Marine Week

It's Marine Week in Mayberry.

After WWII, for beer money, my father joined the 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion, the Thirsty Third as a reservist. He had so much fun he talked 3 of his wife's brothers, each a WW2 vet, into joining up as well. Free work clothes was his sales pitch. The fun lasted until Reserve Summer Training Camp at Camp Pendleton in 1951.

While training in California, the unit was activated and the 3rd Battalion was quickly shipped to Korea. During hostilities the Battalion won the Presidential Unit Citation, each member of my family picked up 2 Purple Hearts, and I was born.

My dad stayed on as a drill instructor until his enlistment was over. My oldest memory of my father is his Marine dress uniform.

To absent friends.

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