Paul, the Fighting Marine

    Again I met my Fighting Marine, Paul Stevenson on  Valentine's Day, the Fourteenth. The soon-to-be eighty-nine year old looked chipper indeed. As usual the meal was on him, and why not, between his and his wife's retirement checks, they get over $ 12, 000 per month. . Again it was the Carlsbad Dennis at seven o'clock. Another Santa Ana wind welcomed me, along with Paul's smiling face. He had finished his two pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon. I ordered the same and asked him more questions about Guadalcanal.
    "The worst infection was coming down with Malaria. The core poked a needled into my arm each day to let them know how much Quinine to give me. Soon, I was peeing a bright yellow discharge. Some of the other Marines thought it would destroy our sex drive."
     "I also came down with Beriberi. My bones felt as if they were crushed. The other disease I had contacted was Dinged fever. Malaria stayed with me for a long time. The pill caused me to sweat a lot."
      On the Islands, what did you eat?
     "Our sea rations came in cans. I hated Lima beans and regular beans. . A pill was placed in each ration. We made a hole and placed this pill under the can. We lighted it. It was much like a piece of charcoal. Some of mates removed the bananas and coconuts from the many trees or grabbed the fish from the streams in the area."
      'I do believe that the taking over of Henderson Field shortened the war a lot. We could now fly to Rabat and other islands. I do feel bad that the five Sullivan brothers died on the Vincennes. I do hope that never again will brothers be placed on the same ship."
I changed the subject and wished to know more about what life was like at Camp Pendleton.
      "Between wars, I stayed at Camp Pendleton and returned home to Akron on Highway 66. I drove an old Pontiac for eighteen straight hours until I arrived at an Army base in St. Louis. I used a couple of no-doze pills on the highway. They allowed me to sleep inside my car before I made the final lap to Ohio."
       "On the base we arose at Rivalry or when the bugle sounded at five thirty. I had already gone on a twenty minute run after doing my toilet. We had two latrines on base. Our mess hall food was the same as what we eat today except now and then we eat burritos or tacos. Two or three nights a week we sat down to a meal of steak and potatoes....In fact tonight, a bunch of us will travel in our old cars to the dinning room in Camp Pendleton where we will eat a steak and all the trimmings"
    "I remember you told me that some Japanese wished to buy your hill-top home for about two million dollars. Can you describe it?"
    'We have a panoramic view of Carlsbad and the ocean from three sides of our house. My wife enjoys watching our grand-kids from our large pool in the summer. She has had titanium planted inside both of her knees and just probably eating bags of chips was the reason for the weight problem."  
    "My Mom got me into the habit of saying my prayers before I bed down. Today I pray for the health of all of my family including the Marines."
    Before I left him, he pulled out of his car a small holder for two flags, The U.S. one and of course the Marine flag.