1989 Parris Island-04

[@brucejudge3197]

Mr Lonergan---thanks for the memories! I was the Second Recruit Training Battalion Commander. I commanded Second Battalion from December 1988 to July 1990. Your son graduated with the best on the island at that time! Semper Fi LtCol Bruce Judge USMC (ret)...Second To None

[@BillLonergan2]

Bruce: Thanks for your posting. My son's graduation was 30 years from mine on that same parade field. The physical aspect of PI has changed a bit since my time with new buildings, but the overall training and atmosphere is the same. Next year it will have been 30 years since my son's graduation! As you know, the Marine Corps instills great values and habits that carry through for a lifetime. I made friends in the Corps that I still get together with every couple of months for lunch, and more frequently keep in touch with by phone. Over my life, I have met and worked with many more men and women who have also served in the Corps. I am fortunate to call them my friends. I don't know where you live, but if you are near Boston on November 10th, you might want to try and take in the Semper Fi Society USMC Birthday luncheon help in the Seaport District at the Convention Center. We have in excess of 2000 Marines in attendance from all eras........ Semper Fi, former E-4 Corporal Bill Lonergan USMC. Everyone seems to outrank me, including my son who left as a Sergeant E-5. ;)

[@brucejudge3197]

Bill---funny should be from the Massachusetts area. I was born in Stoneham Mass, and grew up in Georgetown Mass. I still have a lot of family up in that area. My wife (of 47 years) and I live not too far from Quantico Va. I joined in 1970---saw the tail end of Vietnam, and retired in 1998 having served in all three active divisions, as well as 8th and I---and a few other choice places. I was a cannon cocker, and less than two years after your video, I found myself the 1stMarDiv Fire Support Coordinator in Desert Storm. After I retired from active duty, I went right back to work for the Corps as a civilian, and finally retired in 2012. I will share with you a not so well kept secret at the time--that 2nd Bn was a juggernaut in the late 80's/early 90's. The best on the island! I used to call us the "Acknowledged Masters of Recruit Training". I can't tell you how many of my officers, DI's and recruits went on to grace the top ranks of the Corps--to include Sgts Major and Generals. They were spectacular. I hope your son had a great tour in the Corps. Thanks for the invite to your ball but I'll most likely be at a ball at Quantico with my old organization. My very best to you and your son. The fact that someone would post a video of the making of Marines almost 30 years after the fact is proof that the Marine Corps brands our hearts forever. Semper Fi Bruce

[@BillLonergan2]

Bruce: It appears that we have just missed each other since I live in Medford and have a summer home on Little Neck in Ipswich. I'm older than you by at least 20 years or so, but I'm curious if you ever ran into Lt Col Jim Toomey in your travels? He and I have been friends for years, and we worked together on the Mass State Police. He has written a book about his experiences in Viet Nam titled "12 and 20." It's pretty interesting. Stay well, and Semper Fi-Bill

[@brucejudge3197]

Bill---quite a coincidence as my late parents graduated from Malden High School in 1939 and 40, and until she passed away a few years back, my aunt (Malden High School class of 1934) lived on East Border Road not far from the hospital I was born in next to Spot Pond. The Malden/Medford football game is as close to an epic rivalry as there is. The name Jim Toomey is a familiar one--but I can't place it. I miss the Clam Box and Boardman's in Ipswich--best clams in the world! Also summers spent not too far away on Plum Island. God's country! I was wondering why after all these years you decided to post the Parris Island videos? Semper Fi Bruce

[@BillLonergan2]

Bruce: The old New England Sanitorium, where you were born, is no more. It has been converted into a medical building replete with labs and doctors' offices. I graduated Malden Catholic High School in 57 and went on to BC for 1 and 1/2 years before the Jesuits caught on to my poor study habits. In Feb of 59, I went to PI. I finally ended up getting a BS from Northeastern in 76 and a Masters from BU in 79. You might say I'm a late bloomer. I ended my career with the State Police when I retired as a captain in 1988. From there I became employed as the head of security for a biotechnology company, Genetics Institute. After 9 and 1/2 years with them, we were bought out by American Home Products which in turn was purchased by Pizer. When the initial purchase by AHP took place, I stayed for a few months, and then retired for the second time. I got a dog, caught up on all my neglected reading, and became computer savvy. After about 6 months a woman with whom I had worked called me with a problem she was having at her company. She asked my advice and I gave it to her. She then said, "You should be a consultant." I was becoming bored after 6 months of not working so I thought, "Why not?" I went out a grabbed some advertising brochures from various companies to learn how they were composed, had some business cards made up, and then wrote to 25 small and medium biotech companies offering my services. That was the last time I ever advertised. People started calling on everything from private investigations to giving seminars on Workplace Violence. I'm still at it at 79 years of age and on retainer with one of the largest biotech companies in the US, Sanofi. You can get some kind of an idea if you want to look at www.lighthousesecurity.net. I decided to post the videos on KZbin simply for posterity. When I returned to school going nights on the GI Bill, my tuition was paid for by the Federal Government with the agreement I would remain in Law Enforcement for 5 more years. As a result, I was able to bank all my GI Bill money. I used it to take my mother, wife and four children on a trip to Ireland for 28 days. It was a trip of a lifetime since my mother is from there and the kids and my wife loved it. I took about 900 or so 35mm color slides of the trip. Later, over the years, I continued to take slides as well as VHS videos of all lour vacations, major events like First Communions, first day of school, etc. A friend of mine who is a professional photographer advised me that the videotapes could deteriorate over time, so I bought a machine at Best Buy that allowed me to transfer all the VHS tapes into DVDs. This same friend again advised me that it was possible that the DVDs could also fail over time. So, I decided to have all my slides converted to digital DVDs. I then decided to upload all my digital data to KZbin and Google Photos for the sake of preservation. It took quite a bit of my time to do this, and as you can see it isn't a real professional job. However, I am pleased with the outcome. I apologize for the lengthy response. Stay well. Semper Fi, Bill P.S. There was a General Toomey and he had a son who was a full colonel, but they were no relation to my friend, Jim Toomey.