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Marine Reflections

Service Reflections of CWO3 Scott Pipenhagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1982-2005)

Service Reflections of CWO3 Scott Pipenhagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1982-2005)

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As to why I chose the Marines, it was a no-brainer once I decided to join the military since anything else would leave me wondering if I could have made it in the Marines.
Despite growing up in a family of veterans (Grandpa, Dad, and two Uncles), I never really gave much thought to joining the military myself. This all changed one day when, out of the blue, one of my cousins came to me and said that he was going to talk to the Marine Corps recruiter and wanted me to drive him there. I agreed to drive him and, on the way to the recruiter, he told me about a “Buddy Program” in which we, supposedly, could enlist together and then be stationed together throughout our enlistment. Needless to say, this was probably not the most accurate information, but it sounded good to me.
Once we got to the recruiting station, I had already made up my mind that I needed a change in my life and was going to sign up if my cousin did since I was just wasting money at college and needed a break from schooling.
Bottom line: He did not sign up but I did.

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Service Reflections of SGT Thomas Harvey, U.S. Marine Corps (1970-1973)

Service Reflections of SGT Thomas Harvey, U.S. Marine Corps (1970-1973)

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There were several reasons why I chose military service in general and the Marines in particular. My father was an engineer on a B-29 in WWII. He felt that his military experience was a major turning point in his life. He encouraged me to consider military service and actively lobbied that I should apply to the USMA.
I chose the Marines to make a statement that I supported the Vietnam War. I attended an elite college prep school where it was fashionable to be anti-war and anti-military. I supported America’s role in Vietnam and the worldwide battle against communism. Many members of my mothers family lived under communist oppression in Poland and I felt it was my duty to defend the American way of life. I had heard horror stories as to the break down in the Army and felt that Marine discipline, training, and esprit de corps was superior to all the other armed forces. Also, I felt challenged to do something big and demanding. I could have easily hidden out in college until the war was over but I chose a more difficult route.

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Service Reflections of 1STSGT Bill Hudson Gross, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-Present)

Service Reflections of 1STSGT Bill Hudson Gross, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-Present)

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I grew up in rural, southeastern Kentucky and worked with my father and grandfather roofing and working tobacco fields seasonally. My father was a very strict man and most of my youth can be summed up by trying to identify a way to escape my then reality of never leaving my hometown. I participated in NJROTC and sports during high school to keep busy.
During high school, vocationally, and soon after graduation, I worked on a degree and certification in Masonry seemingly solidifying the reality that I would never leave Kentucky. The lack of opportunity teamed with the fall of the twin towers in my Senior Year, AP History led me to pursue the Navy Recruiting office. After multiple visits with no Navy Recruiter in the Office a lean, well-articulated Marine Recruiter approached me. Then, Sergeant Wesley Trucks inquired as to my intentions and made a very strong, positive impact on my tentative decision.

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Service Reflections of GYSGT Wesley Heckman, U.S. Marine Corps (1983-2003)

Service Reflections of GYSGT Wesley Heckman, U.S. Marine Corps (1983-2003)

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My father was the biggest influence on me to join. Although he never once said anything to me about joining the Marine Corps, he never went to the recruiter with me. The only statement he made to me was…

1. “Boy, if you want your driver’s license at 16, you need to get a job, buy a car, and insurance. Then you can get your license.”

2. ” When you turn 18, you are going to have to get out of MY house or pay rent” That was his philosophy. I bought a 1965 Malibu from our next-door neighbor for $500.00; my mother was the bank, payments were established, and at 18, I was in the Corps.

I was born at Camp LeJeune. My brother at Portsmouth, Va, and my sister at New Port, RI. When my father went to Viet Nam we lived near my Grandparents in Pittsburgh, PA. When he returned, he got I&I duty in Providence, RI, and we lived at Quonset Point, RI. When he had to spend the night as Staff Duty NCO, he would often take me along to hang with him, which was really great during Xmas, you know, Toys For Tots. Back then, you donated any toy, used or new. So the corner of the Shop was filled with toys, and I tested them before they were distributed.

I remember riding with him in a 5-ton, taking Marines to the airstrip. Later in my career, I asked him about those rides. We were hauling Marines to begin deployment to Viet Nam. From there, we moved to Parris Island, and for the next six years, it was boot Camp. It was a different time there as well. We saw a lot of training and got to do a lot. Once or twice I ran obstacles on the Confidence Course or climbed the O course rope to prove to young recruits “a child can do it.” I loved it. So without a word from my father, he showed me his love of the Corps, which I chose as well. Our favorite movies to watch together were John Wayne in the Sand of Iwo Jima, The Great Santini, and The Boys in Company C.

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Service Reflections of SGT John Graham, U.S. Marine Corps (1962-1966)

Service Reflections of SGT John Graham, U.S. Marine Corps (1962-1966)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SGT John Graham's legacy of his military service from 1962 to 1966. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The following Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life. Start recording your own Military Memories HERE. Please describe who or what influenced your decision to join the Marine Corps. I was at a decision point after graduating from High School. My dad had convinced me that I needed a college degree, so I had taken the entrance exams and signed up to attend East Texas College. I realized that my family did not really have the financial means to pay for...

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Service Reflections of CAPT LaVerne Arndt, U.S. Marine Corps (1963-1969)

Service Reflections of CAPT LaVerne Arndt, U.S. Marine Corps (1963-1969)

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Military draft at age 22 into the Army. Enlisted in the USMC after talking with the Navy and AF recruiters. Fast-talking USMC Gunny Sgt. Culp, who was my girlfriend’s brother-in-law.

I wanted to get toughened up as an individual man, and the Marines were my best choice.

The Marine training at Parris Island and later at Quantico provided me with confidence in my abilities. I was very successful at PI, winning almost every award a recruit could win, including the American Spirit of Honor Medal: Leatherneck award, PFC, and rifle expert out of boot camp. I extended a year at boot camp to get Sea Duty because I wanted to travel. After two years of Sea Duty, I was selected meritoriously for OCS. At Quantico, I also did very well and finished 19th out of a class of 541 Officers. I selected the 0302 Infantry Officer MOS.

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Service Reflections of MSGT Terry Bacon, U.S. Marine Corps (1977-1998)

Service Reflections of MSGT Terry Bacon, U.S. Marine Corps (1977-1998)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents MSGT Terry Bacon's legacy of his military service from 1977 to 1998. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The following Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life. Start recording your own Military Memories HERE. Please describe who or what influenced your decision to join the Marine Corps. When I was about 7 or 8, I had an uncle who had returned from Vietnam. It was in '67 or '68. He was a door gunner and crew chief on a UH-34D. When he got home, he gave me an eagle, globe, and anchor to play with, and I carried it with me everywhere. It left a lasting...

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Service Reflections of SGT Raymond L Britt, U.S. Marine Corps (1965-1971)

Service Reflections of SGT Raymond L Britt, U.S. Marine Corps (1965-1971)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SGT Raymond L Britt's legacy of his military service from 1965 to 1971. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The following Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life. Start recording your own Military Memories HERE. Please describe who or what influenced your decision to join the Marine Corps. 17-year-old, Raymond L Britt Sometimes other people believe they know more about another person's health than a doctor. This is the case in this story and how one's ignorance forced me to change my life. After sustaining a severe brain concussion in gym class in...

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Service Reflections of CPL Chandra Duncan, U.S. Marine Corps (1981-1986)

Service Reflections of CPL Chandra Duncan, U.S. Marine Corps (1981-1986)

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As a child, I always wanted to be a Marine and spent many hours watching movies and playing “war” with friends in the backyard wearing surplus WWII, Korea, and Vietnam apparel and gear given to me by my “uncle” Jr. The late 90s, while I was in high school, was a relative time of peace, and the few people I did see joining the military were doing it for college money, which, while making sense to me, also kind of soured the idea for me. In my senior year in 2000, the Army National Guard ran a recruiting event in the quad area at lunch, and a friend and I added our names to a list to get more information; my mother always told me that the military would brainwash me and that I was flat-footed and wouldn’t be accepted anyway (I’m not flat-footed) and when that Army Sgt called the house I heard my mother quickly give him a piece of her mind and then abruptly hang up on him, and that was the end of that, I wasn’t fully committed to the idea myself and had apprehensions and concerns about whether I’d be up to military life and honestly was unsure that I even had what it takes to make it through boot camp. After high school, I worked for my family, got engaged, and took out a loan for my first home. Then September 11th happened. I was angry, and silly as it may sound, I was filled with guilt as I saw on the news the brave men and women my age who answered the call to service both before and during this unprecedented time in our country. Still, I had obligations here at home and continued on my current course at the time. Years passed, and I grew older and feared that my youth would quickly pass me by. Then, the economic recession of 2008 hit.

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Service Reflections of GYSGT Edward Androlones, U.S. Marine Corps (1954-1974)

Service Reflections of GYSGT Edward Androlones, U.S. Marine Corps (1954-1974)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents GYSGT Edward Androlones's legacy of his military service from 1954 to 1974. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The following Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life. Start recording your own Military Memories HERE. Please describe who or what influenced your decision to join the Marine Corps. Platoon Photo of young recruits. As a young seventeen-year-old school dropout, I knew my future was questionable at that time. I was hardworking at various jobs to help support my family. I was the oldest of eight boys. My stepfather was a hardworking Italian...

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Service Reflections of SGT Bill Lee, U.S. Marine Corps (1966-1969)

Service Reflections of SGT Bill Lee, U.S. Marine Corps (1966-1969)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SGT Bill Lee's legacy of his military service from 1966 to 1969. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The following Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life. Start recording your own Military Memories HERE. Please describe who or what influenced your decision to join the Marine Corps. I grew up in a dysfunctional, alcoholic, domestically violent home on Minneapolis's North Side. I was just hanging out after being expelled from two separate high schools. My girlfriend, at age 16, was an Irish Catholic beauty on the dean's list. She had gone away to be a nun...

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