This picture came from a book provided to each recruit when they graduated from Boot Camp. After wining all the drill flags during eleven weeks of training this group was slated to head to the fleet or to an “A” school.
This photo was taken when Doug was first commissioned and stationed in Norfolk, VA, at the Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit #2.
This picture is an early “official” photograph that was taken to have an official passport made when I was headed to an overseas tour in Okinawa…can’t believe that the mustache was still something that was permitted back in late 1975. My working khakis didn’t have my rank or corps insignia as the policy was to not have them displayed in a passport photo.
This photograph is of the first opportunity I had to attend a Tri-Service Military Entomology meeting in San Antonio, TX and was a group photo of many of my peers, mostly more senior officers as I was just a LT.
This picture is of myself and a medical department officer, assigned to do some off-base inspections. Our charge was to certify food production facilities that the MSSG started using about half way through the deployment to help reduce our use of MRE’s in our chow hall.
'Neat and tidy' living quarters while on temporary duty with the Marines in Beirut, Lebanon. I had a room to myself for my quarters as I was a LCDR on that assignment, which meant I had the same rank as the CO of the MSSG.
This building was reinforced with walls made from sand bags and named The Sandbagger" ... a place to socialize during down time. This building's damage was sustained from fighting before the Marines arrived.
Inside the Sandbagger ... This picture continues to clearly display our living conditions in Beirut and it was oftentimes a characteristic of some of the places the Marines deployed to as having a “club” for times when off duty.
Sandbagger Bar - this was the bar in the Sandbagger, but the circumstances of the troops using the facility changed dramatically after the U.S. Embassy was bombed…about 2/3 of the way through the deployment.
This picture from home was sent while overseas - Cathy had the children send me the photo to brighten my spirits.
This picture was taken one evening when the Commanding Officer (COL Mead, USMC) selected from the persons assigned to attend a dinner hosted by a civilian (the man in the suit with his wife). The host had attended the University of Missouri but lived in Beirut as a representative for a cigarette manufacturer, and he wanted to express his gratitude for the Marines support in country. To limit the total number he could essentially host, Marines from the state of Missouri were selected. We probably had a cadre of about 20 that accompanied COL Mead to a very posh restaurant before returning to base. My sharing of the picture with LCDR Turner was an interesting story as both he and I were on the University of Missouri Swim Team prior to going off to our respective service assignments. Jeff was initially in the U.S. Army as a helicopter pilot during Nam, but got out, went to school for his dental degree and came back on active duty with the Navy. By happenstance, we were reunited after some 15 years when we were both assigned to the Marines in Beirut.
When considering how the military affected his life, Doug says, "I can honestly state that being a professional entomologist in the Navy and later as a staff/senior management officer/director of my post-Navy work, helped in my career path for the duration. I learned professionalism, leadership, and personal management."