02/08/2006
Joe Greenwich
By Amy A. Winnemore , EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The Few. The Proud. The Marines. Joe Greenwich is proud to have been a Marine.
He shows off his Marine Corps shirts and hats with pride.

One of seven children, his father ran a tight ship in the Greenwichs' Roxborough home, which helped him later in the Marines.

"My dad was tough. The discipline he taught was installed in his kids," says Greenwich.

His brothers Frank and Carl served in the Air Force, while his other sibling John and two friends joined the Marine Reserves.

Graduating from St. John's High School in 1947, Greenwich was working at Strawbridge's when the Korean War broke out in June 1950.

Enlisting in the Marines in November 1950 Greenwich, then 21, was sent to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

His brother John was assigned to the 6th Marines, 2nd combat unit, while Greenwich was part of an ordinance company and worked with two sergeants.

"We trained on tanks, howitzers and small arms to prepare to go overseas," he says.

While on maneuvers with 200 ships in the Caribbean, many of the vessels went on to Korea, while Greenwich's was returned to Camp Lejeune.

Also at the base was his brother John, who he ran into at a rifle range.

"He lived only six blocks away, so we were able to get together," he says.

Before he was transferred to the Marine Corps Air Facility in Santa Ana, California, Greenwich came home and married his girlfriend Patricia in September 1953. The couple met in November 1950.

During World War II, the station was used to support observation blimps and personnel that were necessary to conduct antisubmarine patrols off the Southern California coast.

Reactivated during the Korean War, the Marines established a helicopter air facility at the Santa Ana base in May 1951.

Living in Newport Beach, Greenwich recalls a humorous episode while flying near the base.

"Flying overhead, I caught my wife sunbathing on the roof of our house," says Greenwich, smiling.

Greenwich remembers the kind and friendly people at the base who helped him and his homesick wife feel welcomed.

During breaks, Greenwich fondly recalls fishing off piers in the Southern California sun, though the concern of being sent to Korea was never far from the couples' minds.

"My wife was worried that I would be sent," he says.

His orders came just as he was to be discharged in August 1954.

In 1958, the couple moved to Darby where they raised their three sons, Joe Jr., Larry and Jerry. They now also have nine grandchildren.

Greenwich worked as a dispatcher for several trucking companies, including Mushroom Transportation for 28 years.

Once a member of Catholic War Veterans, Greenwich later delivered oxygen to hospitals including Mercy Fitzgerald. For five years he was a valet at the former Haverford Mercy Hospital.

Patricia Greenwich says that when her husband wears his Marine hats and clothing, people show their respect.

"No matter where he goes, people salute. One woman hugged him, and said her brother was in the Marines," she says.

Ellie