Readers may be familiar with the bright yellow Jeep plastered with Marine Corps decals and stickers with its own ooo-gah horn. Dave Weirdin is the proud owner of that eye-catching vehicle and as advertised, he is a proud Marine.
Weirdin didn’t let his love for the Marine Corps override his desire to serve his country. Sometimes it just wasn’t feasible to be part of a Marine reserve unit. One place where he lived was approximately 200 miles away from the nearest unit, so he served with another branch. He was with the Army National Guard for a long time, spent time with the Air Guard and served in the Army Reserves for a short time. He had 27 years of service under his belt when he retired in 2001.
He entered the military in January 1966, at the height of the draft. Weirdin had previously been a student at the University of Maine in Old Town, Maine. He grew up in Holliston, Mass., about 25 miles west of Boston. He said he loved growing up in New England. “It was great, we had a real winter,” he said with a laugh. When Weirdin got to the University of Maine he played football and joined Theta Chi fraternity. “In those days, if you wanted to play football, you played football. There were no scholarships,” he said. During his sophomore year he decided to leave school.
Section: