Grad photo Parris Island

Infantry Training Regiment Graduation

AmTracs are AAVs now, my beloved P5 has been replaced with the P7 and improved many times, better armament, speed and maneuverability.

18 Months in, already 'salty' after the Med-float with 2/2 in '65; on my way to the Nam.

Embarking on the LST USS Graham County, Med 2-65 with BLT 2/2. Last Tractor on was the first off, no turntable to turn you around, so it was necessary to circle the ship and back on, kinda like paralell parking.

Next Generation Drill Instructor...Da Zacher!

These Marines are REAL! We got 'picked-up' on 04July64 by these two and I found a whole new meaning for 'fireworks'. During our training cycle, we picked two more DIs up....Sgt. horton and Cpl. L.E. Jones. The debt owed to these Marines is tremendous, Marine Corps Drill Instructors are the backbone of Our Corps....no doubt in my mind.

After 'OutPosting' from Parris Island, we had ITR at Camp Geiger, part of MCB Camp LeJeune NC. Then a 20 day 'Boot Leave', I finally made it home around the end of Oct./early Nov. That amounts to 4 months of intense training, after boot leave, I was finally ready to start my MOS (1800, basic AmTrac Crewman) training at CourtHouse Bay P5 school, another part of the sprawling MCB Camp LeJeune.

Landing Vehicle, Tracked...LVT School

Surfing off Onslow Beach....always training, this day was embarking and dis-embarking off an LSD....Landing Ship...Dock.

Wasn't always an easy ride...was always fun though...unless the Tractor sunk! Got your hull plugs checked?