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S. W. (Wally) Shoults
Place of enlistment: Enlisted in Oakland, CA.
Years Served: Years
Served: 7 years, 11 months, 23 days.
The DI's: We
should all remember our DI's!
Best memory of Boot Camp: Graduation day
Worst memory:
Getting knocked on my ass by Sgt. Cockrell
Outfits: VMF
141, VMF 242, MACS 25: 3rd. Bn. 5th Marines - mortar platoon
FO: 3rd. Bn. 9th Marines - 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade -
Recon,
FMF PAC: Tactics & Hand-to-Hand combat instructor, Demo Platoon
leader,
NCO Leadership School, Camp Pendleton: Marine Barracks Naval
Weapons
Station Concord, CA., Alfa Area Security, Nuke Convoy security
team leader:
BIO: Tours
of Duty: After 3 years in the air wing, went to the grunts at
Pendleton. Went into 3/5 at Santa Margarita as an FO for 81 guns.
Went to the "Rock", Korea, Philippines for more jungle
training and Huk hunting, a little R&R in Japan, went on
float with FMF, BLT 3/9. 3/9, 3rd MEB, Northern Thailand. Spent
some time tromping around the jungles up in Ubon Province, and
other hot, wet, smelly, muddy, snake infested & rotten places.
Went back to the states. Went back to Thailand for more jungle
games. The natives were cool folks (gave us good Intel, good
food, and friendship), but the other clowns that came down from
the north thought they could take over the place. A very bad
decision on their part. After a while they didn't like us very
much. Santa Claus put coal in their stockings and we put hot
lead in their shorts. Went back to 1st MarDiv. at Pendleton,
Sent to NCO school as an instructor in tactics, hand-to-hand
combat, etc., and as Demonstration Platoon leader.
Family and education:
After
convalescing at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, I received an honorable
discharge before the end of my second tour due to medical reasons.
I married a local girl to whom I have been married for 45 years. We have a son and daughter who is the light of my life.
I
went to college and completed numerous professional training
programs. I later became certified in the safety engineering
field, risk management and accident investigations. I spent
nearly 20 years in litigation management and senior management,
eventually becoming a corporate general manager for a California class
one corporation. I also served for a number of years on a county
hazardous materials commission as chairman of the planning and policy
development sub-committee.
Upon early retirement, I
resumed training as an instructor trainer in firearms to law
enforcement, civilians and contractors. Nowadays, I still train
people in the defensive use of firearms, and head up an NRA and IDPA
training team. It keeps me busy and our of my wife's hair.
More background:
As best I can remember, I was surfing the net a few years back
and stumbled across the Marine Corps Guest Book. I logged on
and issued a birthday salute to all Marines, past, present, and
future - it was November 10th. I posted the outfits I was in
and the next day got some hits back from some of my old buddies
from the dim, distant past. One of them was a platoon close buddy
from 9th Marines. We hadn't been in touch since he rotated back
to Pendleton and was assigned as a rifle range coach. He was
the best rifle shot I've ever seen - in person. I caught up to
him at the Pendleton range while I was an instructor at Division
NCO school, but hadn't seen him since. He was the biggest shit
bird in barracks I ever knew, but in the field he was the best
to have on patrol - a total professional. We stayed in touch
almost daily, until I lost him to cancer in March of last year.
It broke my heart. He was the only guy to keep me from getting
too full of my Gung Ho, "John Wayne" self.
I saw "The Wall" (it hurt ) and found to my ever-lasting
gratitude most of my buddies names are not there. One of my buddies,
Sgt. Dix, lost both legs. I literally bumped into him in a shopping
mall in northern Kalifornski. He was having trouble getting adjusted.
With two wooden legs he wanted to go back and kill more Gooks.
Scared the crap out of my wife. (She never knew me like that.)
That hurt too. Haven't seen him since?!?!
Since then, I've been in touch with Vern Smith, Doug and Linda
Shurtleff (that's another long story - I'm grateful to them)
Jim Rice, and others. Have a lot of mixed emotions about some
of this stuff. Still damned proud to a Marine (currently not
serving on active duty), and still wanting to ride to the sound
of the guns, but my wife of 45 years won't let me. She's had
enough of my [adventures].
Semper Fi
"Tracker"
E mail address: "Shoults"
<robopop@stormy.net>
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