LtCol Raymond A. Stewart, USMC (Retired)

 President Founder

 USMCVTHF@comcast.net

 Enlisted in the Marine Corps as a Private in 1955. He was commissioned in 1964 upon graduating from University of Idaho (B.S. Geology) under the Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program (NESEP). Stewart served two "and a half" tours in Vietnam.

 The first extended tour ('65-'66) was with the 1st and 3rd Tank Battalions as Platoon Commander 3rd Plt., Bravo Company in support of 3/7 (Operation Starlite) at Chu Lai and then Asst. S-4, Da Nang, RVN. Stewart extended his tour 6 months to join the Second Battalion, Fourth Marines (2/4) as the Platoon Commander, 1st Platoon, Fox  Company and then as the Company Executive Officer, F/2/4 in operations from Da Nang to the DMZ.

Returning to CONUS in Sep of ’66, Stewart was posted to 3^rd MAW, El Toro, CA, promoted to Captain and C.O. of MABS. Early 1967 he received orders to the Arabic Language School, DLIEC, Washington, D.C. Upon completion of the year-long school, he joined the 2^nd Radio Battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C. and served in Morocco and “other places”.

Stewart then attended Amphibious Warfare School (AWS), Quantico, VA. before returning to RVN. During his second tour, Stewart was the 1^st MPs’ Battalion Operations Officer - the "Da Nang Defense Battalion". He returned to CONUS via the Bremerton Naval Hospital on the way to I&I duty, Rome, GA.

Stewart was promoted to Major for his “special assignment” while in Rome and was then posted to Amphibious Warfare School (AWS) as an Instructor and Seminar Leader. From Quantico, he was selected for, and assigned to, the Foreign Area Officer Studies Program, Beirut Lebanon, to pursue an advanced degree in Arab World Studies at the AUB. He and his family were emergency evacuated from Lebanon in the October of 1975 at the full outbreak of civil war. He completed his FAO tour in Bahrain, followed by a two year tour with the Navy's Commander, Middle East Force, Bahrain as the Force Plans Officer (N-5).

After a short CONUS tour at Camp Lejeune, N.C. as X.O. 2/6, Stewart returned to the Middle East for 3 years as the Defense and Naval Attaché and Security Assistance Chief accredited to the Sultanate of Oman. He retired a Lt. Col. in 1983 after a tour as the Arabian Peninsula Desk Intelligence Officer (J-2) with the U.S. Central Command, Tampa, FL.

Stewart has been awarded the Bonze Star w/Combat "V", Meritorious Service Medal w/Star and Cluster, Navy Commendation Medal w/Star and "V", Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/Bronze, 2 Silver Stars, and Palm, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal w/2 stars

Upon retirement from the Marine Corps, Ray joined The Boeing Company as a Manager in the Education & Training Division of Defense and Space. He recently retired from Boeing, completing 20 years of service.

Ray has masters’ degrees in Education, Middle East Studies, National Security Management, and Business Administration. Ray, a published author, is actively “retired”. He is nationally certified in the field of Chemical Dependency and Substance Abuse, a public school substitute teacher, is President of the Marine Corps Vietnam Tanker Historical Foundation, a nonprofit foundation with the mission of writing the personal histories of Marine Tankers, a Lejeune Leadership Institute Fellow and a member of the National Marine Corps Council.

Stewart is married to the former Julia Lynne Austin of Spokane, WA. and has two adult children. His daughter is a Secondary School Teacher and mother of two. Ray's son is married and an Attorney who practices Law in Tacoma, WA.

Richard D. Carey,   MCVTHF@gmail.com

Co Founder,  Technical Advisor.

 Richard enlisted in the Marine Corps from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio during May 1965. He arrived at MCRD San Diego in October 1965. After I.T.R. he was selected as in-take processing clerk and troop handler at Schools Battalion, Camp Delmar, Camp Pendleton. He was later trained there as a tank mechanic (2141.) Richard received orders for WestPac in June 1966. Arriving on Okinawa he was ordered to Camp Hansen and was assigned to the 3rd Force Service Regiment Maintenance Battalion as the Battalion Mail Clerk (0161.)

 Extending his tour he volunteered for Vietnam service. He arrived at the 3rd Tank Battalion, H&S Company during July 1967.  Upon reporting for duty he served with the 3rd Tank Battalion Reactionary Rifle Platoon as an M60 machine gunner doing convoy duty on the back of six-bys. He also preformed listening posts, night patrols and ambushes in the  Phu Bai (Gia Le) area. In early September 1967, he was transferred to Bravo Co., Camp Carroll. His duties included platoon maintenance man for 1st Platoon and then 2nd platoon where he was assigned tank commander and acting platoon Sergeant for a period of time while serving at the Rockpile. Richard rotated home the first week of April 1968 and was relieved of active duty October 1968. He was honorably discharged May 1971.

 Dick is a co-founder of the Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation and Founder/President Emeritus of the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association. He has been a veteran’s advocate for over forty years and was the Founder of the Veterans Crisis & Outreach Center, Newark, Ohio. He volunteered to manage Veterans Crisis & Outreach Center and for many years assisted veterans with serviced connected claims and issues involving the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was the coordinator of funding with United Way; Richard was the founder/national coordinator of the National Vietnam War Era Museum, served on the Armed Forces Community Council, Columbus, Ohio. He represented Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc., testifying before a Congressional Committee, investigating tobacco addiction and the role of the military. Created and Developed the Sponson Box newsletter in 1998 for what was to become the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association. He also created and is the editor of the Foundation’s enewsletter the Breech Block. He currently is serving on the Veterans Advisory Committee created by Congressman Bill Keating of the 10th Congressional District in Massachusetts and is a member of the Massachusetts 10^th Congressional District’s Military Academics Selection Board. He is also the Founder and President Cape and Island Veterans Action Committee.

Life Member: Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation, USMC Vietnam Tankers Association, Third Marine Division Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars Children's Home, Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc.

Decorations include Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Presidential Unit Citation w/Star, Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation w/Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/Palm, Vietnam Service Medal w/three Stars, Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Beginning in 1976, Dick and his wife Dona owned Carey Publishing, selling the business in 1985. Dick was also a registered lobbyist in the State of Ohio for nearly 20 years. In 1979 they established The Carey Group that specialized in marketing and public relations. They continued in that business until he retired in 1990, due to his service-connected disabilities.

Richard and Dona (nee: Ramey) have been married for 43 years and are the parents of four adult children and five grandchildren.

Chuck Garrison,  ckodin@stny.rr.com
Treasurer

 Born; June 13, 1942, Montreal, Canada, moved to Pasadena Ca. 1952

 Enlisted USMC; Sept. 1959, MCRD San Diego, I.T.R., Camp Pendleton, Infantry 0311/0331. 1st Marine Brigade, Hawaii. 1960-1962 with C-1-4 and F-2-4. Attended 1st Tank Bn. Tank School at Las Flories, MCB Camp Pendleton Apr. 1962, "B" Co. 1st Tk. Bn. until discharged in Sept. 1963.  Inactive Reserve 1963 to 1965.

 Rienlisted USMC Oct. 1966, Vietnam Dec. 1966 to Jan. 1968. MCB Camp Pendleton, 5th MP Bn., 5th Tk. Bn., Track Vehicle School. Discharged Oct. 1970. Rienlisted USMCR, Discharged USMCR 1973.

 Peace time major operations, Greenlight 1961, Silver Sword 1961 and the Laotian Crisis in 1962.

Vietnam combat operations, Prairie III & IV, Hickory, Cimarron, Buffalo, Beaver Track, Ardmore, Kingfisher, Scotland and Lancaster. Had my tank blown out from under me three times and never got wounded.

The memorable event I like to remember was when I made myself an instant M/Sgt. got a truck and driver from a friend, a working party from another source. Went to the Navy Sea Bee compound and liberated a truckload of plywood to rebuild our bunkers at the Rockpile. We were probably the only tank platoon with knotty pine lined bunkers.

Awards; Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Award (2), National Defense, Vietnam Service w/3*, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/Palm and Frame, Vietnamese Civic Action Award w/Palm and Frame, Vietnam Campaign, expert rifle and pistol badges.

Final rank upon discharge in October 1973, Sergeant.

Member of the USMC Tankers Assoc. (I designed the Logo), USMC Vietnam Tankers Assoc. the Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation (I designed thier Logo also) and the VFW. I served four terms as Commandant of my local Detachment of the Marine Corps League and have been a member since 1978. Have worked with the Young Marines of the Marine Corps League since 1979 and had the positions of Unit C.O. (18 years), California Regimental X. O. since 1989 and was on the National Board of Directors for 3 years. I left the program in 2005.

Happily married for the third time, and this one is a keeper. One Daughter, one granddaughter, one great grandaughter and four step children.

I am currently retired.
I am also the webmaster of three web sites.
Mine at http://home.earthlink.net/~reynoldslg/ironhorsemarine.html
One for my Vietnam unit at http://www.angelfire.com/ok5/bravo3rd/BRAVO3rdTks.html

And the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association at http://www.mcvthf.org/MCVTHF.htm

LtGen Martin R. Steele, USMC (Retired)  MRSteele46@aol.com

 Member

 Born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Fayetteville, AR, Lieutenant General Martin R. Steele enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in January 1965.  During his initial tour at Camp Pendleton he was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam where he served in First Tank Battalion, First Marine Division.  Subsequently assigned as a Corporal to the Officer Candidates School, General Steele was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in January 1967.  He rose steadily in the ranks, holding positions as Platoon Commander, Executive Officer and Tank Company Commander.  This was followed by a second tour of duty in Southeast Asia and an assignment as Office-in-Charge of Sea School in Portsmouth, VA.

 In 1973, General Steele returned to Camp Pendleton and served as a Tank Company Commander, Battalion Operations Officer and Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division.  An assignment as an Assault Amphibian Vehicle Company Commander was followed by duty as the Marine Corps Liaison Officer to the Project Manager, M60/M1A1 Tank Program at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command in Warren, MI.  He then served at Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) in Washington, DC as the Tank Acquisition Project Officer.

From August 1985 through 1988, General Steele was the Commanding Officer of both 1^st Light Armored Vehicle Battalion and 1^st Tank Battalion.  In July 1988, he transferred overseas where he was assigned as Operations Officer, Combined Forces Command, Republic of Korea.  Upon his return in August 1990, he assumed the duties as the Deputy Director, Marine Air-Ground Task Force Warfighting Center, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, VA.

After serving in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, General Steele took over as Director of the Warfighting Development Integration Division at Quantico.  In 1993, he was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned duty as Commanding General, Marine Corps Base, Quantico in June of that year and was selected in November 1994 for promotion to Major General.  He served as the Director of Strategic Planning and Policy, U.S. Forces Pacific, from 1995 to 1997.  He was then promoted to Lieutenant General and assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies and Operations at HQMC.

Upon retirement in 1999, General Steele became President and CEO of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, the largest naval museum in the world where they adopted the mission to “Honor our heroes, educate the public and inspire our youth about the price of freedom.”  Currently, he is President and CEO of Uncommon Leadership, LLC, a leadership consulting company whose mission is to develop uncommon leaders of character across a wide audience range from transitioning Marines, to college students and administrators, as well as corporate level executives.

His personal decorations include: The Defense Distinguished Service Medal; The Distinguished Service Medal; The Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Meritorious Service Medal; Navy Commendation Medal with gold star; and The Combat Action Ribbon.  Equally notable are his academic achievements: a BA degree from the University of Arkansas, MA degrees from Central Michigan University, Salve Regina College and the Naval War College.  He is a distinguished graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, an honor graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and graduate of the Naval War College.

Married to the former Cynthia Bayliss of Little Rock, AR, and father of three grown children, General Steele serves proudly on many boards.  General Steele acts as Vice Chairman of the American Life Insurance Congress Board of Governors, is on the Board of Trustees of the Fisher House Foundation, and serves as Trustee Emeritus on the Intrepid Foundation. He is also an active member on the University of Arkansas Alumni Association and an Advisor Member for the Veterans Advantage Board. In acknowledgement of his achievements, he is the subject of the recently published Boys of ’67, an award winning book about three highly successful Marine officers whose lives reflect personal heroism, dedication and their impact and devotion to the Marine Corps and our country.

Col William J. Davis, USMC (Retired)    weberdavis@mac.com

 Member

 I was born in Long Beach, California on the 18th of September, 1947. My father was a Marine fighter pilot who retired from the Corps in 1961 as a Lieutenant Col. and my mother a Navy nurse who, had she remained in the Navy, would have outranked my father.

 Being a ‘military’ family we moved around the country quite a bit and to this day I harbor fond memories of sharing a jury-rigged bunk bed with my brother, built into the back of the family Studebaker.   It was composed of a fold out cot that was a little wider than the car laid sideways through the rear windows above the back seat. Air conditioning for cars hadn’t been invented yet so, open windows were the coolest way to go and we were “styling” with our bunk arrangement.

 We criss-crossed the Mohave desert several times using this technique and were happy to have such luxury and in order to avoid the “I have to go to the bathroom,” cry from the back seat, my dad just drilled a hole in the floor board, cut a length of garden hose, attached a funnel to one end and we were “good to go!”

After my father retired from his beloved Corps after twenty two years of service, we moved to Florida where I rose to the heights of scholastic . . .underachievement.   I was not a good student. However, I did manage to graduate from high school in 1966 and start college the following September. The war in Vietnam was heating up and I was becoming disgruntled with the anti - military protests on campuses throughout the country. So, with a year and a half of college under my belt and after having giving it all of about two minutes contemplation, I decided to get out, see the world, do my duty and enlist. But this decision presented me with a dilemma. I needed a way to honor my parent’s military service. Which would I choose Navy or Marine Corps? (There were no other considerations) When the solution came to me, I realized there was a way to honor both and in April, 1967 I was off to Navy boot camp in San Diego. Upon graduation I requested and was accepted to Class-A Corps School, after which I spent a year at USNH Yokosuka, Japan. In three months became senior Corpsman of ward 3-A where, among other duties, I was charged with the responsibility of setting up a minor surgery clinic where I performed surgical debridement of wounds. Our hospital was a 512 bed facility in which we housed up to 1200 patients at any given time. 1967 forward into 1968 we had patients in bunk beds. Needless to say we were very busy and 18 to 20 hour days were common.

It was in Yokosuka that I put into action the second phase of my plan to honor my parents. I began submitting requests for transfer to FMF. Request after request were denied but persistence paid off and after seven requests, I received orders to Camp Pendleton, CA for Field Med School. When I completed training at Pendleton, I was assigned to 9th MAB, 1st Mar Div, RVN. But first I would attend counter-guerilla warfare school, Okinawa.

I loved the training! We ran all the time, everywhere. We learned about evasive tactics, booby-traps, all kinds of explosives and best of all, we got to blow shit up! After training I was to be shipped out but there was a problem, it seems that no one knew exactly where 9th MAB was. So I had to wait in Okinawa until things could be sorted out. But rather than just sit and wait all day I requested to be assigned additional training. The OIC it seems had a sense of humor as he assigned me TAD to 3rd Force recon. Yahoooo! They kicked my butt and I loved every minute of it. More running, more danger, great attitude and best of all . . .  more stuff to blow up. The training was tough, top notch and, although way to short a time for me, I think it saved my ass more than once while in country.

Not wishing me to waste any more time training in Okinawa, I was sent to Da Nang (Camp Love) to hook up with 9th MAB but they were still nowhere to be found and having little taste for being in the rear with the gear I wrangled a poncho liner and a spot at the BAS near Marble Mountain. While there I treated all kinds of people, including Vietnamese civilians, most of whom, unfortunately, were children. Then one afternoon, into the BAS walked two lieutenants, one silver bar and one gold. The silver bar shouts, “I need a Corpsman. Any of you want to get into the field with Tanks?” No one stepped forward. In fact, to my surprise, they shied away from the request. This I saw as an opportunity. “I’ll go sir.” The Lt turned to me and said, “Well get your shit Doc, let’s get a move on!” I liked this no nonsense guy already. The three of us piled into a jeep, the gold bar, Lt Dobbins, my new X.O. , the silver bar, Lt Roberts, my new C.O. and me. As we headed out toward a desolate landscape, Lt Roberts, who was driving, said, “Do you know how to use that weapon of yours Doc?” When I assured him that I did he replied, “Well then, lock and load, we’re going into “Indian Territory.”

I spent the rest of my tour with Charlie Company and even spent time with the ROK Marines at Hoi An. Most of my time in Nam has oddly become a blur; names have faded away for the most part as have the specifics of every day events. But in the end, I was able to do my part, patch up  Marines and keep them alive. Credit be to skill, circumstance or the grace of God, I never lost a Marine, at least not while they were under my care.

When I left Nam I submitted my ‘Dream Sheet’ and requested England, Scotland, Sweden or fourth choice, anywhere Europe. Subsequently I spent the last eighteen months of my four year enlistment in Panama, Canal Zone where I ran a dispensary, played football and drank beer.

After leaving the Service in 1971, I returned to Florida and school as a pre-med major. To my surprise, I did very well and actually enjoyed it but there was something lacking. I’d become addicted to adrenalin and needed a fix. So I took the test and was hired on the Boca Raton Fire department where I also helped set up their Paramedic program and where too, I taught Paramedics. I loved the work but found that a system that provided ‘Tenure’ also extracted incentive from its employees. The apathy in the department after tenure was achieved was too much and I left the department after four years and returned once again to school, this time as a Theater major. But I couldn’t divorce myself from the medical field completely so I took more training and became licensed as an O.R. technician. I worked for the next few years in an operating room to supplement the G.I. bill and pay for college while I studied acting and directing. It turned out I had a knack for “The Boards.” I quickly acquired my first couple of union cards and got busy doing theater and lots of commercials. One thing led to another and in a very short time I found myself in New York with a contract role on a TV show. Imagine that! Oh yes, just prior to starting the fire department job, I got married and almost ten years later, divorced.

I was very fortunate to have remained consistently employed as a television actor. This provided more opportunity for stage work, some film roles and for training at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. In 2001 I moved to Los Angeles where I was hired to direct a television show, which I did for almost four years before running away as if my head was on fire. Suffice it to say that L.A. and I were not a match.