Becoming a Marine: The Recruiter

Me at 18 the year I joined the Marines

I kept hearing, “You ought to join the military,” from my elders. In the post-Vietnam era, there did not seem to be a downside. They gave you room and board, uniforms, pay, and a chance to travel. A brochure from a couple of young Marines at a car show prompted me to talk to a recruiter.

I did not want to join the Marines. Their reputation for toughness seemed to be a thing to be avoided, not embraced. So, I made an appointment with an Army recruiter.

As I arrived for my appointment, I saw an Army NCO with a large belly in an ill-fitting uniform getting in his car. The closed Army recruiting office immediately let me know that the obese sergeant had blown off our appointment.

I stood there for a moment, looking sad, when a booming voice called out, “He went home but I can talk to you.”

Across the hall stood Marine Staff Sergeant Danny Thornton. He looked like a recruiting poster, wearing a tailored unform with a chest full of awards. I walked into his office filled with posters of Marines in action. Videos of Marine aircraft operations on a carrier played on a small TV.

After a brief introduction to the magnificence of being a United States Marine, SSgt Thornton suggested that I take a quick pre-test to see if I qualified. After the short test, he said I did well and scheduled me for the full Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test the next day.

I met him at his office the next morning. He drove me to the induction center and brought me back after the test. SSgt Thornton revealed the test results to me in his office. He was impressed. “You scored high enough to be in aviation,” he said.

I did not understand what that meant but I was flattered. “That doesn’t mean anything if you’re not physically qualified,” he said.

I agreed to meet him again the following morning. He would Take me back to the induction center for the comprehensive physical exam that would determine if I was healthy enough to stop a bullet.

Having passed the physical exam, I took the oath of enlistment that afternoon of November 18, 1977. It was three days after I first met SSgt Thornton, five months from my high school graduation, three months since the death of Elvis Presley, and 43 years, 9 months and 19 days from today.