Sgt. Grit,
I love your newsletter and have a story for you. The only thing I've
ever won in my life was the draft lottery in 1967 (#67). I was in my
last quarter of college and due to graduate from the University of
Minnesota in Dec '71. My student deferment expired. I stopped by a
Marine recruiter on Lake Street to check my status. We called my
local draft board. I was next on the list…
I joined that day (120 day delayed entry). I got to graduate before
leaving for boot camp. I chose enlisted vs. officer because I wanted
only a two year hitch. I gambled that the Marine Corps would give me
a good job with a business degree.
Upon graduating boot camp, I had 10 days leave back home in Red Wing,
MN, and got on a plane for my duty station. No school. I went
directly to Headquarters Battalion, Headquarters Marine Corps,
Arlington, VA. I worked for the Inspector General as an internal
auditor, auditing records for staff clubs, EM clubs, Officer's clubs,
etc. throughout the east coast. Fantastic duty. I even got to stand
at attention on Pennsylvania Avenue for Richard Nixon's Inaugural
Parade in January of 1973.
We attempted to have a reunion of all my buddies after 10 or 15 years,
but never got it together. We all lost touch until I got a call from
a buddy two years ago saying that one of our close friends and fellow
Marine had passed away from a heart attack. That was all it took.
Thanks to our high tech world of computers and modern investigative
ideas, we were able to contact close to twenty of the old crew. Many
I hadn't spoken to for forty years. It was amazing. After two
minutes on the phone it was like we had talked two weeks before.
If any of you Marines have been toying with getting together or
contacting your old Marine buddies, Do It Now! You may not know it,
but Headquarters Marine Corps (Henderson Hall) has been torn down.
They are now in the process of tearing down The Navy Annex to the
Pentagon, which housed the Headquarters Marine Corps offices including
the Commandant, Assistant Commandant, etc. This entire area will soon
become part of the Arlington National Cemetery. This was a large part
of Marine Corps history and I'm proud to have played my small part as
a Marine.
I've enclosed a picture of some of us who just returned from our 40th
Marine Corps Reunion. We spent a week at a rented beach house in
Clearwater Beach, Florida. The stories were all basically the same,
only the person screwing up varied depending on who was telling the
story! I had to superimpose a couple of the guys who wanted to be
there but couldn't make it for health reasons. One guy had retired to
the Philippines.
Semper Fi!
Cpl Donald Winblad
HQBN HQMC
1972-1974