About 17 years ago I received a strange phone call from my good
friend and fellow Marine, Jimmy Richardson.
“Hey Bill”, he said, “They have got you listed as one of the
Black Marines ‘Missing In Action’ “!
I was a little confused of course, since I had been retired from the
Corps for nearly 24 years at that point.
Jimmy continued, “Bobby Wallace is making a list of Black Marines and
didn’t know where you are living, what you are doing or whether
you are even still kicking”
That was my introduction to the Black Marine Reunion
concept and my reintroduction to Bobby Wallace. We had originally met briefly way back in the
60’s at the old Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. Bobby was one of the many older, more squared
away Black Marines who I count as friends and mentors during a time in my life
when I was close to being invited to leave the Corps. Luckily for me, his friendship and guidance
went a long way towards enabling me to actually have a successful career as a
Marine. Our paths did continually cross through
the years, inevitable given the small size of the Marine Aviation community,
and we remained friends. Years later we
spent more time together after he retired and was working for Parker-Hannifin in
Southern California while I was still on Active Duty as a Recruiter-Instructor
in Los Angeles. After I retired, living
and working all over the US and abroad, we soon lost touch, although I would
hear of his exploits from other friends.
Bobby joined the Corps in the fall of 1956, and if you are
familiar with Marine Corps lore, you know that Parris Island at that time was
the absolute definition of Hell. In April of that year, a drunken Drill
Instructor named SSGT McKeon, (a combat
veteran of WWII and Korea) woke his platoon late one dark night, and deciding
to discipline them, marched them into the murky swamps of Ribbon Creek,
resulting in the death of six young recruits!
The intense, negative publicity made many young men avoid the Corps, especially men of color. The Corps had only been integrated for 4 short years at that point and being Black in our Corps at Parris Island was no walk in the park, as some of you may well know. Once out of Boot Camp, Black Marines were generally relegated to the most menial positions, rarely serving in technical fields such as aviation, usually assigned to combat arms, often serving as cooks and stewards, and broadly discriminated against when it came to promotions and assignments.
Yet Bobby volunteered despite all that; he persevered,
graduated, and became a Marine that November in Parris Island, evolving into an
acknowledged leader, eventually excelling in several Aviation fields, serving
in many assignments, both domestically and abroad. He went on to serve more than 20 years in the
Corps, which included surviving two tours in Viet Nam, then retiring, working
for various tech companies, and finally starting and running his own successful
consulting firm for many years. At some
point after I retired, I heard through the ‘unofficial grapevine’, that Wallace
(who I always thought of as a ‘West Coast Marine’) had moved to some place
called ‘The Villages’ down in the ‘swamps of Florida’, and was now called ‘The
Gator’. I thought, “Boy, Bobby’s PTSD
must have kicked in REALLY bad and pushed him over the edge”.
If you are on this email list, I know your life has been
touched in some positive way by The Gator.
If I were to ask each of you to give me ONE word that describes Bobby
Wallace, the list would surely include .. Integrity, Dependability, Honesty,
Reliability and Sincerity .. I’m confident each of you had at least one of
those in mind!
In today’s world, where our politicians lie to us, corporations
can’t be trusted, insurance companies refuse to pay policies, social media
misleads, and contracts and promises mean nothing, it was refreshing to know
and have a friend like Bobby.
When The Gator told you something, you could count
on its veracity; if he gave you his word, you knew that was as good as
money in the bank; if he took on any project, you knew it would be
finished and would exceed expectations; if he joined your
organization, you knew he would serve faithfully; and if he was involved
in an organization or group, you could bet they were also legitimate; if you
ever needed help, assistance or advice, you knew you could depend on The
Gator.
Bobby was instrumental in getting the Black Marine Reunion
off the ground as one of the six original founders in 2003 and setting up the
first reunion in 2005. The organization
is dedicated to celebrating our heritage and the many unheralded, unpublicized contributions
of Black Marines to our Corps and country.
He was responsible for building its membership listing from a handful, to
over 480 Black Marines of all eras, and keeping it going all these years,
assisted by some great committees and faithful members.
His knack for getting things done was amazing, especially since he often organized these Reunions from out of town, via emails, text messaging and long-distance phone calls. He planned, executed, and was involved in highly successful Reunions in Washington, DC, Las Vegas, Reno, Orlando, Virginia Beach, New Orleans, and San Diego.
I recruited The
Gator to be a member of The Friends of Distinction in 2008, a unique
military reunion group, consisting of about 90 veterans of every branch of
service, who have served our country faithfully and honorably, and represent well
over 1,200 YEARS of service to our great nation. As a dedicated member of this group, (founded
in 1988 by a Navy Chief in Cleveland), Bobby attended the reunions nearly every
year, provided his expertise where he could, volunteered wherever needed, and
shared his talents with the group. His demeanor,
quiet leadership and understated manner made him extremely popular and a standout
member in this group of exceptional veterans.
But all of his accomplishments would have meant little if
he had no one to share them with….no partner in life to enjoy the well-deserved
‘Golden Years’ of retirement. Fortune
smiled on The Gator while in ‘The Swamps’ (I mean The Villages), and he
met a young lady who would ultimately change his life, forever – his bride Kaye
Wallace. When I first met Kaye, my
honest to God first thought was
‘Maybe Bobby DOESN’T have PTSD that bad after
all’!!
Kaye hails from nearby Leesburg. Bobby and Kaye met on a blind date after a
mutual friend told her she had the ‘Perfect Guy’ for her. The friend said: “He’s
nice looking, intelligent, single, owns his own home, is a retired Marine and a
really nice guy”. Kaye’s
automatic response was ‘Well if he’s all that, why isn’t he married’?? Luckily, she said it was OK to give Bobby her
work number and that led to the blind date.
They dated for several years and were married thirteen years ago in The
Villages.
Kaye has always been a super supportive wife and backed The
Gator in any undertaking. She was an
integral part of the great work he did with the Black Marine Reunion, attending
and participating in all the reunions. She
planned an amazing Surprise Party for his 80th Birthday a couple of
years ago and notified some of us to ‘Save The Date’ during an event in
Las Vegas the YEAR before. Diane and I,
along with many of his Marine ‘family’ attended and Bobby was so surprised it
brought tears to his eyes. It was
wonderful to see and experience the joy they shared in life.
Diane and I were vacationing with family and entertaining
company in Phoenix when Kaye called to let us know Bobby had suffered a
stroke. Our world literally stopped …
our company, seeing the looks on our faces, realized the impact and left
immediately. I sat by the pool, in the
dark, nursing a Hennessy, as I let the tears slide down my cheeks remembering a
great friend. Diane came out to the patio,
and we toasted Bobby and talked quietly, reminiscing about our many times
together. It was a difficult night.