First, my thanks to Fab for waking us up and starting the conversation in our niche of the Marine Corps to perhaps preserve the history that will otherwise go unrecorded except for cryptic unit dairies. I have had the privilege the last ten years to serve as the treasurer of the MAWS/MGCIS/MACS-7 Association, its membership consisting principally of the veterans of the WWII Battle of Okinawa. I believe Charlie Mears was the only “modern” MACS-7 member to register as a member. I was never a member of MACS-7, having only been TAD to the Squadron once upon a time, but that was sufficient for those stalwarts to recruit me to the job of treasurer. I assisted in terminating the Association in Denver this past October and transferring the remaining funds to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. The ravages of age finally caught up with them but their legacy lives on as their children will continue to hold reunions in their memory and honor. The effect of associating with these “Fathers of Marine Air Control” was profound. I had a front-row seat to first person description of the beginning of radar controlled air defense in the midst of one of the major battles of recorded history. For the record, from 1 May through 31 July 1945, they controlled 4005 aircraft, scored 72 kills, 25 air-sea rescues, homed 128 lost aircraft, controlled 478 strike missions, 649 special missions, and 125 night heckler missions. Their love of the Corps and bond with each other was so inspiring and their memorial services always left you with the assurance that no Marine really dies as long as one sill remains. Any history of the MACCS should record the contribution of men from that era to include Don deChambeau, Bill Conrad, Clyde Anderson, Bill Bowman, Frank Goldsborough, Pem Hobbs and Stanley Radom among many other heroes.
I was the least likely candidate for air control imaginable. My background was enlisted infantry with sea duty in the battleship USS Mississippi and aircraft carriers USS Coral Sea and USS Shangri-La, 1stMarDiv duty mastering Company and Battalion individual and crew served weapons, Embassy Duty in Baghdad during the destruction of the kingdom (where I rescued Gail from a life in foreign service for a life of adventure and romance as a Marine wife)(what a deal!),and finally super- grunt duty in 2d Recon Bn in 2dMarDiv. LtCol Paul G. Graham, my Bn CO, directed me to apply for the 2nd Warrant Officer Screening Course. When I received orders to Quantico, the notice indicated that upon successful completion of the screening course I would be assigned the MOS 6709 Air Defense Control Officer. Say what?? Nobody could figure what the heck that was.
I left Quantico with spiffy new uniforms and orders to MACS-5 in beautiful Beaufort by the sea. The CO, LtCol James W. Smith, a fighter pilot, was very gracious in his welcome aboard. He informed me that the Squadron was in preparation for deployment to Atsugi so it was important that I get qualified as quickly as possible. I told him I still didn’t know what a 6709 did. He didn’t blink an eye, just said, “We will train you. You will be fine”. I could only respond with “Aye, Aye, Sir”. Then he looked at my qual jacket and said, “You will be the Squadron Basic Training Officer”. I was truly fortunate to have Jim Smith as my first Air Control CO. He had the patience, the tolerance, the forbearance, to withstand the mistakes of his young controllers so that they could reach a level of performance that represented the best available professionalism. Capt John Dixon, Squadron OpsO , who I would learn much from and work with over the years scheduled me for school at Glynco and OJT in the CAOC. Four other members of my warrant class also joined the Squadron as MOS 6709 Warrant Officers, George Kenniston, Harry Kling, Kleve Anderson, and Dan Siemion. CWO2 Jack Fetchko was already on board. I was quickly introduced to SADs 1stLt Gordon Peterson, 1stLt Bill “Rat” Cooper, Capt Gary Anderson, Capt Charlie Rham, 1stLt Tom Rauscher and 1stLt Jim Norman. !stLt Richard Skinner was the Comm-Elect O, 1stLt Jim Hickok the RadarO, CWO2 Bill Stowe the RadioO.—Gordon Peterson has been on Local Washington Television News for a bazillion years and hosts a national Sunday News Show. Gordon Peterson is the narrator in the film depicting the Battle of Tarawa in the WWII section of the new Marine Corps Museum at Quantico. “Rat” Cooper was a fighter pilot who I controlled over the years and could immediately recognize his voice regardless of call sign. Rat will have a connection to Monkey Mountain. He was the investigating officer for the F-8 accident that had pronged into the mountain that resulted in the loss of a pilot. The investigation was conducted on 24 Feb 1968. That is the day I was promoted to Captain. Rat pinned on my tracks in Tom Lapham’s office. Cpls Crutchfield and Deangelis made names for themselves over time in air control and Sgt Ron Stopka would cross paths with me again as one of my prized CWO instructors in the Air Defense Officers Course at 29 Palms. SSgt Paul Farris, from Radar would one day be my top flight TPQ-10 technician at DongHa and Camp Carroll. Sgt Leon Burns would earn the Navy Cross as a SSgt during Operation Buffalo in 1967.
On my introduction to the CAOC and the UPA-25, I thought, “This has to be some kind of cruel joke”. First of all you step inside and it is darker than the inside of a butt hole and everybody is running around pretending as if they can actually see! You’ve got these big back- lighted boards up front with Marines standing behind them making marks with a grease pencil and it looks like they are writing backward! Nothing on the boards makes sense. Then I’m taken to this scope thing. I’m certain I am going to be electrocuted any minute. The most complicated thing I’ve seen up to this time in my Marine Corps career is a .30 cal air cooled machine gun or maybe a 60 mm mortar. This UPA thing-a-ma-bob got doodads sticking out all over it. The controller is saying something about switchology…..unhuh//???. Then he is explaining the birds he is talking to are flying at WHAT SPEEDS? WHAT DISTANCES? My grunt references are 1000s of yards and feet per second. Oh boy, my first day is a shocker. The DRT at Glynco is another eye opener but a revelation. Practice doesn’t make perfect but eventually it makes qualified. And you all know as Basic Training Officer I had MACS-5 in the field for training before deployment and while in Atsugi we did Base Camp Fuji training before Korea and Taiwan deployments.
The tour at Atsugi was a maturing experience and one that taught me to concentrate on glaring shortcomings. I spoke with a strong Tennessee hillbilly accent. Some would question whether it was really English. In comparison, Gomer Pyle was a smooth tongued devil. I was controlling the CO of a F8 squadron whose call sign was Black Ace 6. I could tell that the pilot seem irritated but was at loss as to why since the intercepts were all going very well. Shortly after the flight terminated I was told to report to the Skipper’s office. The Admin Officer told me the Skipper had a ticked off visitor and the Skipper wasn’t happy. When I went in and reported, “Warrant Officer Gardner reporting as ordered sir, ” the F-8 Squadron CO said to my CO, “My God, forget it Jim, the SOB just talks that way”. And the two broke out laughing. I was dismissed. The skipper told me later of my problem with pronunciation and enunciation. I began to work on it that very day, I still am a long way from the king’s English but I can control without any problem today. Before the tour was over, I was a well qualified controller, became a confident and competent qualified SAD, even bringing the Skipper in during a night flight fuel state emergency using the MPS-11 as a GCA radar when Atsugi facilities couldn’t respond. The Skipper would pull my leg and say, “See, even grunts can learn to do this stuff.”
Reported at LTA. Tustin, MACS-9, adjacent to MACS-3 during June 1964. I was welcomed aboard by LtCol C.T. Westcott, a tremendous gentleman, a wonderful CO with a history in AA and MACS-3 and who was a steady hand in air control. I was quickly introduced to Capt Jerry Elliott, Capt “Red” Yezzi, 1stLt Bob Molyneux, 1stLt Bob Gibson, 1stLt George Baker, CWO Len Welchel and OpsO Capt Charlie Cobb. Operators/enlisted controllers SSgt Joe Fernandez, SSgt Bud Vath, SSgt John Dieters, premier crew chief GySgt F. R. Miranda, and everybody’s ideal Ops Chief, GySgt Frank Dowden. Joe Fernandez demonstrated great controller skills and earned my deep respect and confidence. Bud Vath was also an outstanding SNCO. Of course, I became the Training Officer and John Dieters became my assistant. I learned to be explicit in my instructions to John. Controllers were constantly busy with plenty of night work. MACs-9 personnel worked hard and played hard. Jerry Elliott, Red Yezzi, and I tested our wives’ tolerance on Wednesday and Friday evenings more frequently than was prudent and survived only through God’s grace. Jerry was like a brother. His death took something of me with him. I also was introduced to the one and only Charlie Mears who was over frequently from MACS-3. There was nothing about air control Charlie didn’t know. He was generous to a fault. When I was redesignated a Marine Gunner due to my grunt background, Charlie shows up and pins on my first bursting bomb collar ornament which I still have and still treasure.
MACS-9 was redesignated MACS-4 on 18 September 1964. LtCol D.P. Graf assumed command on 7 October 1964. OpsO Charlie Cobb was a F-8 pilot dying from incurable cancer. He wanted to fly as much as possible while still capable. We were evaluating the new TPS-34 Radar. It was located off the beach at Camp Pendleton. Joe Fernandez and/or I drove down each day and controlled Charlie until his fuel state demanded he head to El Toro. WE made runs back and forth plotting clutter and coverage diagrams. We did this for weeks on end until the Flight Surgeon finally grounded Charlie. He provided an example of courage and grace in the face of certain death that was remarkable. LtCol Graf, an excellent CO, was relieved by Major Charles B. Palmer after holding command for about nine months. Fab you will be happy to know I got to try my luck as a 5910 with a temporary assignment as the Radar Officer. The troops had a great time teaching me to tune the MPS-11 and then I would go into the CAOC and tell the techs to tweek to my standards from the scope. I knew when I was on safe ground. I knew better than to BS the experts. We received Unit Movement Orders on 14 October 1965 with direction to displace to Camp Pendleton. Major P.J. Haenelt took command in November 1965. Capt J.G Wendt, Capt T.W. McGhee,Jr., Capt. B. C. Dye, Capt L. C. Mitchell, Capt M. G. Yeager, Capt I. L. Dulaney, 1stLt I. H. Clark, 1stLt N.J. Kellner,1stLt G. D. Lee, 1stLt P. E. Paul, 1stLt J. A. Rutkowski, 2ndLt W. F. Bill Brown that we all know and love , 2ndLt J.J. Foster, added to our roster by that time. Sometime during this period Bill Brown had been assigned duty as TeleCommMaintO. Scope Dopes can do anything! Command was passed to LtCol J. P. Flynn, Jr., a Native American, on 12 February 1966. He was an aviator and a POW during the Korean War. His stories were humorous at times but always inspirational and his leadership was outstanding. John Dixon was then XO of MASS-3. The Squadron planned a field exercise at Case Springs at Camp Pendleton in preparation to deployment. John requested MACS-4 provide aggressor support for their exercise which “Chief” Flynn immediately approved and directed me to execute. I immediately turned to old mister reliable Joe Fernandez, who had been or was just about to be promoted to 2dLt, and we selected the team members and went about the fun of getting dirty and becoming a pain in the butt to MASS-3. Things went along well for about three days/nights until we managed to burn many acres of tender dry brush around Case Springs. That brought to an end all aggressor activity for that exercise. The Del Mar Officers Club became essentially the MACS-4 O Club.
The world as I had known it came to a screeching halt in July 1966. The world as I was to come to know it was about to begin. I thought I was pretty competent in the business of air control. I learned that I didn’t know JACK! LtCol C. P. Bushman took command of MACS-4. The first operational MTDS system was delivered, and the smartest most brilliant practitioners of the business of air control I had ever met or heard of descended on the squadron and a new day in operational air control began. Captain Herb Fix, !stLt Jerry Hunt, 2ndLt Bill Gwaltney,1stLt Larry Lein, 1stLt Tom Ashe, Capt Tom Lapham, Capt Ralph Larry, Capt Larry Thomas, 1sLt Jack Hall, ?Dante Masserotti, and tech rep Don Moeller arrived speaking a new language, with supreme confidence and tremendous readiness to teach. New additions 1stLt Rick Griffen, 1stLt Bill Bosserman, 2dLt Gary Griffen, 1stLt Mike Stankosky joined Jerry Elliott, Joe Fernandez, Bill Brown and me in the student category. And study we did. At MACS-3, at Litton in the Plant and on the MACS-4 site on the ridge overlooking the airfield at Camp Pendleton. Bill Brown and Rick Griffen were quick studies, seeming to advance rapidly. The training was intense, constant and as it turns out, pretty darn effective. SOB and Jerry Hunt were particularly adept at finding keys to understanding. The enlisted technicians and operators took no back seat to the officers in the matter of expertise and accomplishments. They were a step above in capability and attitude. While they spent plenty of time becoming technically competent and maintaining proficiency, I also had them conducting intense ground bullet launching basic training in preparation for deployment. We expended three times our 3rd MAW Training Ammo Allowance and when we were told we had used all we were going to get I went to Seal Beach and arranged to retrieve Unopened Broken Lot ammo that was going to be dumped at sea and continued to train. I thought Tom Ashe was going to laugh his head off when I made Don Moeller fire the M-60 Machine Gun for familiarization. Don argued that he wasn’t supposed to fire any weapons. I spoke in rather colorful language back in those days. Don shot rather well. We embarked on the USS Hermitage at San Diego in late May 1967. The navy crew was inexperienced except for the Engineering Officer who was a Salt. Larry Lein got us loaded aboard.
Our transit to Hawaii was uneventful. The ship was installing stanchions for mounting .50cal machine guns for ship defense along the gunnels and on the fantail and bow. The gunner’s mate had no experience on the .50cal Machine gun so I held school for him and the ship’ officers in the wardroom on the teardown, cleaning repair, assembly, set headspace, etc. Firing drills with the gunner’s mate and the enlisted crews went well as expected. Firing drills with the ships officers was a cluster ----! After the Captain declare the machine guns off limits to the officers the training went well thereafter except that during the first General Quarters Drill after the Guns were installed they couldn’t find the sailor with the key to the ammo locker. We sat dead in the water a few days after departing Hawaii to repair a boiler. We arrive pier side DaNang, offload, and road march to Monkey Mountain. SeaBs are cutting roads still and buildings are under construction. I commandeer troops as quickly as possible and start identifying security outpost locations and start planning for nighttime security requirements. Radar systems are already starting to go up. The TYQ-2 will be set up as trucks start to arrive. The LAAM Btry personnel just tried to stay out of the way but be helpful if needed. I am amazed that we will be billeted in two story plywood barracks. Two man rooms. SOB is my room mate. Bill is handy with tools. He works the room. I am working camp security and defense.
Our first call sign was Moonman. We were pretty busy by the end of my first watch and Jerry Hunt was my relief. Jerry taught me one of my most valuable lessons that night. I was shaky on the identification of my birds and Jerry would not take control until we agreed on the identity of every bird I was responsible for. I never forgot that lesson. I never had any doubt about the identity of any aircraft after that night. Not long after our callsign was changed to Vice Squad, Joe Fernandez saved a pilot from a vertigo situation. Vice Squad’s reputation was growing by leaps and bounds. Larry Thomas and I were somehow rewarded with a trip over to Nakon Phanom (SP?),Thailand, during Thanksgiving, to visit an Air Force base where Colonel Robin Olds and Colonel Chappie James (revered in AF History) commanded a squadron of F-4s, to brief the capabilities of the Marine Corps Air Control located at Monkey Mountain and to offer our services if the Air Force Buic Located down the Mountain could not handle their needs. In practice, once they got a taste of our control they never wanted to leave it. We had to transition to the M-16, I conducted live fire training for several months until everybody was thoroughly familiar with the weapon. The Mess Sgt and his crew did an incredible job of preparing four meals a day forever that was simply outstanding. The Officer/SNCO club was built and was center of entertainment hosting floor shows and Donut Dollies from time to time. NCO’s had a club and the troops had one. So many troops expired from heat related problems in Vietnam. MACS Marines had to wear field jackets and still couldn’t get warm enough. It rained on Monkey Mountain when it rained no where else in Vietnam
In December 1967, LtCol Bill Cohn relieved LtCol C.P. Bushman, a terrific gentleman and commanding officer. I took troops on two patrols off the mountain. I am to this day proud of the discipline and performance of the young troops who participated in those patrols. They carried out their duties exactly as I directed and would have made any infantry commander proud. The watches during Tet were particularly demanding. Birds stacked awaiting hand-off to ASRTs, Birds stacked in the cue to ATC, Birds heading North and returning South. Interesting to monitor and avoid the B-52 streams from Guam on the TPS-22. The Army Mohawk trail watchers loved our tracking of their surveillance and Rotorheads always enjoyed overwatch for night flights to Chu Lai. I’m certainly proud to be one of the “Dirty Dozen”. I am truly honored to go in the history books as one of the first over the beach with MTDS in MACS-4 along with the names C. P. Bushman, Bill Cohn, Herb Fix, Ralph Lary, Tom Lapham, Tom Ashe and of course the members of the “Dirty Dozen”. My “Bunkie”, SOB, is the most outstanding Marine and human being I have ever had the pleasure of serving with. His boundless knowledge of MTDS in particular and air control in general was of immeasurable value to the squadron during the entire tour. Bill remained at MACS-4 as most of us transferred in-country or to Okinawa. Herb Fix was to return to Vietnam as CO of a Helo Squadron and became a Marine Corps Aviation Hero for his exploits in rescuing Civilians and then Marines from the Embassy in Saigon. He was recognized in International Aviation by Nomination of the Harmon Award. His name is engraved on the Harmon Trophy in the Air and Space Museum.
When we were drawing down near the end of our tour I elected to transfer to MASS-2 , commanded by LtCol Johnnie Johnson and qualify on the TPQ-10. I took charge of the ASRT Delta at DongHa. I fired a young officer who shall go unnamed. I pointed to a C130 turning up on the runway and told him to get on that airplane and don’t come back. He asked, “ Where is it going?” More colorfully than this, I said, “I don’t care, just get on it!” And he did. Subsequently, we displaced to Camp Carroll. 1stLt Bob Lister, an incredibly sharp young officer was my A/OIC, GySgt Paul Farris was my Technician, and my troops were, Rooney, Ford, Nichol, Wendler, O’Leary, Gaffney, Mapes, Mardella, Barnes, Ryals, Velasquez, Budrow, Twardonsky, McFadden and Reeder. As fine a bunch of young Marines dedicated to mission as you will ever see. We went on the air and never went down. The TAFDS was just north of us at Camp Carroll and was constantly hit. I talked to SOB at Vice Squad frequently for hand-offs and he knew just how much I was enjoying putting ordnance on target. All good things eventually come to an end. Spent five days at MASS-2 Danang with Gary Griffen scaring hell out of the Admin O for delay in our departure, another five day mandatory in Okinawa, getting used to a sudden change in orders from a three year tour in Hawaii with Stankoski to 3rdMAW, MACS-1, Yuma, AZ. Kids are going to be ticked after all the shots in readiness for Hawaii.
Arrived MACS-1 in August 1968. LtCol Ben C. Rowe Commanding. He said,”It is time to start training on MTDS”. “Aye, Aye, Sir”. The AN/TYQ-2 was sitting in the sun humming along, all the op huts locked up. All flight operations were controlled from the manual system in the old block house. Major Greg Lee, a helo pilot was OpsO. He said he was going to be flying, the controlling was my business. We had an excess of controllers awaiting training on MTDS. I set up a training schedule 0600 to midnight and started training ably assisted by the ultimate professional CWO4 Joe Sutton. Major Jon Flint CEO ran a tight ship and was absolutely supportive of a demanding training regimen that rapidly got controllers T& R qualified and then shipped out of MACS-1. Permanent personnel 1stLt Frank Moore, 2dLt J.W. Eckblom, Capt Tom Heavy, Capt. Daryl Dalrymple, Capt J.W. McGee came up to speed and we settled into routine MTDS ops. I got off to HAWK School in the Fall checking in with LtCol W. C. Simanikas. Major Charlie Kellenbarger reported in as XO in April 1969 and took command on 1 August. Jon Flint was now XO. We had experienced numerous periods of live fire missile exercises both HAWK and air to air that had to be suspended due to unplanned/unauthorized range incursion either on the ground or by unknown air traffic. Charlie and Jon started coordination with the El Centro Border Patrol and eventually with the collusion of Customs we helped develop Operation Intercept, a drug interdiction effort that extended from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas. Our area of responsibility extended from half way to San Diego to about to Phoenix. I was OpsO for the operation in our sector. We had a total of four remote sites along the border and one at the Salton Sea gap. We borrowed controllers from around the country. Of course the first man I asked for was Joe Fernandez and put him in charge of the site near San Diego. GySgt Bud Vath was again my lead enlisted aid. Customs pilots flew Queen Air and King Air aircraft into the desert and landed near the radar sites and scrambled when a low flyer was detected. An intercept was run on the intruder. The birds all flew without lights. The copilots used starlight scopes to track the bogeys until they entered normal traffic patterns and turned on their lights. Customs followed them until they landed and made arrests. Joe Sutton ran a successful intercept one night but it turned out to be a Southern Pacific train. While this was going on , Capt. R.A. Mendoza and I were writing the HAWK/MTDS Compatibility Test Plan. Operation Intercept ended and we loaded a Mini MTDS aboard C-130s and flew to Ft. Bliss to tie in with the Army HAWK test Btry surprising our hosts with a ready to go system waiting for the Army to respond. The Test was a success and on return to Yuma we conducted the first launch of a Hawk from MTDS. I believe it was Group CO, Colonel Gunning that I unceremoniously dumped out of a chair with my characteristically colorful language in an effort to get that missile off. He just laughed at my apologies when I realized what I had done.
I reported aboard MACS-8 on 26 February 1970. A tremendous old hand at air control, LtCol Paul Shea was the CO and Maj R. E. Vigal the XO. Louis Acosta was CEO, Capt T.J. Rieker OpsO, Capt G.T. Pothier Commo, Capt J.M. Scarboro RadarO, Capt P.C.Lindberg ServicesO, controllers 1stLt R.P.Allerheiligen,1stLt T.T. Corbett, Capt C.D. Eicher, 1stLt G.L. Grigsby, 1stLt M. Hermes, 1stLt R. M. Mills, 1stLt D.L. Swenson. None of the controllers are MTDS trained. Yet. The big problem was that we were located at Camp Schwab. The range which all the Iwakuni aircraft wanted fly in was masked from coverage at Camp Schwab. In order to control our aircraft, we had to arranged to use the Air Force AC&W site at YOZA DAKI that had superb coverage of the NAHA range. We got few live flights that were not live missile runs. The controllers had to familiarize with the manual scopes and comm setup. I directly supervised every controller or if the task was unusual I controlled the flight myself. If the shoot was complex I controlled the mission myself. On 21July LtCol Malcom Jolley assumed Command. I’m uncertain of the date but certain of the impact of the arrival of Maj Dave Adams as the new OpsO. Dave, another NESEP, so bloody brilliant it blows your mind. The Squadron moves to Futenma. A great step forward. We still have to run missile shoots from YOZA DAKI but everything else is a tremendous improvement. Was a treat to serve with Malcome Jolley and Dave Adams. Rotated early to make the 1971 class at Amphibious Warfare School. Wrote a Tome there on training and next thing you know I get orders to the Stumps to teach.
When I reported to C&E Schools, I’m directed to further report to Company E for duty. I walk in the door and there sits Fab. He cannot get up fast enough. He says, “Hi Ken, welcome aboard, the XO wants you to write an unsat fit report on Lt Joe Glotz” and I say, “That will be a cold day in hell” or something to that effect. Maj Jack Taylor was Director of Company E comprising Air Defense, Air Support and TACC officer and enlisted courses. Capt Ken Turk was OpsO, Daryi Dalrymple, Bob Marinello, Bob Speakman were on board. Pat Webb was Fab’s assistant. Jack Taylor was fighting a losing battle with MS and was soon relieved by Maj George Earle. Maj Jeff Johnson became OpsO. Capt Rag Burns and CWO Bill McGinn established outstanding Air Support Courses including live AN/TPQ-10 bombing runs on targets in the 29 Palms impact ranges. Rag and Bill were the consummate professionals and had the demeanor and presence to motivate new officers and enlisted to head to their squadrons with enthusiasm. I was the luckiest man in the universe to gather CWO4 Joe Sutton, !stLt Len Tevebaugh, CWO Ron Stopka, as first class instructors for the Air Defense Courses. BGen Paul G. Graham never missed a chance to bring visitors for a brief on the MTDS in operation. Len Tevebaugh was exactly the guy to go on to MCTSSA. He was always looking for a better way to do something. MSgt Bob Singleton and MGySgt Frenchy Charest were worth their weight in gold in the school environment.
Promotion to Major and assignment to Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery made 1975 a great year! The academic year was a dream. Assignment to DCS/I&L at HQMC as payback to Weapons Branch under Col Kenneth Berthoud responsible for the Redeye and Stinger surface to air missiles. Brought all the program documentation of the Stinger Program up to the level necessary to support the budget justification requirements. Completed the refurbishment of the Redeye inventory to allow deployment on ships. Worked with Maj Jim Kirchner from AAM, one of the most knowledgeable and professional staff officers I have ever met. Made many trips to Huntsville with him where we coordinated with Maj Tom Wold and his Army counterparts. Well, after three major back surgeries and looking at a fourth, The Docs at Bethesda finally told me I could not play Marine any longer and would retire me and did so on 1 October 1978.
Went to work for RM Vredenburg and then had the fourth surgery. Took a long time and cleaned up a lot of crap. Managed torpedo programs and undersea weapons and countermeasures for the next 19 years. Retired again. Still too busy to really work. I’m done. Semper Fi, Ken
Kenneth M. Gardner enlisted and entered boot camp at Parris Island in June 1955. Commissioned a Warrant Officer six years later, he was assigned duty as Air Defense Control Officer. Commissioned 2dLt, as Vietnam War dictated, he served with MACS-1,4,5,8,&9. He served with MACS-4 in Vietnam and was OIC of ASRT-D in Dong-Ha and Camp Carroll. He served as Director of Air Defense School at 29 Palms for 4 years, before attending Air Command & Staff College at Maxwell AFB. For the remainder of his career, Major Gardner managed Redeye and Stinger Missiles at HQMC, and retired after 23 years active duty.
