| A member of Joseph P. Chaisson Post 41 for five years, holding the position of Sgt. of Arms, 2nd Vice Cmdr, and presently Commander. He received a Meritorious Citation Award from the American Legion National Commander for exceeding the 2008-2009 membership goals.
Reggie joined the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, September 15th, 1953, and had basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was specialized in communications at Camp Geiger, North Carolina, and went on to advanced combat winter training in Colorado in preparation for deployment to Korea. Upon completion he was processed through Camp Pendleton and San Diego, then onto a troop ship to Kobe, Japan. He was assigned to the Twelfth Marine Division in the vicinity of the 38th parallel, Korea, during the period of armistice; Reggie spent twenty-seven days in Korea before being assigned to Camp Fuji, Japan. In 1953 the Army had turned over the North Camp to the Marine Corp.
Mt. Fuji at the time was a premier training area as it provided live-firing training for larger guns. Reggie’s communication skills became very important to live-fire range control. He remembers that they lived in tents for thirteen months and the snow was so deep, only smoke stacks could be seen above the snow. The sleeping bags were doubled to keep warm.
From the Mt Fuji assignment, he was reassigned for six months in Okinawa, Japan, and discharged from the Corps at Camp Lejeune, NC, September 15th, 1956. | |
- REGINALD C. EARLEY, SR.
