over with and we were anxious to fight the enemy. We were well trained and confident in the outcome. We did not underrate the Japanese because we knew they also were well trained and confident. They had been active against China and others and had valuable experience in their favor. They also had a reputation for brutality. We would match what they had to offer, and more. Roosevelt left no doubt that we would fight until we had defeated the enemy. I hoped that I would be able to vote for him as our leader. He had earned it. He inspired all of us, military and civilian alike. I very much admired Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain as well.