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JANUARY 16, 2012. I was in 2nd plt from 1988-1990. My rank at the end of my service was LCpl. My rank at the time of discharge was LCpl. Best Regards. Chauncey Schwartz III, 3512 72nd Ave North, Brooklyn Center, AL 55429 Phone: 763-566-7530 Email
NOVEMBER 11, 2001. I talked to four travel agents, two companies that handle cruises only and checked with Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Celebrity. Also went to the State Department web site on this and all provide the same info on requirements which is as follows: "Cruise ship passengers: U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (i.e. cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) will be permitted to depart or enter the U.S. with a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID. Check your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documentation. U.S. citizen passengers leaving their cruise ship and returning, for any reason, by air to the U.S. will be required to present their valid U.S. passports to airline officials before being permitted to board the aircraft." All recommend the passport be valid for at least six months beyond the end of the cruise. There has not been a known problem if the passport expired within a month or two but that is what the cruise company and travel agents recommend. The birth certificate must be a certified true copy and the photo I.D. is your drivers license as long as it has your date of birth on it. I was told I might have or could have a problem as my birth certificate is from Nebraska and my drivers license is Florida. The passport would eliminate any issue in my case. Not as issue with me as we already had the paperwork to renew our passports. Should any Marines or their significant other have health issues, an issue at home requiring their immediate return or anything that may require their leaving the ship to return back home, then they would need a passport. The recommendation from the travel agents and the two companies that handle cruises only is that everybody have a passport. With the passport, there is no problem at the port, on or during the cruise and you are covered if some emergency requiers you to fly back to the U.S. I hope this answers any question on that issue. As soon as the cruise companies start working on the 2013 cruises, I will send the info to all. Semper Fi. Larry Powers. Email
NOVEMBER 11, 2011. Hi to all: I was just scanning thru the photos of the 2011 reunion. Looks like you guys had good time. Anyway, wanted to wish ya’ll a Happy 236th Birthday. And of course many more. We had a small memorial service here in Beirut on the 23rd of October for those we lost in the bombing of the Marine Barracks in 1983. I am sure all of you will remember that, some of you were still active, others may have lost some good friends. For those who may be able to still remember, I was trying to recall the Sgt. Major we had @ the Rota Barracks in 1961, 1962. I was looking at a few pics of the Birthday Ball November 10, 1961 and I cannot remember his name. He was definitely Old Breed. Anybody got an idea? Please let me know. Tom & OB please pass on to anybody my very best to ya’ll. Again all you guys, the very best to you and yours. Have a good year and a festive festivus. Lest we Forget. Semper Fi. Doc. Stephen Harris. Email
NOVEMBER 9, 2011. Marines, Happy 236th this coming Saturday! From June 1967 till December 1967, I was assigned to the a Marine squad (in Rota) as part of the base defense company. My CO was Captain McKaskill (who was almost killed during a riot at the EM Club on base). I was qualified on the BAR and remember participating in many drills on the golf course and down at the beach – for riot control, I was the designated sniper inside the delta formation and under the direct command of Captain McKaskill who identified and ordered the taking out of any riot instigator. After this tour of duty, my association with Marines continued while attending AEB school and from 1969 to 1971, I was in a band which included the NAS JAX Sergeant Major (Dave Davis) and Sergeant Tony Williams. Even today I enjoy SF with a few colleges, Greg Reif , LtCol. USMC retired, Master Gunnery Sgt Scott Green, USMC retired and Sgt. Brian Adams. I would like to hear from Marines who might have been at Rota during the 1967 period mentioned and remembers me or any one of the other Sailors who were assigned to base defense during that time period. Thanks and Best Regards. Edward D. Baker, Jr. Day Phone: 281-445-6535 Email
OCTOBER 13, 2011. Hey Angel. I hope this finds you well and doing OK. The reunion went well and it appears everyone had a good time in Beaufort. SSgt Nelson Irwin and Sgt. Dennis Laine have medical issues and were not able to attend the reunion. Will send you photos for posting in this website as soon as possible. Again thank you for the hard work for you did for the 2011 reunion. SF Tom and Judy.
OCTOBER 13, 2011. I want everyone to know what a great job Tom and Judy Scanlon did putting this reunion together. Everything was great from the day at Parris Island, the Reunion Dinner Saturday night, and the great accommodations at the Hilton Garden Inn where we stayed. It was a great four days which I will never forget. I want to thank Tom and Judy for making it happen. SF Lou Onofrio.
OCTOBER 11, 2011. KUDOS to Tom and Judy Scanlon for the magnificent job they did in organizing our 2011 reunion. Their year-long commitment to preparing our yearly festivities and diligence to duty merits our sincerest thanks and a standing ovation. Angel Moreno
AUGUST 31, 2011. Hey Angel. No major problems in Beaufort (as a result of Hurricane Irene) except for a lot of RAIN and loss of power for a few hours. Paul and Rosa had some damage at their home on Emerald Island, NC. Joe and Doris are coming Thursday and we are heading up to Jacksonville to visit Paul and Rosa for the weekend. Other then that everything is good. I Hope you are well enough to be in Beaufort. SF Tom and Judy.
AUGUST 12, 2011. I was a good friend of Cpl. Joseph Van Fleet (left Rota late 1958). He passed away this last year, but till he died he used to run Marine Barracks Rota Reunions. Many are dying off. I was a Navy Airdale in Rota in the crash crew while he was there, but we never met until roughly 1988 in Meshoppen, Pa where he lived and my wife and I were moving to. He was the first guy I met there. If you need any info about him or perhaps his colleuges from the mid to late sixties, let me know. I might have some details. Regards. Gene Hauber, ADRC, USN (Retired). Email
JULY 14, 2011. I really enjoyed my time in Rota during 1988-1990, and met some great Marines. I would like to make contact with my fellow Rota Marines. Thomas Derry, 1102 Hawkhill, Friendswood, TX 77546. Phone: 409 939-4420. Email
MAY 20, 2011. I just wanted to send you a quick email to let you know that I spoke with Gunny Winstanley's nephew, and that I had a good conversation with him. I served with the gunny in the E-2-10th Marines before Rota, and I extended my enlistment to go to Rota with him. I spent my entire time with JJ in the Marine Corps. Semper Fi. Tom Scanlon. Email
MAY 10, 2011. Dear SSgt. Moreno. THANK YOU very much for replying and the kind words about my Uncle. My Dad, Gunny's older brother (age 85) was clearly touched by your words and wanted me to convey HIS appreciation. He was "Uncle Jack" to most of his nieces and nephews but I ALWAYS called him "Gunny". I would address greetings cards with his FULL title, GySgt. John J. Winstanley, U.S.M.C., (ret.) I would like to update TAPS. His DOB 3 APR 30 and DOD 2 SEP 91. My Uncle stayed retired until the day he passed away. He bought himself a nice little one bedroom house at the Jersey Shore around the block from his other brother and lived the life of a man that had seen and done lot. Would it surprise you that his diet was Marlboro and Budweiser? He certainly beat to his own drum. About 10 years ago, I found out that he was one of Don Imus' Drill Instructors. Imus mentioned that a Marine never forgets his Drill Instructors and he rattled off three names, one of which was my Uncle's. Now that I have brought you up to date on what happened to my Uncle, let me go find some pictures and mementos. P.S. Was there an ACEY-DEUCEY club at Rota? John Winstanley, 1850 Hinds Road, Toms River, NJ 08753. Phone: 732-255-5906 Email
MAY 9,2011. Hello, John, Thank you very much for your informative letter and offer to share some of your Uncle John's pictures and memorabilia. We would very much appreciate whatever items you would like to share with us for posting in the Rota Marines website. Gunny Winstanley served at the Marine Barracks between 1963-1965. He was the 2nd Platoon Sergeant. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in November of 1964 (to see pictures of his promotion click here). I was there during the same time frame as the Gunny. At that time I was a corporal. The last time I saw him was in May 1965, when I returned to the states. Gunny Winstanley will forever remain deeply ingrained in our memories. He was a good man and a magnificent Marine. I know his fellow Rota Marines would get a big kick from seeing a few more good photos of him of the time he served in the Marine Corps. You may send us hard copy photos so we can scan the items, and we shall return the items intact ASAP. If you wish, you may send us scanned images of his pictures and memorabilia to: Email
MAY 9, 2011. I am GySgt. John J. Winstanley's nephew. He passed away in 1991. He remained a bachelor until his death. I have some pictures and memorabilia that maybe someday I can share. I'm not sure of the date of his Rota deployment. Sincerely, John J. Winstanley (Yes, I have the same name!) John Winstanley, 1850 Hinds Road, Toms River, NJ 08753. Phone: 732-255-5906 Email
MAY 4, 2011. A group of us who served at the Marine Barracks Rota from 1980 to mid-1980s are having our 2nd reunion June 23-26 at Jacksonville Florida. Arnaldo Bernabe, 280 Brinsmade Avenue, Bronx, NY 10465. 718-518-6880. Email
APRIL 5, 2011. I just spoke with Sergeant Major Frank Rohrs …. as a First Sergeant, he was the Guard Chief in Rota in 63-65, or so. He retired in 1971 with 26 years service. Following up on a tip from Larry Powers, I contacted the good SgtMaj and invited him to attend the reunion in Beaufort. We spoke for some time and he was delighted to be invited but, alas, he will not be able to make it; he has health issues that preclude his attendance. But he wanted me to shout out with a big Marine Corps hello to all. So, then, from SgtMaj Rohrs: “Semper Fi, Rota Marines!" Mike Foley. Email.
APRIL 1, 2011. I was in the Marines from 1978-1982. I was not a member of the Marine Barracks Rota. I was a Marine who got caught in legal matters with the country of Spain. I housed with the guard unit while I wasn't in between brig and Spanish prison time. I did all the maintenance work at the barracks, like mow the lawn, hang doors, paint what ever the CO wanted. While i waited to go to trial in Spain, Commander Clayton ran the base, and then Captain and then Major Moore ran the Marine Barracks. If you want more information email me thanks. William Dambrosi, PO Box 774, Nassau, NY 12123. Phone: 518-766-9171. EmailMARCH
10, 2011. I served three years in Marine Barracks in 1st Platoon. While stationed there a group of us married Spanish Nationals. When I reviewed the names of Marines assigned to Rota, the name I recognized was my first Marine Barracks Commanding Officer, Col Tubley. Carleton M. Enloe, 6716 Caprezzo Way, Elk Grove, CA 95757-3065. Phone: 916- 801-8802 EmailMARCH 9, 2011. Great website and useful too. Looking for "Moose" Garrison. He worked in administration while I was there. He hailed from New Jersey. Also Rueben Cortez and Mario Gomez, old housemates for a while. Sad to report that Dick Milton, great golfer and party animal, passed away in the early 1970s. Richard Barrett, 233 N. Courthouse Rd., Apt. 204, Arlington, VA 22201-2415. Phone: 703-241-1230. Email
FEBRUARY 16, 2011. Hello to my fellow Marines who served at the Marine Barracks Rota! I certainly am glad I found this site. Semper Fi! Kurt Stealy, 153 Surrey Lane, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Phone: 815-382-0530. Email
JANUARY 18, 2011. I met Tom Scanlon in DC and, after we got past memory block, we talked about our days in Rota. Tom introduced me to this website and suggested I contact you. I was sad to hear about the Charlie Hinkle, but looking at the pics of OMalley, Bob Goddard, Obie O'Brian, and the others, lot of memories came back. Anyway, just wanted to tell you guys I am still vertical and have a pulse. Stephen 'Doc' Harris, 7759 Wethersfield Drive, West Chester, OH 45069. Phone: 513 240 4474. Email
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