.  Our training was 2 1/2 days at Fgn Institute on C St NW, now
                                                                                                                                                                                                      
 near main part of DOS. They were old brick apt bldgs that DOS took over
>> and was using them as offices. People who had not fired pistols for
>> awhile had to go to Quantico and qualify.  Early in 48 I was at Great
>> Lakes working in the indoor range training Navy recruits. Fire pistols
>> and had them fire 22 rifle. In good weather we took them out to Foss
>> Park and fired 30cal on regular rife range. They for most part couldn't
>> hit the butts. On qualification day we would take they rifle away from
>> them and fire most of their rounds so they would qualify. Pistol we had
>> our hands right near them to keep them from turning around with live
>> rounds in the pistol. One company we didn't do it for them. Less than
>> 20% qualified.  The Navy Capt in charge of recruit training said he
>> didn't care how we did it he wanted and demanded to have at least 90%
>> qualify. We fulfilled his wishes.
>> I was transferred to CLNC in summer of 48. I Heard about some special
>> duty from some of the guys in the barracks talking about it after lights
>> out. Next day I put in for the "special duty." Had to go to Div G2 and
>> fill out the papers for a BI. had a couple pictures taken to be put on
>> the papers. That way the Agent had a photo of us and could show that to
>> person who he was interviewing to jog their memories about who he was
>> asking questions about. I got to WashDC with my car and they asked me
>> why I brought a car as I was going overseas. Rumor was we were going on
>> "courier duty."  Three of us from 1st AAABN Courthouse Bay at CLNC were
>> selected. TSgt John Braley went to Tangiers, after a year he said he had
>> more important things to do than be a dam guard and asked to return to
>> US. He had been the Bn Operations Sgt , Calvin Clark was a Cpl he went
>> to Stockholm. I was a Sgt and went to Athens. I stayed in contact with
>> them by mail for a year or so.
>> I will try and come up with some info for you I will have to look for
>> it. I still have my original orders they were "Restricted" that was the
>> lowest security classification at the time. During Eisenhower days they
>> did away with it, came around later with Confidential Modified Handling
>> and also used a protective marking For Official Use Only. You younger
>> fellows probably never ran across Restricted it is not the same as
>> Restricted Data for nuke materials. The orders are in very poor shape
>> and will almost fall apart when handled. I tried some years making
>> copies of them they came thru a little better than originals and they
>> are still hard to read. Seems like I sent them to someone about the time
>> I sent in some email stuff about my days in Athens.
>> It is highly unlikely I will be in San Diego. I have multiple medical
>> problems. For starters I have sleep apnea, diabetes, degenerative disk
>> disease, high every thing BP, Cholesterol, thyroid problems. every thing
>> high except income. It looks like a dam pharmacy around here. Thank god
>> for he Army they sure take good care of me. I tell them the Marine Corps
>> got the work and the army gets the bills. Been here for more than 41
>> years. I was working for army intel in E Tenn when my name came up on a
>> register for a job at Ft. Rucker. I came thought I would be here for
>> three years. When chances came along for transfer and promotion I turned
>> them down. When they civilianized the Defense Investigative Service they
>> took me on as Senior Resident Agent covering SE AL and part of NW FL. I
>> retied 30 June 84 with total of 42 years 18 days Fed Svc. Went back to
>> Greece to do some studying for three months to catch up on he political
>> things that happened since I was last there. Also to see some of the
>> Greeks I knew. Came home then worked  as Independent Contractor with
>> many agencies doing BI's throughout the south plus Calif, HI, ND, MD and
>> a few other places. I traveled the world Africa S.America, SE Asia, NZ,
>> Australia. I have been in more than 90 countries.many of them while I
>> was in Athens. Took time off when we wanted to go someplace and we
>> covered for each other. We had a couple guys who were involved with the
>> ball teams in Athens. We had a very large military Mission, Plus ECA
>> and JAS and one of the largest CIA Stations in the world at that time.
>> We wore uniforms on duty and civilian clothes even if we were working
>> outside of the embassy. I would make courier runs to the Consulate in
>> Patras once in awhile. They paid us an extra $6.60 a day. consulate
>> picked up hotel bill. I was the only Marine that I recall who did that.
>> Leave 0800 or so one day drive down there. This was during he Civil war
>> days. had to go thru about half dozen check points, So they would stop
>> us check out ID and let us go. get to Patras about 13/1400 turn over the
>> materials to the Consulate they would try and answer it best hey could
>> and we would leave he next day about 1100 and go back to Athens. We had
>> Jeep station wagons with DPL plates. I would go up to the Clauss winery
>> in Patras. I would have a list of wine that folks in the Embassy and
>> other agencies wanted and I would buy it The winery would give me an
>> extra case for me..Consulate was closed in 1954. Our per diem was $19.50
>> last year or so we were there. Don't sound like much now but it was a
>> lot in those days. I rented a small apt about three blocks from the
>> embassy, Paid equivalent of $60 a month. That was 600,000 drachmas. A
>> couple months later it went from 10,000 to dollar to 15,000 to the
>> dollar so I was paying $40. a month. we had a large commissary in Athens
>> so I would buy a lot of my food there. always had embassy folks inviting
>> us to their homes for dinner etc. Some of the guys would go to some of
>> the clubs pay $6. for a drink. not me. I didn't drink very much and
>> after getting ill I quit drinking period. My two week stay in a greek
>> hospital was not much fun. Toward the end I had a 48 Ford I went up to
>> Brussels and bought it off the Labor Attache. My old buddy was stationed
>> in Brussels. He is still alive and lives in J'ville. We have been
>> friends since we met in June 47 at Yorktown VA when he came back in the
>> Corps. He looked the 48 Ford 4dor over and got the LA down to $700. I
>> came up bot it drove it to Naples and let Dick Schaben the Consul in
>> Naples, formerly in Athens, take care of shipping it to Athens for me. I
>> flew back to Athens. When I left Athens I sold it for $2100.  Most of us
>> had cars and on weekends we could check out embassy cars, we didnt do
>> that much. Couldnt drink and drive etc. It wasnt worth the hassel you
>> would have if you had an accident. I did do it  a few times. You could
>> not take greek friends in the car. We were like civilians, no Mar Cor
>> BS, no inspectors. get a letter every few months from HQMC. We would
>> have a group meeting about once every 3 months. If something came up it
>> would be passed on either in writing or word of mouth. started working
>> six hour shifts then tried 8 hour then 4 hour and decided we liked 6 the
>> best. covered 24/7 in the lobby. At end of working day one man would
>> come in and check all the offices before the char ladies would enter to
>> clean them.  We used a Detex Clock to check in to ensure that we made
>> our hourly rounds at night. I would change it around maybe go to one
>> floor skip the next go to the next and catch the ones I missed on the
>> way down. Use the small 3 peron elevator  to some floor get off maybe
>> walk up to the next or down to the next.  we had the landlord living in
>> a pent house on top of the bldg. He and his quests would come into the
>> embassy lobby and get on the elevator. He did not ring the bell for the
>> lower street door for us to come and open it for him. He had a man who
>> lived in an basement apt who worked for him come open the door for him.
>> it was not a very good security operation. One Sunday morning I see some
>> men from the telephone company  up stairs going into embassy office
>> areas. I grabbed them called Securiy officer at home he got down there
>> and they were told they could not work on the lines until Monday. The
>> landlord was POd. Actually he was a nice guy. He would walk out with a
>> suit case in one hand and tennis racket in other he would be on his way
>> to Switzerland to play tennis. He would sell us the building.  many
>> years later hey built the new embassy about mile up the street. It was
>> interesting.  I didn't plan on writng all of this. As I am writing
>> things just come back to my mind. I went to Athens a Sgt left as TSgt,
>> actually was back at HQMC and they told me had been promoted. I got out
>> on 15 Oct 52, Civilian life didnt work out for me so I went back in as a
>> Sgt, refused to take test for SSgt as I was in a mos I didnt like.
>> Stayed Sgt for end of two year enlistment still in Miami, moved to
>> another MOS. Then went to Counter Intelligence.  Stayed their until I
>> retired as SSgt E6 type. Nam came along and I recd three letters wanting
>> me to come back on active duty. I was working fo Amy Intel and said
>> forget it. Let me cut this off.
>>
>> All the best and Semper Fi, Frank

Yes we were the first Marines in Athens. Those of us who went out were
the first at all the places we went to. We had total of 2 1/2 days
briefings at FOREIGN Service INSTITUTE, tOOK US TO bONDS STORE DOWN TOWN
on E ST TO GET OUT $300 of clothes. TOOK US ON A BUS PRIOR TO OPENING OF
THE STORE. our orders had the security classification of Restricted on
them. THAT CLASSIFICATION WENT AWAY IN THE EISENHOWER DAYS. wE WERE NOT
TO TELL ANYONE WERE WE WERE GOING AND WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO. WE FIRST
HAD HAD PRIORITY TWO FOR MILITARY FLIGHTS. sINCE HE BERLIN aIRLIFT WAS
GOING ON THEY HAD TO CHANGE IT TO priority one. They told us it was the
same as a CONGRESSIONAL PRIORITY. aH CRAP i AM NOT MUCH OF A TYPIST AND
i HAVE THIS IN CAPS. GONNA LEAVE IT THAT WAY. It is 0330 and I havent
been to sleep tonight. Did fall asleep in my Lazy Boy as usual. I use a
mask when I am in bed as I have sleep apnea.
When we got to the Embassy we got to meet a bunch of women who worked
there they were all single they picked out our names. I got a gal named
Virginia Workman, in her 40's, a nice gal my mothers age. Some of the
guys got younger ones. I forgot who got Imogene Ficklen. She was about
50, nice but had some problems. I was taking some courses from MCI
history etc. She would always volunteer to help me. I think she was
medically retired after Athens. She lived in WDC. We were the
Ambassadors Marines. Orders read to report to US Amb and remain there
until we recd orders to return to HQMC. there was a Marine LtCol with
the US Military Mission to Greece. He came by and told us that we would
be in dress blues and take part in the Greek holiday ceremonies at the
Tomb of their UNKNOWN SOLDIER in front of the Parliment.  we tried to
tell him wecouldnt do it. He told us that were Marines and he was the
senior Marine in country and we would do as we were told. We went to the
Amb and bitched. He had his seceretry Helen, forgot her last name now, a
great gal we got along real well together.Amb was president of Dollar
Steamshipline in San Francisco and he brought Helen with him. He was Amb
in India before Greece and went to  Iran as Amb from Greece. To get
MajGen Van Fleet the head of the Military Mission on the phone. He told
Van Fleet to get the Marine LtCol over to his office NOW. LtCol came
over to the Amb office and was told by the Amb that these are his
Marines and they only took orders from him. If he had a problem with it
he would have orders removing him from the country within the week. The
LtCol never spoke to us again. I think the asshole went on to make
general. We wore blue trousers, khaki shirt  on duty with white cover
and had one 45 cal pistol. Also had 38 cal pistols, some made out a of
stamped metal that was given to the underground in WWII.
I hope I havent told you this stuff before.I sent you ome emails from he
library yesterday. I told you tht I lot all my photos due to yahoo
making some kindof change. I had photos of he old Embassy etc. A man
named Don Brown who came out in about aPR 51 AND WENT TO SALONIKA WHEN
HEY OPENED IT SENT THEM TO ME. h RETIRED DURING nAM DAYS AS 1ST LT i
BELIEVE. hE LIVES IN cALIF. HE IS NOT COMPUTER LITERATE AND HIS WIFE
SENT THE THING TO ME. i SENT THEM SOME EMAILS AND THEY BOUNCED BACK.
aPPARENTLY they have me blocked. I'm gonna leave this in caps. I sure
loved my days of doing investigations when all I had to do was dictate
the reports. Let some GS-3 do the typing. Need to read some of the 18
unread emails I have on webtv. Nuff for now. 0420.

All the best and Semper Fi, Frank