Marine Corps and Vietnam homepage

Former Marines Website

"Marine in Need" - It is not taught in manuals, yet it is the most impressive lesson a recruit learns in boot camp. One feature which has made the Marine Corps such a respected organization, is a custom of the Marine Corps Leaders to look out for their men.

About RedHeart

I was born June7,1949 at the Atlantic City hospital in Atlantic City,New Jersey. My parents David and Ethel moved back to Philadelphia from whence they came when I was two years old. Once back in Philadelphia my mother Ethel gave birth to my sister Catherine on October23,1951 and my sister Anna on March5,1953. Shortly after my birth my mother had me Baptized at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church which is also in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I attended both Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Stella Maris Catholic elementary schools. I went on to attend Saint John Neumann Catholic High School but only until completion of the tenth grade. On June 30,1966 I left for Parris Island,South Carolina to begin Marine Corps Basic Training. I had no direction at that time just having turned 17 and I no longer wanted to stay at home. I went to the Marine Corps Recruiter office with a buddy of mine with the idea that we were both going to sign up sometime before traveling to boot camp but after I signed he changed his mind saying"I dont want to go to Vietnam"! I may not have graduated from high school but I manage to graduate from The United States Marine Corps Boot Camp and I was proud of myself. I spent four years and eight months in the Marines and was given an eary Honorable discharge for medical reasons on March10,1971. I had aspirations of spending the twenty years in the Marines making it a career after having re-enlisting for an additional 6 more years while in Vietnam but it never materialized completly. On or about October 8, 1971, I met my now wife whom at that time was Phyllis A. Hunt (Lumbee Indian)just after working all summer working as a waiter at Wildwood, New Jersey. On March 25,1972 we were marrid by a Justice of the Peace. On March 25,1977 we renewed our vows at St Marthas Catholic Church. On October 17,1996 atop the Statosphere Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas,Nevada to celebrate our almost then 25th Anniversary. Phyllis and I are proud parents of Shawn T. Peterson whom will be twenty-one on January 27,1998. He is our little boy but he has grown to be 6FT-6in tall and weights in at a lean muscular weight of 240 pounds. He is attending college and he plays college basketball. I began getting interested in the computer last Christmas 1996. I spend much of my time on it since starting my homepage which I devoted to my wifes honor and then to all Native American Indians. On April 1,1997 I began the homepage weblink. Not long after that a great man called TwoWolf came into my life when I was having problems with instituting this weblink and insoired me ever so much to go on and honored me with the name RedHeart. Twowolf is an inspiration to me every single day and I could only hope that I can be equally as inspiring to others in the same way. Thomas W. Peterson (RedHeart)

Vietnam Veterans' War Stories Tom Peterson's Homepage is a member of the

Want to join the ring? Get info

Visit other sites in the ring now!

[Prev][ SkipIt ][ Next5 ][ Next ][List Sites]

TheVietnam War as I remember DAY 1-I arrived in country August 12,1967 at Danang airbase in SOUTH VIETNAM. Spent the night on the ground. Sleeping was imposible with the sound of the war going on all around and the continuously lit up sky. I was trembling with fear and it was beginning to set in that I was truly in a war and my imagination of what it was going to be like was wiped clean by the reality of the war that was beginning to both amaze and frighten me. "I WANTED TO LEAVE"!! "MAN, WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN BETWEEN"!!

DAY 860- I boared the plane back to Travis Air Force base in California on January10,1970. I looked out the window and said goodbye to the war for the last time. I was not happy that I was being ordered to leave and that I was turned down for a fourth extension tour of duty. I felt proud to have taken part in preparing our fallen Marines for their journey back to their families at home and their final resting places. My orders were to Parris Island,South Carolina to attend Drill Instructor School. "Semper Fi...Sing Loi... and all that good stuff". "I WANTED TO STAY"!!