thedrifter
01-02-06, 02:24 PM
Retired Marine takes dream job of preserving its history
Ohio News Network
CINCINNATI -- When retired Marine Col. Dick Camp talks of going home, he means to Quantico, Va., where he was commissioned an officer in the Corps and where he will help preserve its history.
"For me, this is the dream job," said Camp, who will become deputy director of the U.S. Marine Corps' history division in January. "Meaningful work for an institution I care about. What more could you ask?"
Camp, 65, was a Marine officer for 26 years. His first book, "Lima-6," is about his stint as a company commander in Vietnam. His upcoming one is about the Marine detachment on board the USS Arizona when it sank in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Since retiring in 1988, Camp has been an office building manager in Cincinnati and business manager for two suburban school districts. His personal collection of Marine memorabilia _ rifles, swords, combat decorations and uniforms dating to the Spanish-American War _ fills his home.
"It's a long and proud history, the history of the Corps, and I've tried to do my part to preserve it," Camp said.
When he arrives in Quantico, he will oversee the Marine Corps history division's publications and oral history projects. Part of the job will involve writing a history of the Marine Corps involvement in Iraq, based on the reports from active-duty Marines who serve in history detachments in Iraq.
The Corps' history division will assist the National Museum of the Marine Corps, which is being built by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation in Quantico, Camp said. The museum is due to open by the end of 2006.
"From one generation to the next, every young Marine learns the history of the Corps and takes it to heart," Camp said. "It's pounded into you in boot camp, right along with all the tools you need to be a Marine."
No matter where they are, Marines pause on Nov. 10 each year to celebrate the founding of the Corps, Camp said.
"I remember being out in the field with my company in Vietnam when Nov. 10 rolled around," Camp said. "After we had our c-rations, we had Australian steaks to celebrate the birthday of the Corps. How they got that beef in to the jungle, I'll never know."
On the Net:
National Museum of the Marine Corps: www.usmcmuseum.org
Ellie
Ohio News Network
CINCINNATI -- When retired Marine Col. Dick Camp talks of going home, he means to Quantico, Va., where he was commissioned an officer in the Corps and where he will help preserve its history.
"For me, this is the dream job," said Camp, who will become deputy director of the U.S. Marine Corps' history division in January. "Meaningful work for an institution I care about. What more could you ask?"
Camp, 65, was a Marine officer for 26 years. His first book, "Lima-6," is about his stint as a company commander in Vietnam. His upcoming one is about the Marine detachment on board the USS Arizona when it sank in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Since retiring in 1988, Camp has been an office building manager in Cincinnati and business manager for two suburban school districts. His personal collection of Marine memorabilia _ rifles, swords, combat decorations and uniforms dating to the Spanish-American War _ fills his home.
"It's a long and proud history, the history of the Corps, and I've tried to do my part to preserve it," Camp said.
When he arrives in Quantico, he will oversee the Marine Corps history division's publications and oral history projects. Part of the job will involve writing a history of the Marine Corps involvement in Iraq, based on the reports from active-duty Marines who serve in history detachments in Iraq.
The Corps' history division will assist the National Museum of the Marine Corps, which is being built by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation in Quantico, Camp said. The museum is due to open by the end of 2006.
"From one generation to the next, every young Marine learns the history of the Corps and takes it to heart," Camp said. "It's pounded into you in boot camp, right along with all the tools you need to be a Marine."
No matter where they are, Marines pause on Nov. 10 each year to celebrate the founding of the Corps, Camp said.
"I remember being out in the field with my company in Vietnam when Nov. 10 rolled around," Camp said. "After we had our c-rations, we had Australian steaks to celebrate the birthday of the Corps. How they got that beef in to the jungle, I'll never know."
On the Net:
National Museum of the Marine Corps: www.usmcmuseum.org
Ellie