Dad-Part 2-Marine Days

After high school, dad worked on the railroad with Grandpa. He joined the Marine Corps on January 13, 1954 at the age of 19 because “all his friends were doing it.” He was 5'10" and 170 lbs. The story goes something like this...his friends came to meet him on his lunch break at work. They told Dad they were going to join the Marines the next day and wanted him to come. He went along with it, left work and went home to tell his parents. Grandma was very nervous and upset. He left the next day to travel somewhere to sign up. Dad joined with 11 of his friends. They were called the “dirty dozen.” He was the happiest Marine I have ever seen! He went to Paris Island, SC and was part of the Fifth Battalion, Platoon 325. He stayed there for 3 months. Dad described it as hot, dirty and “of course I got yelled at frequently.” He said boot camp was “tough” and he still remembered the names of all his drill sergeant's-Reeves, Gulli and Morr. Dad was then shipped to Camp Pendelton in California for infantry training. From there, Marine Pfc. Dominic J. Radoccia left California and arrived at Inchon harbor aboard the transport William M. Black to join the First Marine Division in Korea. It took about 6 days to get there. A lot of people got sick on the boat because it was so rocky. Dad wasn’t scared to go to Korea, but he was nervous when he got there. His gun was an M1 and .30 caliber Browning automatic rifle (BAR) . While there, he was on guard duty on airstrips and the trench line. He remembers that the children were so cute and were always asking for food. Dad was thankful that no one from his group was killed. He was there for 11 months and 19 days and left when the war was over. He was glad to leave. Dad really didn’t seem comfortable talking about his time in Korea. I am sure that he saw many difficult things while there. I am thankful for what he did share with me though.

Upon returning from Korea, Dad went to California and then to Quantico, VA for about 15 months. He met a guy from Dansville that had a car, so he made frequent trips back home. He loved his time in Quantico. On April 1, 1956, dad received the rank of sergeant.

On January 12, 1957, Dad's time in the Marines was done. He spent 3 years, 4 months and 11 days in the Marines. He was transferred to the Marine Corps Reserves until September 1, 1961. After the Marines, Dad went to work on the Erie Railroad for a couple of years. He then went back to college for 2 years graduating on June 9, 1962 with a degree in Business Management.

Dad's name is inscribed on the US Marines monument in North Tonawanda.