Farewell, Tomcat

Mind if I ask what year this was in?

I arrived at PI in June, 1946. Sent to college, fall '47.
Arrived at Pensacola June 1949.

Sounds like a very interesting story.

It was a pretty standard story in those years, I think. Happened to
lots of guys.

Ya know , seems officers who served as enlisted first were better officers
and leaders, and sure had the respect of their troops more. Maybe all
officers should have to start as a private?

I don't know. I knew some very fine officers, superiors to me who, so
far as I know, had not been enlisted. Probably depends on the
individual officer's character.

vince norris

You have a great point there! Individuals character has more to do with it
than anything else. We had some great officers, and we had some terrible
ones too! Most fit there in the middle somewhere.
I never will forget when my old marine room mate called from Dubai (I
had been off active duty for awhile and was in CA) to tell me Capt Steve
Leslie had been shot down in the Persian Gulf in a raid on Iranian oil
platforms. Capt Leslie was my favorite officer , even considered him a
friend as well as an officer. A good Cobra pilot and all the enlisted guys
thought the world of him.
I cried that day, and when my wife got home and I told her she did too.
Just thought alot of him, and I still have my last Marine ID card that he
signed . He was never an enlisted man, but he sure fit in with all of
us...just had the character thing. It was a big lose for the squadron, and
one that really had a personal effect on myself and my family.
Blue Skies Capt. Leslie..you are not forgotten.

Patrick
student SPL
aircraft structural mech

"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
...
I don't know. I knew some very fine officers, superiors to me who, so
far as I know, had not been enlisted. Probably depends on the
individual officer's character.

vince norris