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After reading all of the bios on the site I feel certain that I have crossed
paths with several of you. The only one I remember for sure is Paul Futrup and I
am sad to find out he passed away recently. I wish I could have reconnected with
him. I know I have a picture or slide of him at the top of a pole. I believe it
was in Chu Lai. I will look for it and try to send it in. I also remember a
brief encounter with Bob Brewington in Hawaii, but it wasn’t anything more than
someone pointing him out to me.
I joined the USMC in 1963 after flunking out of college. Boot camp at PI, ITR at
Geiger, “R” branch school at Corey Field, then straight to 1st Radio Company. I
got to 1st Radio in late May or Early June of 1964, so am probably the most
junior person in this group. I don’t remember it changing from CO to BN, so
either it wasn’t a big deal, or I was TAD when it happened. I was with 1st Radio
from 1964 until late November, 1966. I did a TAD trip to Torii Station, Okinawa
and 2 TAD trips to Phu Bai. I was PCS’d while on my 2nd TAD trip to Phu Bai and
moved from all the good things the army provided at Phu Bai to the USMC at Chu
Lai. Quite a change. I left Chu Lai in October, 1966 and spent a little time at
Danang and leaving VN in late November. I was at 2nd Radio Bn until my discharge
in June, 1967. I made one TAD trip to Puerto Rico while at 2nd Radio.
I finished college and went to work as a Security Officer/Investigator with a
telephone company. I retired in 2000. After retirement I spent 2 months in
Guatemala learning Spanish and have traveled a lot in central and South America
since then. I now work as a seasonal employee with the National Park Service. I
had a heart valve replaced in 2001 and had a pretty severe heart attack in 2005,
receiving CPR and defibrillator shock
from
another ranger and getting my first helicopter ride since the USMC. I now have a
defibrillator/pacemaker that keeps me going. Other than being able to feel the
d/p inside my chest and hear the valve clicking I’m not much different than
before. I work at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in NC. My wife, Lisa, works at
Frank & Fran’s tackle shop in Avon, NC. We live in Salvo, NC, with our dog,
Jethro. We are here because we love to fish. We are two lots away from the ocean
and the nearest marina is just across the street. Life in paradise is wonderful!
For information about this site, contact:
webadmin@1st-radio-company-usmc.org
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JOHN BENSON - CHU LAI 1966 |
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