Maureen Sullivan Japan, Marines, Massachusetts, Vietnam

Andrew DeFrancesco

Andrew DeFrancesco joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Don Bosco High School in Boston. He was a member of the Corps’ Force Reconnaissance Unit; his training included scuba diving and parachuting. He served in Okinawa, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, and was wounded five times.

Jim Ramsey interviews Andrew DeFrancesco at the Bedford VA Medical Center.
Maureen Sullivan Marines, Massachusetts, Natick, Vietnam

Paul Carew

MP3 for Paul Carew

Paul Carew joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Natick High School in 1970. Trained to be a radio operator, Carew joined the 2nd Battalion, “Hotel Company,” 4th Marines, as part of support for a helicopter force based on the USS Tripoli. He went on missions to Vietnam and Thailand, as well as the Philippines and Japan. As of the interview in 2021, Carew is the Veterans Services Officer for the town of Natick.

Maureen Sullivan American, Marines, Vietnam

James Martin

James Martin had just become a teacher in the Boston Public Schools when he joined the Marines in early 1967. He would be sent to Officers Candidates School in Quantico, Va.; he would receive further training in infantry and communications before he was sent to Vietnam. He would serve with the 11th Marines in a variety of duties, from signal officer to bartender.

Maureen Sullivan Cold War, European, Marines, Vietnam

Jacob Darnel

 

Jacob Darnel enlisted in the Marines shortly after graduating from high school in Kentucky. He learned cryptography, and was assigned to Paris to help establish the Defense Command Agency. He would also be assigned to Vietnam to help run a message center near Da Nang Harbor.

This interview was recorded at the Bedford VA Medical Center; interview conducted by volunteer Jim Ramsey.

 

Maureen Sullivan Cold War, Marines, USA

John Lobberecht (audio only)

 

John Lobberecht didn’t study much during high school and college, so he joined the Marines in 1983. He learned how to fly, and became a loadmaster on a C130; he served mostly in the United States, with a tour of duty in Okinawa. He said although he was a Marine serving in peacetime, he trained constantly in case he was called in action.

This interview was part of a program conducted by students at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.