US Marine Corps Recruit Depot - Yearbook (Parris Island, SC)

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THE MENTAL AND MORAL QUALITIES 0f the United- States Marine have been tested constantly since the birth of the nation. All through the long history of the Marine Corps there are examples, both in war and peace, of his versatility, tmstworthiness, singleness and tenacity of purpose, cour- age, faithfulness and self-sacrifice. The rich tradition of the Corps dates back to November 10, 1775, when it was established by the Contintental Con- gress. In the Revolutionary War, the Marines fought against the British Fleet 0n the ships of John Paul Jones, and made their first amphibious landing on the beaches of the Baha- mas in 1776. Marines ended their war with the Mediterra- nean pirates when they planted the Stars and Stripes over the pirate stronghold of Derne, in Tripoli, after a six- hundred-mile march across the desert of North Africa. In the War of 1812, they fought on Lake Champlain and Lake Erie, and were with General Jackson behind the barricades at New Orleans. They defeated the Seminole Indians in the dense swamps of Florida in 1836, and fought under General Scott in the Mexican War of 1846-48. Their first visit to Japan came in 1854 as guard detachments from the ships of Commodore Perryis fleet. Under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, U.S.A., Marines captured John Brown at Harperis Ferry in 1859. They fought savages in Formosa in 1867, and stormed the barrier forts of Korea in 1871. During the Spanish-American War, a single battalion of Marines held the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, against 6,000 Spaniards, while oth- er Leathernecks distinguished themselves at the Battle of Santiago and with Dewey at Manila. They helped quell the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, and from then on until World War I, men of the Corps campaigned in the Philip- pines, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, and Santo Domingo to protect American lives and property. On the battlefields of France, Marines were called Devil Dogs, by the Germans because of their courage and tenaci- ty of attack. In the first World War, the Fourth Brigade of Marines took part in five operations as part of the famed Second Division of the A.E.F. - Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Chapagne, and the Meuse-Argonnet Marine units were decorated six times by the French during these campaigns. The interim between world wars found the Marines en- gaged in developing the technique of amphibious warfare and in their traditional pursuits around the globe, from guarding the US. mails to fighting bandits in Nicaragua. World War II saw the men who wear the eagle,g10be, and an anchor valiantly defend Wake Island and Bataan and then spearhead the amphibious landings across the Pacific . in the Solomons, at Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, to name a few. Following the war, Marines found a new type of service 4 duty with United Nations Forces in Korea. The United States Marine Corps, rich in tradition and world-famed for its battle record and esprit de corps, plays an important role as the nation,s force-in-readiness to help keep the peace throughout the world today.

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COLONEL GARY WILDER, USMC COMMANDING OFFICER, RECRUIT TRAINING REGIMENT COLONEL GARY WILDER assumed command of the Re- cruit Training Regiment here June 6, 1975. The Assistant Chief of Staff, Comptroller-Management Systems at Parris Island prior to his new assigment. Col. Wilder is a former enlisted man with 29 years of service including combat ac- tion in Korea and Vietnam. Col. Wilder enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1946 and attended recruit training at Parris Island. He served three years active duty, obtaining the rank of sergeant, and was recalled to service during the Korean conflict after' a two- year, nine months period of inactive duty. Colonel Wilder was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1951 and attended The Basic School and the Amphibious Warfare School at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va. He was then assigned duties as a rifle platoon commander with the lst Marine Division in Korea where he was wounded in action and evacuated to Japan. Col. Wilder attended Supply Officer School at Camp Le- jeune, NC. and served as Supply Officer for the 8th Engin- eer Battalion, Force Troops. Assigned to Vietnam in 1958 as a military advisor to the South Vietnamese Marine Corps, Col. Wilder returned to the United States in 1960 as an instructor at The Basic School, Quantico, Va. He later served as the Executive Officer to the 2nd Reconnaissance Batta- lion, 2nd Marine Division and Commanding Officer to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division and Commanding Officer of 3rd Force Reconnaissance Com- pany, Fleet Marine Force at Camp Lejeuene before returning to Vietnam in 1966 as commander of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, and CO, 3rd Bn, 3rd Marine Division where he was again wounded in action. For distinguishing himself by demonstrating exceptional meritorious conduct in performing outstanding service as a Commanding Officer in Vietnam, Col. Wilder was awarded the Legion of Merit. He returned to duty in the United States in 1967 and has since served as a directing staff member at the Canadian Staff College, Kingston, Ontario, and an Un- conventional Warfare Plans Officer for the Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet. Col. Wilder is married to the former Miss Harue Imaizumi of Osaka, Japan. The Wilderis have two daughters, Linda, 19, and Cynthia, 18. Both are students at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

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AMERICAN SPIRIT HONOR MEDAL The American Spirit Honor Medal is a medallion offered and provided by the Citizens Committee for the Army, Navy and Air Force, Inc., of New York, NY. The American Spirit Honor Medal has been accepted by the Department of De- fense for use as an award to enlisted personnel who, while undergoing basic training, display outstanding qualities of leadership best expressing the American Spirit - Honor, Initiative, Loyalty, and High Example to Comrades in Arms. This medallion has also been accepted by the Department of Defense for the promotion of Closer ties between the Armed Services and the Civil Communities of the United States in which the Armed Services establishments are located. ' 6' IIII'I'I;VIII I yhllhyl 74:10, , Mt IX mmth A ffrwwlyf mmmlvy wulllmymdy mmjww 4, w Wm glad ' ' . , T f ! i - T517101; - an5tl41-m lyniy ; I I 4 .M A ; 7571eIZ-rmfll 6: Zrlmmmiu f - F mm; , ' g, x1. Wm $4. ...mriarr4 MW, Invamvaunm,.7, m,m.f,.lul