Three Generations of Marines in Davis Family
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
“I’m just the proud dad and proud grandparent. It’s real special to have three generations of Marines,” said Tom Davis.
Tom, born in 1944, enlisted in the Marines in 1965, serving four years. He was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant E-6.
Mark, Tom’s only son, born in 1968, enlisted in 1986. He was honorably discharged after four years as a Corporal E-4.
Casey, Tom’s grandson and Mark’s son, born in 1992, graduated this year from basic training and is a Private E-1. He was home from Oct. 15-25, then had to return to San Diego for Marine Combat Training for 28 days at Camp Pendleton.
All three of the Davis men did their basic training at the same place in San Diego.
On Oct. 23, Tom, Mark and Casey sat down at Tom’s North Webster home to talk about being a three-generation Marine family.
Tom said he was born in Marion in 1944. He enlisted in the Marines in 1965, getting honorably discharged in March 1969.
After basic training in San Diego and receiving his meteorology schooling in Lakehurst, N.J., Tom went to Beaufort, S.C., before getting his orders to go overseas. Everyone at the time was going to Vietnam, so Tom took advanced pay expecting to go there, too. Instead, he went to Okinawa, Japan, and then Iwo Kuni for 13 months.
Mark, Tom’s first child, was born while Tom was stationed in Japan.
“He was 7 months old before I saw him. I had a lot of pictures sent to me,” Tom said.
Tom remembers seeing Mark for the first time.
“How could you describe that? I’m pretty sure I had some fears about him being old enough, would I get used to him? Would I have to take little steps to get to know him?” Tom said.
Mark was born March 1, 1968. A Goshen High School graduate, Mark enlisted in 1986, leaving for basic training in June.
“I actually enlisted my junior year in high school. I had to have my parents’ signature. Casey and I both did it for the same reason. We were’t college material,” Mark said, and they wanted to carry on the tradition.
Casey also enlisted early and had to get his parents’ permission.
Mark said he had his schooling at 29 Palms, Calif. He went straight overseas to Okinawa where he was detached to Korea for 4-1/2 months. He then returned to Camp LeJeune, N.C.
In August 1989, Mark was married, then left for Panama in October during coup attempts.
While in Panama, Mark said, they had to learn four to six sentences in Spanish. They had to learn night fire.
“For us at the time,” Mark said, “it wasn’t as bad as what these guys are going through now in Afghanistan. I was a communication center operator. We always had full body armor on and full lock-and-loaded weapons.”
When the coup attempts happened, Mark said from the top of their buildings they could see the dust flying from the fighting in Panama.
“We ran into things we didn’t even know existed,” Mark said.
Living in Panama at that time certainly was different from the life he knew in America, Mark said. Their beer was even rationed to two a day.
On July 30, 1992, Casey was born.
“I just want to carry on the tradition,” Casey said of why he joined the Marines. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do. College really wasn’t in my mind. I got some information on the Marine Corps and decided that was what I wanted to do.”
Mark said Casey, a Wawasee High School graduate, just sprang it on him and his mother.
Casey said he was at a friend’s house one day and his friend’s dad was talking about how there were no jobs and there were benefits to joining the military. The friend’s dad talked Casey into joining.
“I met with a recruiter and it happend pretty quickly,” Casey said. “It was the summer after my junior year.”
Mark said, “Parents should not be discouraged by their children’s interest in joining the service regardless of our country’s state of affairs. When he told us it weighed on my mind, but why should my kid be any different than any other serving their country?”
Describing his recently completed basic training in San Diego, Casey said, “It was tough. It was more mentally tough than I thought it would be. I knew going in it would be physically tough. I wasn’t mentally prepared.”
Mark said he talked to Casey about the Marines, but until a person actually is experiencing it, you just can’t prepare a person for it.
“There’s really no way to explain boot camp,” Casey said.
“You know the saying, ‘been there, done that’? That’s the only way to put it,” Tom said.
“I told many people many times I think everyone should go through something similar,” said Tom. “I hated it at the time. I hated everything about it. After I was done, I wouldn’t have traded it. It’s a maturing, disciplining lifestyle.”
During Casey’s basic training graduation, Tom said he was very emotional. When the “Marines’ Hymn” played, Tom said that made him even more proud.
“I stand taller. I can feel that,” said Casey. “It’s a proud feeling. Even in the chow hall, everything is done a certain way.”
“It’s a life-altering experience,” said Mark.
He said being in the Marine Corps trains you to have higher standards. Expectations are higher, and people don’t always understand it, but Mark said he doesn’t feel he needs to explain himself.
“You can’t do that for that long and just walk away from it,” Mark said.
Once a Marine, always a Marine.[[In-content Ad]]
“I’m just the proud dad and proud grandparent. It’s real special to have three generations of Marines,” said Tom Davis.
Tom, born in 1944, enlisted in the Marines in 1965, serving four years. He was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant E-6.
Mark, Tom’s only son, born in 1968, enlisted in 1986. He was honorably discharged after four years as a Corporal E-4.
Casey, Tom’s grandson and Mark’s son, born in 1992, graduated this year from basic training and is a Private E-1. He was home from Oct. 15-25, then had to return to San Diego for Marine Combat Training for 28 days at Camp Pendleton.
All three of the Davis men did their basic training at the same place in San Diego.
On Oct. 23, Tom, Mark and Casey sat down at Tom’s North Webster home to talk about being a three-generation Marine family.
Tom said he was born in Marion in 1944. He enlisted in the Marines in 1965, getting honorably discharged in March 1969.
After basic training in San Diego and receiving his meteorology schooling in Lakehurst, N.J., Tom went to Beaufort, S.C., before getting his orders to go overseas. Everyone at the time was going to Vietnam, so Tom took advanced pay expecting to go there, too. Instead, he went to Okinawa, Japan, and then Iwo Kuni for 13 months.
Mark, Tom’s first child, was born while Tom was stationed in Japan.
“He was 7 months old before I saw him. I had a lot of pictures sent to me,” Tom said.
Tom remembers seeing Mark for the first time.
“How could you describe that? I’m pretty sure I had some fears about him being old enough, would I get used to him? Would I have to take little steps to get to know him?” Tom said.
Mark was born March 1, 1968. A Goshen High School graduate, Mark enlisted in 1986, leaving for basic training in June.
“I actually enlisted my junior year in high school. I had to have my parents’ signature. Casey and I both did it for the same reason. We were’t college material,” Mark said, and they wanted to carry on the tradition.
Casey also enlisted early and had to get his parents’ permission.
Mark said he had his schooling at 29 Palms, Calif. He went straight overseas to Okinawa where he was detached to Korea for 4-1/2 months. He then returned to Camp LeJeune, N.C.
In August 1989, Mark was married, then left for Panama in October during coup attempts.
While in Panama, Mark said, they had to learn four to six sentences in Spanish. They had to learn night fire.
“For us at the time,” Mark said, “it wasn’t as bad as what these guys are going through now in Afghanistan. I was a communication center operator. We always had full body armor on and full lock-and-loaded weapons.”
When the coup attempts happened, Mark said from the top of their buildings they could see the dust flying from the fighting in Panama.
“We ran into things we didn’t even know existed,” Mark said.
Living in Panama at that time certainly was different from the life he knew in America, Mark said. Their beer was even rationed to two a day.
On July 30, 1992, Casey was born.
“I just want to carry on the tradition,” Casey said of why he joined the Marines. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do. College really wasn’t in my mind. I got some information on the Marine Corps and decided that was what I wanted to do.”
Mark said Casey, a Wawasee High School graduate, just sprang it on him and his mother.
Casey said he was at a friend’s house one day and his friend’s dad was talking about how there were no jobs and there were benefits to joining the military. The friend’s dad talked Casey into joining.
“I met with a recruiter and it happend pretty quickly,” Casey said. “It was the summer after my junior year.”
Mark said, “Parents should not be discouraged by their children’s interest in joining the service regardless of our country’s state of affairs. When he told us it weighed on my mind, but why should my kid be any different than any other serving their country?”
Describing his recently completed basic training in San Diego, Casey said, “It was tough. It was more mentally tough than I thought it would be. I knew going in it would be physically tough. I wasn’t mentally prepared.”
Mark said he talked to Casey about the Marines, but until a person actually is experiencing it, you just can’t prepare a person for it.
“There’s really no way to explain boot camp,” Casey said.
“You know the saying, ‘been there, done that’? That’s the only way to put it,” Tom said.
“I told many people many times I think everyone should go through something similar,” said Tom. “I hated it at the time. I hated everything about it. After I was done, I wouldn’t have traded it. It’s a maturing, disciplining lifestyle.”
During Casey’s basic training graduation, Tom said he was very emotional. When the “Marines’ Hymn” played, Tom said that made him even more proud.
“I stand taller. I can feel that,” said Casey. “It’s a proud feeling. Even in the chow hall, everything is done a certain way.”
“It’s a life-altering experience,” said Mark.
He said being in the Marine Corps trains you to have higher standards. Expectations are higher, and people don’t always understand it, but Mark said he doesn’t feel he needs to explain himself.
“You can’t do that for that long and just walk away from it,” Mark said.
Once a Marine, always a Marine.[[In-content Ad]]
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