Archive for the 3rdplatoon Category

12 October 1945 – 10 January 1999
Bay Pines National Cemetery, St Petersburg, FL 33744

John Patrick Larrison, “Jack,” was born 12 October 1945 and died 10 Jan 1999. A lifelong Floridian, Jack was a member of the 3rd Platoon, TBS 1-68. At the completion of TBS, Jack spent several weeks at HQMC waiting for the start of Language School—the Vietnamese Short course. After completing the Language School in Washington D.C, he was sent to the Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg for training in PsychOps. He arrived in Vietnam in early 1969 and served with G Company 2/7, 1st MarDiv.
Jack was wounded 3 times, the last time as a result of a landmine, which forced a medevac to Okinawa for surgery on his leg. He completed his overseas commitment in Okinawa.

After leaving the Marines, Jack was treated for PTSD on several occasions as he sought to deal with the after effects of his combat service. He and his wife Sharon, divorced in 1981, had three daughters, Stacey, Leslie, and Lindsay. Jack was killed as a result of a skydiving accident. He was making a jump with a team of five and filming their jump. Jack was an experienced sky diver with over 1,200 jumps to his credit, but the accident is attributed to human error. He deployed his main chute at 2,500 feet and a possible tangled steering line caused the parachute to spin. He may have focused too long on untangling the line, but did not release the main chute until he was at tree level and was too late to deploy his reserve. Jack struck high power lines and the actual cause of death was electrocution.

Some audiotape taken from “letters” home to his family in Florida during his time at TBS and Language School exist in the public domain on YouTube. The first 30 minutes of the Side A tape has Jack describing weapons training, a week’s activity day by day, company night marches, tactics, the “mad moment” and other activities.

View Jack’s Tape #1 Side A on YouTube

View Jack’s Tape #1 Side B on YouTube

USMC Resume:
The Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 3rd Platoon, Jun-Nov 1967
Language School—the Vietnamese Short course. Washington D.C,
Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg – PsychOps
Vietnam: G Company 2/7, 1st MarDiv

Personal Reflections about Jack Larrison:

From Dick Kurth and John Cochenour: “Memories of Jack describe a man who was full of life with a boisterous humor and boundless energy. A profile of him in 1988 speaks to his red Porsche, his sailing boats, and his entrepreneurial attitude. He could spin tales all day long –including stories about barefoot water skiing. As some have remembered: “Jack was definitely not burdened with taking things too seriously.  I swear, when he walked into the room–or joined a conversation–everybody was smiling or laughing within about 15 seconds.  Put him together with Joe Laslie and Jerry Lamp as the straight man–they could have done professional comedy routines.” And, “I’m not sure how he convinced me. We were just joking around, but when I left him that afternoon, I had shaved my head.”

23 December 1944 – 26 May 1968
Attapulgus Methodist Ch Cemetery, GA 39815

Joseph Taylor Laslie, Jr was born in Bainbridge, Georgia December 23, 1944 on his youngest sister, Harriet’s 4th birthday. He grew up on the Georgia-Florida line where his family’s shade tobacco farm, Oakdale Plantation, was located. Along with his parents, Joe had six older sisters, and two brothers, one older and one younger. His home was near the small town of Attapulgus, Georgia. He attended elementary school in Attapulgus and attended junior high and high school at Gadsden County High School, Quincy, Florida. Following high school, Joe attended South Georgia College where he was vice president of the student body, manager of the softball team and treasurer of the Circle K Club. He transferred to the University of Georgia (UGA) from which he graduated in 1967 with a BBA (bachelor’s degree in business administration). While at UGA he was a member the Young Republicans Club and the Sigma Chi fraternity, in which he was very active.

Joe joined the Marine Corp through the Platoon Leaders Class program. At The Basic School he was in the 3rd platoon, A company, class 1-68 starting in July 1967 and completing in November. He was known as bighearted and fun-loving, but also, when appropriate able to be completely serious and focused in an instant. He had a compelling grin and a thunderous laugh that was also infectious. At TBS he took care of his own responsibilities and was always ready to help others. Once after an all day field exercise, he skipped dinner to go back into the woods to help a friend try to find a piece of gear he had lost. He was very proud of his home state and dedicated to his country.

After TBS, Joe was sent to Camp Lejeune, NC for training in Motor Transport and then to Viet Nam arriving in country on March 9, 1968. He was attached to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4) as a Motor Transport officer until the middle of May. The Tet Offensive had significantly reduced the number officers in 2/4, and throughout April 2/4 was involved in many bitter clashes near Dong Ha and along the Cua Viet River. Starting on April 30 and ending around May 3, 1968, 2/4 was engaged in the fierce Battle of Dai Do in defense of Dong Ha. The battle was against a regiment of NVA and 2/4 suffered 80 dead and 256 that were wounded and evacuated.

Most of the Platoon Leaders in E Company (E/2/4) were casualties which resulted in Joe being transferred from the battalion motor transportation attachment to E/2/4 as a Platoon Leader of the 2nd platoon. In late May, some NVA were observed near a village called Nhi Ha (2), and Joe was assigned to lead a less than platoon sized patrol through the Nhi Ha (2) village. There the NVA sprang an ambush on the platoons as they encountered a battalion of the 320th NVA Regiment. On May 25, 1968, 2ndLt Joe Laslie, in the point element at the head of the patrol, was killed almost immediately. The ensuing battle required 3 companies with artillery support to secure the area and beat back the NVA advance.

He was awarded the Purple Heart and was buried June 7, 1968, in the Laslie family plot behind the Methodist Church in Attapulgus, Georgia. Joe was survived by his parents, Annie Berry and Joseph Taylor Laslie and his six sisters and two brothers.

In 2010, Joe was honored by his Sigma Chi Fraternity Brothers from the University of Georgia. His family was presented with a bronze of a Marine kneeling at the Wall with one hand on his helmet and the other on the Wall with Joe’s name inscribed, along with the quotation, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” This bronze was then presented to his fraternity and is to forever remain at the Sigma Chi Fraternity House in Athens, Georgia as a reminder of the sacrifice Joe made as the only fraternity brother to lose his life in Viet Nam.

USMC Resume:
The Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 3rd Platoon, Jun-Nov 1967 (roommate – Mike McClung)
Camp Lejeune, NC: Motor Transport Course
Vietnam: 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4) Bn Motor Transport Officer, 9 Mar – mid May 1968
E/2/4 2nd Platoon Leader, mid to 26 May 1968.

Personal Reflections about Joe Laslie:

Recollections by Chuck Steele: “One Sunday morning I was going through the TBS mess line for a leisurely breakfast. I was in front of Joe Laslie. He was from Georgia and I was from southern California. I watched him spoon a big blob of white glop on his plate and I asked him why he was putting Cream-of-Wheat cereal on the plate with his to-order eggs. He took my ignorance in stride and proceeded to expound on the culinary merits of grits. He advised me to try some and to add a little butter and salt and pepper. The knowledge served me well when I went on to flight school in Pensacola and the incident was cemented in my memory when those of us in flight school learned of his death. An observation on how the Corps throws strangers together from different parts of the country and backgrounds.”

Remembrance from Frank McAdams:
Frank McAdams
rushact@cox.net
Classmate
34056, Pequito Drive, Dana Point, Ca., 92629 USA
A Remembrance
I met Joe, at the Motor Transport, Convoy, Commander’s course, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Since, they seated us alphabetically, we were shoulder, to shoulder and got, to know each other. Joe was, a quiet soft spoken guy, with a sarcastic sense of humor, in a Georgia drawl. During the breaks, he would be smoking, a pipe. When I got to Vietnam, I learned, of Joe’s death. He volunteered, for an infantry assignment. When his platoon, came under fire Joe reacted instantly, attempting, to call in supporting fire, when he was hit. I was told, that he died in the helicopter, while being transported, to an aid station. A really nice guy, whose life was cut short. In 2002, my film studies/history book, was published, “The American War Film: History and Hollywood.” Joe was one, of the ten to whom the book, is dedicated.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006

09 Sep 1944 – 24 Dec 2022

Eric & Marty Lewis with Mary Pfeiffer

 Obituary: Colonel Francis Eric Lewis, United States Marine Corps (Ret)

Colonel Francis Eric Lewis, age 78, loving husband of Martha Brook Lewis, and resident of Flagstaff, AZ, was called to his Maker on 24 December 2022. His was a life well lived and was one of devotion to his family and commitment to all those values so dearly held by the Marine Corps: God, Family, Country, Marine Corps and Honor. These values were the pinnacles and focus of his beliefs.

Col Lewis was born in San Gabriel, California on 9 September 1944 to John F. Lewis and Colleen Lewis. At his birth, his father was deployed on US Navy ships to the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean fighting and helping to win battles against the Japanese at the Battles of Coral Sea, Leyte Gulf, and Okinawa. Col Lewis grew up in Covina and West Covina, California and was a star fullback at Covina High School. He excelled in academics and that performance coupled with his athleticism and excellent leadership skills garnered him an appointment to the US Naval Academy. His time in Annapolis was cut short which caused him to look elsewhere for a school to match his requirements for the future.

It was a very good thing when he selected Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona because he not only received the education he desired, he met Marty Genera, the love of his life, who was also a student there. At that time and in addition to his academic studies, Col Lewis decided to pursue a program that would offer a commission and career in the military. The Marine Corps offered him an opportunity to do just that by attending training with the Marines in Quantico, Virginia during his summer breaks. The result was that upon graduation from NAU he received a commission as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Following commissioning, Col Lewis and Marty were married in 1967 and thus began their long life together.

Col Lewis’s Marine Corps service began with periods of rigorous training at Quantico, Virginia and Pensacola, Florida followed by deployment to Vietnam in 1968.  He served for twelve months in Vietnam and during that time he was continuously engaged in combat operations. His assignments as a 1^st Lieutenant during the Vietnam War included Air Support Control Officer and OIC, Marine Air Support Squadron 3, First Marine Aircraft Wing. His duty locations included Da Nang (Hill 327), Dong Ha, Quang Tri, and Phu Bai   He carried out his duty of leading Marines in an extremely hazardous environment with exceptional professionalism. It was while he was deployed to Vietnam that their son, Kristian Eric Lewis, was born. Post-Vietnam, Col Lewis served the Marine Corps in various shore duty assignments. After eight years on active duty, he transferred to the Marine Corps Reserves and concurrently proceeded down a path that led him to a distinguished career in the private sector.

Col Lewis’s first stop after active duty was to attend Thunderbird University in Phoenix, AZ where, after one year of intensive study, he received his MBA in Global Management. Over the next few years, Col Lewis pursued parallel careers as an executive for several multinational corporations and later on developed his own global logistics consulting firm. He and Marty settled in the San Diego region and enjoyed the good things of life as residents of Bonsall, California, with periodic vacation adventures to the Caribbean islands. His final position in the corporate world prior to retirement was as Vice President for Logistics for QUALCOM, a major communications company.

Throughout his entire business career he remained in the Marine Corps reserves and performed with such distinction that he was promoted to Colonel and received numerous distinguished service awards.

Col Lewis and his wife are Gold Star parents having lost their son, Commander Kris Lewis, USN, a Navy physician, who passed away from combat related injuries sustained while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the final few years of his life Col Lewis and Marty located to Prescott, Arizona followed by a recent move to Flagstaff. What better place than Flagstaff to meet his Maker. After all, this is where Eric and Marty fell in love. So we say farewell and “ Semper Fi’ to this wonderful man, a man of great and good humor, a combat veteran, a man of boundless energy, a wonderful husband, a deeply caring father, a supportive brother, a loving uncle, and a strong and reliable friend. We shall all miss him dearly. Godspeed, Little Brother.

He is survived by his loving wife, Marty, his brother, RADM Fred Lewis, USN (Ret) (Allison), brother-in-law, Randy Genera (Lily), nephew, Col Lance Lewis, USMC (Wendy), niece, Ashley Braidwood, grandnephews, Sam Braidwood and Logan Lewis, and grandnieces, Savannah Lewis, Luella Braidwood, and Zoe Lewis.

Submitted Biography 1st Reunion:

It is almost surreal to believe that 47 yrs. have passed since we attended TBS. My memory serves me well, as I can still see all of the young and highly motivated faces around me. Remember the 20 mi. hike and the 3-day war when our canteens froze? I swear, the beginning of today’s hearing loss and bad knees and shoulders began at that time. Despite these things and the effects of Agent Orange, the path taken in becoming a Marine (and an officer at that) was a miniscule price to pay in terms of the honor I felt in so many ways: defending America, being the best in what we were tasked to do, the camaraderie, the challenges in learning how far one could push himself. How great it will be to see the folks once more who navigated the same path.

Today, I’m basically retired and living happily with my wife, Marty, of 48 yrs. We live in the mountains of Northern Arizona (mile high) and enjoy the surrounding forest of pine trees and the various seasons. Our son, Kristian, lives close by and is a practicing MD. He graduated from the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine and served as a Navy physician during OIF and OEF. Oh yes, we have two Basset Hound dogs, Ginger and Benny. Marty is a retired Special Ed Teacher with a Masters Degree. She continues to love school and is continuing her education in Psychology at a local college. Although I’m not as smart as she, I did earn an MBA at the Thunderbird School of Global Management (part of Arizona State University).

I continued my career in the Marine Corps and completed 28 years of service with combined active and reserve time. I retired in July ’91 at the rank of colonel. My military career was varied like most of us. Although a 7208 (Air Support Control Officer), I’ve done infantry, supply, fiscal, RPS, S&C, I&I, and others. During my tour in Nam, I was an OIC of the DASC and ASRT. My locations included Danang (Hill 327), Dong Ha, Quang Tri, and Phu Bai (near Hue). My unit was MASS-3, 3^rd-MAW. Stateside duties included I&I duty (MARTD So. Weymouth, MA), MASS-4, 4^th-MAW, Marine Reserve Detachment, 29 Palms, and Marine Support Unit, Coronado.

I have had parallel careers as well. Following graduation from Thunderbird, I was a global logistics executive for such MNC’s as Burroughs, Motorola, Bourns, and Qualcomm. I also developed my own global logistics consulting practice and performed services for such firms as Ford, Intel, and Timberland. My work entailed extensive travel to Asia, So. & Central America, Caribbean, Russia, India, and Europe. My final actual work-related gig was as an adjunct professor for several universities.

One of our noteworthy wild and crazy endeavors involved building a home on St. John, USVI. We accomplished this crazy and expensive feat and lived happily there for five years. Marty taught middle school and I consulted for several manufacturing companies in Puerto Rico. Finally the realities of 3^rd world living kicked in and we returned to the reality of living back in the good ole USA.

Well, my gig over the past 1.5 years has involved going full circle. Once again, I’m a “brown bar” (yes, a 2dLt.). I’m an officer with the Arizona Rangers which has been around since AZ was a territory. Today, the Rangers are a non-profit 501(c). Our mission is to provide law enforcement assistance, secure donations for certain security and crowd control services we provide the public which we, in turn, donate to youth groups, and to help preserve Arizona’s Old West history. I suppose that, at the end of this honorable undertaking, the journey will end at “boot hill”.

A very Hearty SEMPER FI to all of my Marine comrades-in-arms.

Respectfully submitted,

Eric Lewis, TBS Class 1-68

Official Biography:

Colonel Francis Eric Lewis, USMC (Ret) retired in 1991 having served 28 years with combined active and reserve duty. During his tour in Vietnam, then 1^st Lieutenant Lewis served as a 7208 (Air Support Control Officer), with Marine Air Support Squadron 3 (MASS-3), Marine Air Control Group 18 (MACG-18), First Marine Aircraft Wing (1^st MAW) as an OIC of the Direct Air Support Center (DASC) and Marine Air Support Radar Team (ASRT). His duty locations included Da Nang (Hill 327), Dong Ha, Quang Tri, and Phu Bai. Colonel Lewis’ stateside Reserve duties included I&I duty, MARTD South Weymouth, MA; Command duties with MASS-4, 4^th-MAW, Marine Reserve Detachment 29 Palms; and the Marine Reserve Support Unit, NAB Coronado. He holds an MBA degree in Global Management and pursued parallel careers as an executive for several multinational corporations and later on developed his own global logistics consulting firm. Concurrently, Col. Lewis performed as an adjunct professor of int’l management at both the graduate and under-graduate levels. He and his wife, Marty,  are Gold Star parents having recently lost their son Kris, a Navy Physician, who passed away from combat related injuries while serving in OIF and OEF operations. Today, Col. Lewis and Marty reside in Prescott, AZ. He is active in the Marine Corps League and the Arizona Rangers while Marty volunteers at the VA hospital.

18 August 1945 – 20 October 2020
Dedham and Nantucket, MA,

OBITUARY:  LEY, Andrew James “Drew” Age 75, of Dedham and Nantucket, MA, passed away suddenly on October 20, 2020. Beloved husband of Carol Searle, devoted Dad and “advisor-in-law” to Morgan and his wife Deirdre Ryan of Wayland, MA, Brooke Matarese and her husband James of Dover, MA, Whitney Jackson and her husband Adam of Concord, MA, and to Haven and her husband Will Wilson of Seattle, WA, and “Pop Pop” to his nine grandchildren, Neve, Aine, Keira, Andrew, Charlotte, Henry, Oscar, Eliot and Harper, who loved him fiercely.

BIOGRAPHY:  Born in Boston, attended suburban Belmont High and then on to Dartmouth. Met Jon Feltner there who was instrumental in my signing up for NROTC. After sophomore year, took the Marine option (and a long story in that since no one in the family had been in the Marines). A bennie with NROTC was that the Navy would put you through some flight training while at school which was worth it. Pinned on the brown bars (USMCR) at graduation along with fraternity brothers Jon Feltner and Beirne Lovely (and John Masters and Jeff Zimmerman) and off to TBS to meet you all. Some amount of pressure to take a regular commission while there, but usually responded that I’d rather ask to stay in than ask to get out.

So we graduated and I took leave back to Boston before heading to Pensacola in January 1968. Bern Bradstreet and I decided to drive down to Pensacola in my Merc Cougar, of course then still registered with Mass license plates. However, things were a little testy in Alabama those days, so we went by Montgomery around 0300 and made it uneventfully. Promptly got Florida plates (which I discovered didn’t do much for you in parts of Alabama anyway). Jeff Hansen and I rented a trailer by Saufley Field to start primary training. After primary, the students were split into helo/prop and jet, with the jet pipeline folks then shipping up to Meridian, Miss. Decided to get married to wife #1 around then, came back to Boston for the wedding over a long Labor Day weekend, and then back for the “honeymoon” in Meridian (go figure). But then it was back to Pensacola for carrier quals and gunnery, and then on to Kingsville TX. [The Navy finally figured out how expensive it was to move people around like that, so stopped the practice somewhere in the 80’s.]

From Kingsville got orders to be in the second class of F-4 nuggets in VMFAT 101 at El Toro, CA. What could be better – California and Phantoms. Lived in base housing near Dave and Diane Wilbur and ultimately Bern Bradstreet showed up after going through A-4 training in Yuma. Went from 101 to VMFA 531 at El Toro in Jan 1970. The problem being on the West Coast was you never had much in the way of airplanes because parts and serviceable planes usually headed back to RVN, so flight hours were a little skosh and I had orders to Chu Lai cancelled several times. Anyway, ultimately Spider Nyland (! – who knew then) and I headed west to Okinawa. Long story short, once more the Chu Lai orders were changed on Okinawa to report to I MAW (Rear) in Iwakuni.

To get a seat in a squadron in Iwakuni I agreed to take a FAC tour, so spent several months in VMFA-334 before back to Okinawa where I cumshawed a billet as a FAC/ALO with BLT 2/9/ SLF Alpha on the USS Okinawa (LPH-3). First mission was a typhoon relief operation near Cebu in the Philippines (for which the unit got the Philippine Unit Presidential Citation, not awarded since WW II – does raise an eyebrow when you wear the ribbon). Then we would be off the coast of Vietnam as a reaction force, and went through three more typhoons at sea. Then it was back to Iwakuni. The 334 birds the Navy wanted back, so when they left and VMFA 115 came out of country, I joined it. Last stop after the overseas tour was as a RIO instructor in Glynco, GA. My twins (who live around Boston) were born in Brunswick and I often remind them that they are native Georgians!

While at Glynco, applied to law schools and then at my EAS, headed back north to Boston and BU Law School where Beirne Lovely had just been admitted as well. Talk about coincidence (more so when Jon Feltner attended a few years later). As a law student, I figured I might have some extra time, so joined a reserve A-4 outfit (VMA-322) at South Weymouth along with Bern Bradstreet, figuring I’d be there about 3 years. Oddly enough, 17 years later as I relinquished command of the squadron, I wondered where the years went (remember, the “ask to stay in” comment). In the meantime, had two more daughters, and was working away as a lawyer. For better or for worse, I still am. The offspring have now also produced 8 grandchildren. Egad.

Remarried in 1992 to Carol. Remain involved in various civic organizations (board member of The Salvation Army and, until I termed out, vice chair of the board of The USS Constitution Museum and also BU Law alumni association), plus stay involved with MCAA (including co-chair of the Marine Air Centennial event held in Marblehead in 2012), MCSF, MCHF and MCAF, among other organizations. And, in the need for speed, spent about 20 years as a high speed driving instructor with the Porsche Club.