Richard Christie, a Sun City resident, always wanted to be a Marine.
“I enlisted at the age of 17 and was sent to boot camp in San Diego. It was the first time I had left North Dakota, my home,” he said.
Christie’s fellow Marines in the camp were all from California, and he was the youngest. He finished Boot camp and was sent to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, which has found itself in the news recently.
After his time in the Marines, Richard Christie, worked as an illustrator. Here he is with his illustrated photo for the WGN TV Series Men in War. (Photo by Christine Such/My Sun Day News)
Christie said, “It is in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and has miles of beaches that are used for training.”
Christie’s tour at Camp Lejeune ended in 1953, he missed the period between 1953 and 1987, when two of the eight wells at Camp Lejeune were contaminated with harmful chemicals known to cause cancer and other severe illnesses. The Marine base was built in 1941 and named in honor of the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, John A. Lejeune, upon his death.
For Christie, he hasn’t faced any ill-effects.
Christie said, “The only issue I have is loss of hearing. At the time, we did not wear ear protection at the shooting range.”
Christie trained for Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in wiring. He said, “They found I could type though, and I was made the Company Clerk. I was a 17-year-old corporal who ended up running the company. I made up the Daily Rosters, so everyone tried to stay on my good side.”
Christie explained that the physical work was hard.
Christie said, “We had physical requirements we had to meet. I had to pass a swim test. We jumped off a 30-foot tower and had to swim 100 yards.”
The Marines gave Christie a lot of firsts.
“I had my first drink after maneuver training on a troop ship. We anchored at San Juan for one day and my buddies took me to the Caribe Hilton San Juan, a famous Puerto Rico Hotel, and I had my first drink.”
Jean Christie, Richard’s wife said, “We went back to that hotel in 2013 and talked to the manager, who helped us celebrate the occasion with a special table and free drinks. But the most amazing piece was that he found someone that served us the drinks that was working at the hotel in 1952.”
Richard also had his first shave as a Marine. He said, “The Drill Sargent asked me at formation if I had shaved. I told him I had never shaved in my life. He told me to go get my razor and watched while I shaved. Got my first pay attention moment when I was marching in formation and was not keeping up. I got a swift kick and told to pay attention. I never got kicked again.”
Out of Christie’s memories, one stands out the most.
“My scariest moment was standing guard duty alone on a troop ship, all lights out orders were in effect. It was pitch black outside and the ship plowing through the sea was the only sound. It was eerie,” he said.
Jean said, “He also picked up a cleaning habit. To this day he is good in the kitchen. Our stove is spotless.”
Christie continued, “I got in a little trouble and was assigned K.P. Duty; washing pots and pans. Well, the deep sink area was a mess. I cleaned everything until it was spotless. I gained the cook’s favor and did not have any more trouble during my K.P. duty.”
Christie is the Commandant of the Special Interest Group Sun City Huntley Marines. They serve as the color guard for events here in Sun City, presenting a contingent to bear honors at ceremonies or funerals.
“We initially had seven WWII Veterans, including one woman, Ann DiValerio, in the group. We have one still with us, Fritz Masur,” he said.
Christie left the Marines, but is proud of his time in the service and during his career as an illustrator designed feature photo for the WGN series Men in War.
Richard said, “I loved being a Marine. My parents were so proud of me.”
Any Marine interested in joining the SUN CITY HUNTLEY MARINES can contact Richard at 847-804-2287 OR wjeanchristie@juno.com
