thedrifter
03-17-06, 11:26 AM
The face behind 'The Boot'
MCRD Parris Island
Story by Lance Cpl. Heather Golden
MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (March 16, 2006) -- While retired Master Sgt. Eulas "Jody" Talley Jr.'s name may not be immediately familiar, his face is more famous than many Marines aboard the Depot would guess.
Talley, a former Parris Island drill instructor and series gunnery sergeant for 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, is the nameless, screaming face that adorns the front page of every issue of The Boot.
"[Dad] mentioned that the commanding officer [of the Depot] at the time was looking to have new stationary and letterheads for the base," said Kenneth Talley, Talley's son and the school resource officer for Celebration High School in Osceola County, Fla. "I don't know how my father was chosen to have his image used for this purpose, [but] I remember he came home very excited that he was selected for this honor. I remember he brought home several black and white photographs of himself in various poses."
The image, drawn by an artist from a photograph, was used on Depot memos and letterheads and somehow made its way to being used as the official logo for The Boot, said Kenneth.
The artist's rendering of Talley Jr. first appeared in The Boot on Oct. 7, 1983 and continued to represent the paper until Dec. 21, 1984. After this issue, The Boot was changed to The Tri-Command Tribune and Talley's face disappeared until Jan. 11, 2002, when The Boot once again resurfaced as the Depot's official newspaper.
Talley's Marines knew him as a tough disciplinarian and an outstanding example of what a Marine should be.
"We idolized him. He was a Marine's Marine, a drill instructor's Marine," said retired 1st Sgt. Oscar Hernandez, a former drill instructor for 3rd RTBn., who worked directly under Talley for two years. "He instilled discipline in his drill instructor corps. His standards were very high, and we wanted to keep it that way. It was enjoyable working with him. Tough, but enjoyable."
Talley's leadership was a directly reflected in the high caliber of Marines he put out into the Corps, said Hernandez.
One such former Marine is Tim Fischer, a detective with the Kissimmee Police Department in Florida and former recruit under both Talley Jr. and Hernandez.
While Talley may have had his hard side, he also cared deeply for the well-being and safety of his Marines.
Fischer recalls a memory of Talley forcing the senior drill instructor, who was feeling ill, to go home and get some rest while Talley covered for him.
After serving 22 years as a Marine, which included two tours in Vietnam and nine years on the drill field, Talley retired from the Corps and became a corrections officer for Osceola County Sheriff's Department.
Though Talley passed away in 1991 at age 41, his snarling face will continue to live on in the pages of The Boot.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2006317103558/$file/BOOT2(L).jpg
Retired Master Sgt. Eulas "Jody" Talley Jr. observes recruits firing pistols in the mid-1970s. An artist's rendering of Talley's face is used as the current logo for The Boot, and used to be the official logo for the Depot's memos and letterheads. Photo by: Special to The Boot
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2006317103926/$file/BOOT(L).jpg
An artists rendering of Eulas Talley Jr. It serves as The Boot's current logo. Photo by: Courtesy of The Boot
Ellie
MCRD Parris Island
Story by Lance Cpl. Heather Golden
MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (March 16, 2006) -- While retired Master Sgt. Eulas "Jody" Talley Jr.'s name may not be immediately familiar, his face is more famous than many Marines aboard the Depot would guess.
Talley, a former Parris Island drill instructor and series gunnery sergeant for 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, is the nameless, screaming face that adorns the front page of every issue of The Boot.
"[Dad] mentioned that the commanding officer [of the Depot] at the time was looking to have new stationary and letterheads for the base," said Kenneth Talley, Talley's son and the school resource officer for Celebration High School in Osceola County, Fla. "I don't know how my father was chosen to have his image used for this purpose, [but] I remember he came home very excited that he was selected for this honor. I remember he brought home several black and white photographs of himself in various poses."
The image, drawn by an artist from a photograph, was used on Depot memos and letterheads and somehow made its way to being used as the official logo for The Boot, said Kenneth.
The artist's rendering of Talley Jr. first appeared in The Boot on Oct. 7, 1983 and continued to represent the paper until Dec. 21, 1984. After this issue, The Boot was changed to The Tri-Command Tribune and Talley's face disappeared until Jan. 11, 2002, when The Boot once again resurfaced as the Depot's official newspaper.
Talley's Marines knew him as a tough disciplinarian and an outstanding example of what a Marine should be.
"We idolized him. He was a Marine's Marine, a drill instructor's Marine," said retired 1st Sgt. Oscar Hernandez, a former drill instructor for 3rd RTBn., who worked directly under Talley for two years. "He instilled discipline in his drill instructor corps. His standards were very high, and we wanted to keep it that way. It was enjoyable working with him. Tough, but enjoyable."
Talley's leadership was a directly reflected in the high caliber of Marines he put out into the Corps, said Hernandez.
One such former Marine is Tim Fischer, a detective with the Kissimmee Police Department in Florida and former recruit under both Talley Jr. and Hernandez.
While Talley may have had his hard side, he also cared deeply for the well-being and safety of his Marines.
Fischer recalls a memory of Talley forcing the senior drill instructor, who was feeling ill, to go home and get some rest while Talley covered for him.
After serving 22 years as a Marine, which included two tours in Vietnam and nine years on the drill field, Talley retired from the Corps and became a corrections officer for Osceola County Sheriff's Department.
Though Talley passed away in 1991 at age 41, his snarling face will continue to live on in the pages of The Boot.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2006317103558/$file/BOOT2(L).jpg
Retired Master Sgt. Eulas "Jody" Talley Jr. observes recruits firing pistols in the mid-1970s. An artist's rendering of Talley's face is used as the current logo for The Boot, and used to be the official logo for the Depot's memos and letterheads. Photo by: Special to The Boot
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2006317103926/$file/BOOT(L).jpg
An artists rendering of Eulas Talley Jr. It serves as The Boot's current logo. Photo by: Courtesy of The Boot
Ellie