The Strong Slient Type

Today I was going through my father's military record and I was reading some of his performance reports. My father was a career Marine. He spent 22 years of his life fighting in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He joined during WWII, like a lot of men, when he was 17. He never really talked much about his experience which is why I think I am interested in it now.

To the right is a picture that was taken early in his career. He looks so very young but he was. He left high school to join the marines and then received his GED when he was in the service. In the early years he was the typical marine on the front lines. As his career progressed he drove and mechaniced trucks, taught classes and worked in radio communications.

In reading through his reviews I came across these comments: SSgt Ellis is a quiet, modest marine with mature demenor. He posesses good knowledge of his functional field and accomplishes good results in the discharge of his duties. He is willing to accept any responsibility and is at his best when able to work independently. He is cooperative, intelligent and attentive to duty. His spare time is spent on self improvement. ( Robert Clay, Aug 4, 1964)

The review above is how I remember my father. He could enjoy being by himself all day casting a fishing line and not catching anything. He would escape to the basement to tinker with some wood project. I don't recall a lot of projects that he made other than repairs around the house. My favorie were the Sunday drives to no where. Just a drive to see what there is to see.

Now my mother and her side of the family were the talkers when something needed to be said. She enjoyed talking and spending time with family and friends. Maybe one reason my parents marriage worked so well was because they had this difference. I am sure that the first few years of their marriage was a lot of compermising and learning. I recall my mother talking about a trailer that they lived in when they first got married. The worse part was that there were no doors to slam when they got mad at each other. I guess it made them work things out quietly. The picture at the right is my parents in front of that wonderful trailer. (Love those pin curls, mom! )