Going Over The Side

Going over the side from the USS Bayfield APA 33. This wasnt as easy and going ashore by helicopter. This method of transporting Marines is really bad when someone get seasick. Marines that invaded the islands of the Pacific during WWII often said that after being sealed below deck in the tropical sun, you were glad to get on these boats for the fresh air. I am sure that time had erased the fear they experience when the front of the boat opened and they knew that they were in some Japanese soldier's field of fire.

Going Ashore By Helicopter

Sometimes we got to go place by air. The officers used things like Verticle Envelopment and such to describe what we were doing . All most enlisted knew was that it was much easier to run out on the fantail and board a helicopter than it was to go over the side on cargo nets into a Higgins Peter Boat and then have to wade ashore where the water mixed with the beach sand to get into every crevise in your body. At times the pilot could not set down which meant that we went down by rope. Still better than Higgins Boats. Maybe a little bit scarier?

Agressors for Training

Serving as agressors for a training exercise with the 187 Airborne Regiment.

Me in Summer Dress Uniform

Not sure where this was taken. My guess is that it was before I went to the Fleet. As a rule Marines do not have this type head cover outside the United States unless they are Sea Going or Embassy. Marines wore a cap known as an Overseas Cap, Fore and Aft Cap, and several others that were less acceptable in mixed crowds. Could have been at Camp Pendleton, California.

Sgt Estes and Wilder North Camp Fuji Japan

Sgt Estes and Wilder in front of our post office North Camp Fuji, Japan. Wilder was from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Estes was from Hobart, Oklahoma.

Sgt Estes From Hobart, Oklahoma

Sgt Estes from Hobart, Oklahoma. He was in charge of the 3.5 Inch Rocket Squad.

William Peterson Marines

William Peterson from Chicago, Illinois. We went through boot camp in Platoon 296 at MCRD in San Diego, California. Picture was taken aboard the USS White Marsh LSD - 8. I think we were on the way to a training exercise at Iwo Jima or Okinawa.