Where to begin - where to end?

I enlisted March 3, 1959 in Ohio and was sent to MCRD San Diego.  I spent all of 1959 in training - boot camp, ITR, Imperial Beach - that was great, bunking at the Coronado Amphib Base and riding the ferry into San Diego, locker clubs with rented civvies and all night movies on the square rather than miss even an hour on the town - TJ for whatever drinking one wanted to do off base - the year was, for the most part, fine. I had leave over Christmas and then to Treasure Island waiting for a ship to Hawaii.

Arrived at 1RAD on February 1, 1960.  I was not a ditty chaser- that stuff put me to sleep.  I was a cryptographer and had a tour in Iwakuni with the 1st MAW and on Okinawa with the 3rd MARDIV - and a few other side trips because there were so few of us in those days.  I was sent to Camp Pendleton at the end of 1961 - had leave and reported there on 3rd or 4th of January 1962 to set up a crypto shop in the G2.  That was a trip because only two people knew who we were and why we were coming there.  One was the CG - and it is difficult to just walk in to see the general - and the other was the G2 and he was on leave.  We finally got things fixed up.  Found three more newly graduated crypto guys who had been sent out as regimental radio operators and opened for business.  Now they have a huge operation dug into the hill behind the headquarters.  At that time we had a small room - fully surrounded and poorly vented.  A nice place to spend my last year.  I was still a member of 1RAD all the time I was at Pendleton too, so I have more than 3 years time in the company.  It was touch and go about reenlistment and it could have gone either way - but I was determined to go back to college and did.

Later, I became a criminal investigator with the IRS and wound up as Branch Chief, Criminal Investigation Division in San Francisco before leaving to set up my own business in 1984.  I am still here so I must be a success, I guess.  Along with a second career got involved in politics and wound up spending 10 years on the city council and two terms as mayor of Concord.  I retired from all that five years ago and wonder how I had time to do it and run my office.  

I was married for about 28 years until some 11-12 years ago.  That ended, but I have two children and five grandchildren to show for it.  My son followed me into the Corps and I had the great pleasure of watching his graduation some 30 years after mine.  I remarried 5 years ago and my wife, Ginny, has three children and 4 grandchildren.  Quite an extended family.  All that is good.  The only bad is the past few years I had several major surgeries - five vertebrae in the lower back and three in the neck - and I am still hobbling around.  I am not able to do any traveling right now so can't expect to cross country for the reunions.  Maybe later.

It was a nice surprise to see you all gathered and I know there are a lot more around.  I also belong to the Marine Corps Cryptologic Association and will look at that to see how many ought to toss their hats and info into the 1RAd meetings as well.

Looking forward to seeing you all, one of theses days.

Semper Fi

Bill McManigal