CHRISTENSEN, PAUL E 

 

        I graduated from high school in the backwoods town of Woden, Iowa in 1953.  Just for the record, I graduated 9^th in my class!!  There were eleven of us.  Graduation day was 21 May, and I joined the Marine Corps on 28 May.  After boot camp, I attended Engineers school at Camp Lejeune.  I then embarked on my U.S.M.C. career by joining B Company, 1^st Battalion, 4^th Marines, 3^rd Marine Division at Nara, Japan, (1954-55).  We were the first division unit to leave Japan when the Corps started to relocate to Okinawa.  We went to Hawaii.

 

 Through the 1950’s, I served with the 4^th Regimental Combat Team, Weapons Co. 2/4, 1^st Provisional Marine Air/Ground Task Force 55, 1st MEB, MCB, CamPen (1957-58) 2ndMarDiv (1959-60).  After a trip stateside to MCAAS Yuma in (1960-61), I returned to HQ Bn, 3rdMarDiv in 1961.  In 1962 and 63, I had the best tour of my career:  Mike Btry, 4^th Bn, 12^th Marines at Camp Sukeran, Okinawa. From there I was off to Marine Barracks, Treasure Island (San Francisco) from 1963-66, and then across the U.S.A. to 2ndMAW at Cherry Point, N.C. (1966-67).  During 1967 and 1968, I was the Admin Chief for FMFPAC (Forward).  Not too many people knew we had a forward HQ.  I then joined the 1^st Marine Division in Da Nang (1968-69) before returning stateside for a tour with the Recruiting Station in Albuquerque, N.M. (1969-72).  My final assignment was at the Head, Admin Section, Budget Branch, Fiscal Division, HQMC, (1972-73).

 

 I retired from the Marine Corps on 31 August 1973 and returned to Iowa, where, among other duties, I have served as both the Mayor and Police Chief.  Alice and I had both lost our spouses, and we were married in 1995.  We are still on our honeymoon.