In 1935 the Marines came to colleges and recruited students for a Platoon Leaders Class in San Diego. I was one who joined. After leaving college we were commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants in the Marine Corps Reserves.
I was working at a bank when they asked me to go to Quantico, Virginia, for a reserve officers class. I didn’t go to the first or second class and they advised me that if I didn’t go to the third ROC I would lose my commission. So the Bank of America, where I was employed, wished me well and gave me leave to go on active duty.
It was there that four of us officers went to Washington D.C. for some R&R. One officer said he knew a girl from his hometown who was working in town. He called her to ask for a date. She said she would be glad to go but she had a girlfriend staying with her. I said that she could be my date. When we told the other two that we had dates they said, "No way unless you get dates for us, too." So we called back, and they found two more girls, including my wife-to-be Dotty.
When we went by her place and she came down the steps, I fell in love immediately. I dated her every time I had a leave and I asked her to marry me. She finally agreed. We were married on November 16, 1940. We used my transfer to the San Diego Marine Base as our honeymoon.
She had me wear my dress blues and stop at all her relatives in the South to show me off. My folks were delighted to meet her. My mother said, "You don’t deserve a girl like that." I said, "I know that, but don’t tell her."
So, over 70 years and two lovely married daughters later, HERE WE ARE!