Our Dad’s

My Dad, Marvin JE. Stone:

Yep, My Father was a Marine, and a good one I should think. But at the wrong time maybe, in 1947, just after the 2nd World War, when those that “Had not been there” were treated, maybe, sometimes as lesser Marines, but they had all joined or volunteered for the same reasons really, but it caused him to frown upon the higher rank Marine NCOs and Officers as, not any smarter than me-or they would have made a life for themselves in the civilian world, where he knew they would fail. Not because they could not make it as a civilian, but because they were stuck, they were Marines and that’s all they knew, they too took orders and could march, sing cadence, and shoot-not things that make you money that was my Dad’s Goal, to get ahead in the world, not kill everyone in it.

The Marines, I think I need to mention, had affected me, before I was even born, through my Dad. He was a Marine, his father had passed away when Marvin was 14, and his StepDad had been a merchant marine and fisherman, and was a tough hombre, long story short, at 17 years old my Dad joined the Marine Corps to be able to deal with John when he got out of the service. He missed the end of WWII (Though his Stepdad had been serving as a Merchant Marine in WWII and WWI) My father served for a few years of his life, getting out just before the Korean War outbreak. He had been good with the rifle, but joined to drive landing craft, (I guess they forgot to tell him that was done by the Navy and Coast Guard).

My Dad ended up working with the early night fighters, Corsairs P2Vs, and the twin-engined F7F, they had Radars on them, and special communications, As a Corporal, my Dad worked on the -Ground Side of that, using large, medium, and small radio trucks, with towed generators, etc, this were left to me in his photo album, (He had a buddy who was a Marine Photographer, and tried a lot of pictures to him- for other stuff I guess, but he took picture, when there was an aircraft crash! so there are 2o pictures of these dark-painted planes covered with fire-fighting foam…and the Pilot’s name under the photo, like So and So, F4U). I mean the effect on me was huge, but my Dad did not think of himself as a Marine, he was. My Dad was now, a civilian, and My Dad! He, hardly mentioned it, and said it was just a small bit of time in his early life, but gave us what he had kept, useful stuff like the butt-packs, canteens, web-gear, his uniforms long gone. my dad was driven, and he loved America and helping the community, My Mom and Dad had a lot of friends, and many Veterans. But the Marines got to him, I now see it in so many ways, he was very focused- with the 10-year goal, He hunted Deer for years when I was young, he would ride in on horseback and Mules, and I grew up on the meat. He was a good-natured person, serious, but happy with his life, and not one you pushed around, he could hold his own, and he would push back, and he said let’s step outside, one would have to consider that…and rarely anything went beyond that point.

He didn’t drink often but he could put it away, with all the dads on the block over card games on Friday Nights, more the gleam in his eye and hard to the corp, he was a serious, good man. Some of the terms he used, reflected his Marine Corps training, their jargon came out in him at times, when making a point, he was a no screw-around person, don’t waste time on B-S that just cost you money, kind of guy, but he would gamble big if he thought, he could make it so use his back and brains to get ahead in the world, in other words, he was his own boss. I think people wanted him as a friend, and it made them feel safer, he didn’t have what would be called “Flakey Friend” Nope, he was too serious with his own life for that, they were good, smart hard-working people, true friends.

So the day I was born, I was already on the way to wanting to become a Marine and had nothing but the greatest respect for the Corps. Ironically, when my Dad left the Marines and came home, he had a run-in with his Stepfather again, and the “Duked it out” story is John got the better of my Father, John had also been the Sparring Partner for Jack Dempsy! They did get closed as time went on.

And when I thought about joining the Marine Corps, my Dad was like, nope, not a good time to do that, you go in there when you’ve run out of options, you don’t want to lose 10 years there! Be smarter than that, go to sea with me, make money, and go if you are called on, but get your priorities straight right now Mister!, You're about to Graduate High School, You have to get squared away right here right now! Stop screwing around with your life, you're already behind schedule. Fishing will give you the money you need to go to college, (My dad went and got his GED after the service and went to college in his 40s and 60s to learn the Stock Market, and had his Master Maritime License for lover 1600o ton vessels) He said - think about where you want to be in ten years son, it goes by fast kid! You don’t want to spend all your time there, trust me, work for yourself! And you don’t take orders well, you want to be a Hero-there they guys you see in the pictures the dead guys-all over the beaches, so there Goddamn-it! Getting mader, you better start making money real fast, because your ass is out of here! (I think there were other reasons with him to talk me out of it), Anyway, I followed him to sea, and I was there for over 40 years, I guess he was right, it would have been hard to start that trade at 35. He gave me the best advice over the year- pure and simple, get away from home, away from Mama’s pampering, and get on your own, get home, invest in YOUSELF! And don’t count on us to take care of you, he forced it, and he was absolutely right! I had feelings, but he knew he had to be hard sometimes- to get me to believe in myself, and to light a fire under my ass-trying to give me the drive to push on, and make something of myself.

Anyway I’m sure with every war show, and history me and my brother studied, he corrected us with the #s of casualties at certain battles, and any USMC History that came along, that impressed me, and amazed me, He never seemed to care about history, I mean we learned about the Revolutionary War, and Civil War, but when it came to WWII and Marine History-he had it down, that means it was drilled into him, and we did not question a thing he said, like I say-a no-Bullshit guy-just the facts. I did not mean to write this much here just realized the impact My Dad had on me.

In Honor of my Brother’s, Father-in-Law, Tom Tucker, USMC, 18th ANTI-AIRCRAFT Defense Battalion. Khaki uniform, Tinian, WW2:

He was a Veteran of Okinawa (April 1 to June 21, 1945, and served on Tinian with the Anti Aircraft, not realizing it was the place B29 Stratofortress would fly out of with the Atomic Bombs used on Japan, when used on Hiroshima August 6th, and Nagasaki August 9th, 1945, causing the end of the War with Japan. After the war, he was a hard-working and driven person too, and invested in the town of Bremerton / Washington, and the surrounding areas, owning several plumbing shops and other stores, Race-Track, and even the Airport at one time I think it was, he was heavy into real estate, having several homes in Washington, Arizona, and Mexico, and very successful to say the least, having two sons and a daughter, Tina, who my Brother later married. Life was tough on him still, but he lived to a ripe old age. I heard several great stories about his war, really told the way it was-scary, terrifying, very quickly trained, some on board the ship taking him to war, some about the battle(s) and then ending up on Seipan “Good Duty” as it was considered. He was a hard guy too, not big but tough, gnarly would apply here, I liked him.