One winter evening while standing on the steps of Capitol Building looking up the Mall at the Lincoln Memorial, I asked Susan to marry me.  I chose that spot because she was from Illinois.  In those days, you could walk all over Washington without a problem.  She said “Yes”!  We decided to get married in Monmouth, Illinois in April because of the uncertainty of the draft.  I was trying to get into a Reserve Unit pretty much anywhere on the upper East Coast without much success.

We were married by my Father in the First Lutheran Church in Monmouth on April 3^rd, 1966.   After a brief honeymoon, we returned to Washington and resumed our jobs.  My hunt for a Reserve Unit continued but all of them were at capacity.  Finally, in mid-May, my Father called and told me that I was just a few months away from being drafted.  Almost the next day, my  I-A draft card arrived.  My military “Plan B” had always been to apply for Officer’s Candidate School (OCS) in the US Navy.

After a battery of tests, I reported to Fort Holabird, Maryland for my physical examination.   Unfortunately, I did not pass the eye examination but the Doctor explained that I was eligible for the RA, or, Regular Army as a draftee.  I could enlist in almost any Service but not as an Officer candidate at that time.  Although I appealed the medical finding, there was nothing much more I could do.

My alternatives all led eventually to one path.  And, so, in early June, I made some decisions that Susan fully supported and understood.  I decided that I was not going to be an enlisted soldier for any more than two years.  That decision eliminated the Air Force, Coast Guard, and the Navy from further consideration.  This left either the US Army or the US Marines as viable choices.  Of course, there was always the coward’s way out to flee to Canada.  I could also try and be a conscientious objector.  Neither of these two alternatives were even remotely in my DNA.  And, so, by early June, I decided to volunteer for the US Army for a two year enlistment.  However, as one who likes to examine alternatives, I decided to talk to the Marine Corps.  When I had visited both recruitment offices, I learned that the Marines had a “J” Reserve program that would put me on active duty for two years with a delayed entry until October.  The Army did not have a similar program and entry into the Service was immediate.  I knew full well that both of these Services might put me in Vietnam.

Susan and I mulled our alternatives.  We decided that it would be best to volunteer for the Army and get it done and over with sooner than later.  However, in the back of my mind,  I was considering the quality of the Army training v. the quality of the Marine Corps training.  On June 6^th, 1966, I boarded a bus for downtown Washington to enlist in the Army.

Sometimes funny things happen on the way to the Forum.  When I arrived, I went into the Marine Corps Recruiting Office and signed up for the J reserve program with a report date to Parris Island on 3 October 1966.  When I got back to our apartment, I told Susan.  I will never forget the expression of shocked silence on her face.    When I called my Father, he was incredulous.  Ultimately,  I chose the quality of training over the alternative.  I was content with my decision and so was Susan.

In short order, we made some important decisions.  First,   we decided to return to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer to enjoy life for a time.  Second, Susan kept her options open to return to Maryland to teach but would try and get a teaching position in New York somewhere near Poughkeepsie and my parents while I was gone.  Third, I got my old job at the Martha’s Vineyard Dairy back.  We quickly found a Campground Cottage to rent for the summer.   Finally, we set dates to depart Washington and ultimately were on the Vineyard by mid-June.  Ironically, among the first pieces of mail that I received on the Vineyard was my draft notice!

And, so, we began the summer of 1966 on my beloved Island!  The Vineyard was beautiful, pristine, and bubbled with anticipation for the coming summer season when most of the Islanders made their living for the next year.  I loved being around the fishermen, shop owners, farmers, and the people who made the Vineyard “work”.  They liked me and I liked them.   They embraced Susan who was getting  whole new appreciation for my adopted home.  We enjoyed our days on the beach or at the Mooncusser or exploring Chilmark, Gay Head, and Menemsha.  Sunday dinners were with my Parents who had settled at their place on the Campgrounds.  I didn’t waste the summer of 1966 with the flower children.  I knew where I was headed in October and understood that I needed to be in tip-top shape.   I undertook a regimen of strength training, running on the beach and hooking as much milk onto my truck with an iron bar as I could.  During the summer I got stronger, more muscular, and could run farther than at any time in my life.  I read US Marine Corps Training Manuals to become familiar with military traditions, rifle nomenclature,  and all aspects of the Marine Corps that I could find.   I built a large model of the USS Constitution that stands in our bedroom to this day.  I brought home fish that I caught to eat.  Susan learned a new appreciation for seafood.  Mostly, we enjoyed our new lives and each other.

In August, Susan found that she had a new teaching job in Dutchess County, New York near Poughkeepsie.  We found an apartment for her in Pleasant Valley, New York which was just a few miles from my parents’ home in Poughkeepsie.  So, the last part of the puzzle fell into place and I could face my upcoming induction into the Marine Corps without any undue concerns for Susan’s welfare while I was gone.  I wanted her to be near my parents in case something happened to me while I was on active duty.  At least, they could help her transition to a new life if I did not come home.  Of course, the elephant in the room which got bigger and bigger during the summer was Vietnam.  I was always pretty certain that I was going to go there but chose not to dwell on the unpleasant but live for the moment.

September came too quickly.  On our last night on the Vineyard, we walked over to Ocean Park and looked up at the magnificent skies filled with twinkling stars.  We sat on a bench and just listened to the ocean gently lap at the shore.  I wondered if that would be the last time that I would ever sit on that bench.  I thought it was ironic that I had planned to enter the Foreign Service late in 1966.  As it turned out, I got my wish only it was going to be a different kind of foreign service!   The unknown was frightening but I never let it show.  As the ferry pulled away from the dock early the next morning, I stayed at my spot on the railing and never took my eyes off of the Island.