Ol'Harry

JULY 4TH IS FOR CELEBRATING OUR FREEDOM!!

July 4 fell on a Monday in 1955.  Both stores in the Southwest Mississippi crossroads community of Caseyville were open regular hours – sun-up until sun-down.  Although there were no fireworks, locals felt a tinge of patriotism – they were sending one of their own off to serve in the military.

Shortly after his thumb went in the air along the dusty gravel road, a passer-by picked him up for the 15-mile jaunt to the intersection of paved U.S. Highway 51.  Three kindly passers-by, 60 miles, and three hours later, he reached the Marine Corps Reserve Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

After sleeping on the Reserve Center floor overnight, he was sworn into the Marine Corps and given a one-way train ticket to Yemassee, South Carolina – dropping off point for Parris Island – and all things civilian.

GRADUATION DAY FROM PARRIS ISLAND -- SEPTEMBER, 1955

Stateside postings after Parris Island would include Camp Lejeune, Great Lakes Naval Station, San Diego, Camp Pendleton, El Toro and Cherry Point.

Fast forward to 1959.  July 4 came on a Saturday.  By Friday, the Caseyville boy was all set to leave Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina.  However, after serving four years at the convenience of the government, it appeared he would serve a day at the convenience of the Provost Marshall -- who did not work on Saturdays.

But the Provost had a big heart – those in line for discharge could jump-start civilian life over the weekend.  The Caseyville-bound 1954 pink & crème, two-door Ford hardtop was on Highway 70 in a heartbeat.  Memories have faded, but he probably passed through Greensboro, North Carolina about midnight.

By daybreak, the Ford wasn’t out of gas, but the driver was.  Fortunately, a hitch-hiking Sailor had come aboard.  He had dozed through the mountains and into Tennessee, but was roused up under the pretense of seeing Rock City -- and drive the Ford on to Jackson, Mississippi while the owner dozed.

Just under 1000 miles and 24 hours later -- the Sailor had caught another ride and continued westward – the Caseyville boy was home again.

The journey afforded him more than ample time to reflect on previous July 4 holidays.

July 4, 1956 found him recently promoted from marksmanship instructor to butt NCO at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia.  I’m glad you asked, it involves a Marine Corps proverb, “Those who fire at targets must also pull targets for other shooters while they fire.” 

Targets are positioned in areas known as butts, strategically placed behind huge earthen mounds.  Shooters prone to fire into those earthen mounds are known as short-timers.  Butts are insufferably hot or cold, never in between.

July 4, 1957 found the Caseyville boy in Tokyo Bay, aboard the troopship, USS General A. E. Anderson.  Over the 18-day journey across the Pacific, the commanding officer of the Anderson was noticeably short on hospitality. 

Probably more from patriotism than kindness, he made a sizeable gesture on July 4, “You are now over the exact spot in Tokyo Bay where the USS Missouri anchored for surrender ceremonies ending World War II.”  Sixty years later, that would have been a selfie-feast!

The Navy did not ask Marines to complete comment cards, but they were impressed to be shown that watery mark of historicity.  In his memoir, the captain probably wrote, “Those Marines actually believed that’s where the Missouri anchored.”

July 4, 1958 found our guy at Atsugi Naval Air Station, a few miles inland from Yokohama and Yokosuka.  In the interim, he had made amphibious landing drills on Okinawa and set up communications centers at three locations in the Philippines.

Aboard the USS Princeton, he had turned from pollywog to shellback by crossing the Equator.  He had participated in a 7^th Fleet show of force off Borneo, Java and Sumatra, made a port call at Singapore, and assisted in flood relief at Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

If there is a bottom line to this piece, it is that the Caseyville boy is blessed and fortunate – he couldn’t have volunteered to serve his country in a more tranquil four years. 

He hasn’t looked at that as a pass to forget other peacetime veterans or those who served during World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf Wars to protect the freedom granted us on July 4, 1776.

That’s a primary reason he enjoys writing veterans articles for the Greensboro News & Record.  Join him in celebrating our nation’s birthday to the fullest on July 4, 2017!