Me and my mother, Hilda LaLumiere, August 16, 1984. Picture taken at Parris Island, South Carolina.
(Note: Any Drill Instructor will tell you that the most important woman in a Marine's life is his mother.)
My decorations. A Meritorius Unit Commendation, Good
Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment
Ribbon. I am also a Rifle Expert.
I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduating High School in 1984 and spent that summer going through bootcamp at Parris Island, South Carolina.
I trained with Third Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment. (AKA: "Third Herd") Not a very fun summer for a seventeen year old kid, but it was well worth it.
I spent most of my active duty time at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina with 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group.
I was trained as an "Organizational Automotive Mechanic" and worked on trucks.
I also did a six-month "float" with the 26th Marine Amphibious Unit (now 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit) aboard USS Spartanburg County (LST-1192) in 1987. We went to the Med and visited Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Tunisia and Lebanon.
After completing this float, I was promoted to the rank of Corporal and finished my active duty time with Maintenance Bn. in '88.
I then went into the Reserves while I went to college. First, I was with a Supply Company in Washington DC
where I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and later, transferred into the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). In early '91, I was reactivated for Desert Storm and sent to Camp Pendleton, California for three months. I then went back into the
IRR where I did two RCT's (Reserve Counterpart Training), one at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina and the other one back at Camp Lejeune. I finally went back to the Active Reserve in Frederick, Maryland with "B" Co., 4th Light Armored Recon. Bn. Two years and three months later, it was time to go.
Every Marine is a Rifleman. That is why all enlisted Marines wear the
"crossed rifles" (the symbol of the infantry) on their rank insignias from
Lance Corporal
up through Master Sergeant. The following link is the "Marine's
Creed." (Note about the image. I was one of the last Marines to train on the
M16A1 Service Rifle in 1984. Less than a year later, the Corps adopted the
M16A2 that is still in service today.)
This link is to TheFew.com, a website dedicated to former Marines. It contains a database with entires for over
40,000 active and former Marines, where they served and how to contact them.
Interested in Military History? Specifically, U.S. Marine Corps History?
Then check out this next link to the Marine Corps Legacy Museum. It's got some
great stuff!
