Jim Vis, a son of Pete and Alice Vis of Chandler, was drafted into the USMC after college.

Jim Vis is a retired school teacher. This is his story of his service during the Vietnam War in his own words.

“After graduating from Dordt in May 1968, I taught in the Alameda (Calif.) Christian School for the year 1968-1969.  The draft board notified me that I was being drafted in June.  At that time, those drafted from SW Minn., NW Iowa, and SE South Dakota were gathered at the draft site in Sioux Falls.  Upon entering the facility, I met my cousin, Arlen Vis, who was also being drafted.  He had taught in the Sully (Iowa) Christian School the same school year.  If my memory is correct, there were about 50 guys gathered at the time.  An announcement was made asking for three volunteers for the Marine Corps. After no one volunteered, an announcement was made with the three names of those who had volunteered. My name was one.  Arlen and I thought that perhaps we’d be going through Fort Lewis, Wash., together, but it was not to be.

Three of us were flown to San Diego, Calif., where a truck picked us up at 2:00 a.m. and brought us to the USMC Depot where numerous others were already gathered on the yellow footprints waiting for the typical buzz haircut.  Some of the guys cried like babies as their long hair locks were shaved off.  As we stood waiting under the very bright lighting, the drill instructors were yelling and screaming, asking ridiculous questions which often were “baiting” for answers resulting in being mocked. Terms were yelled at us that I’d never heard before.  I remember looking up and asking the Lord to give me strength to endure if this is what basic was to be. The USMC would claim that these types of treatment were all part of the transition from being a civilian to a Marine.

At that point, the saying, “Once a Marine, always a Marine” was mentally met with a “never” in my mind.

The training that followed had many similarities to that of what other veterans have written. Some were brutal to achieve readiness for what the USMC is all about.   It was the time of Vietnam and there wasn’t room for weakness in trainees.  The objective was to create cohesiveness which is exactly the goal needed.  Keep in mind that the military is to protect the country and its people.  Often the negatives are exploited, which can be easily taken wrong and paint the military in a dim light.  That’s especially true these last decades in our culture.

I wrote my family, the 10 round robins of Dordt grads and the Alameda friends that letters would be greatly appreciated to maintain a healthy outlook! 

All came through by the time my basic training was over, I’d received over 110 letters!

Basic training was over at the end of September.  I’m not sure why we were given a choice of taking furlough right away or after the next period of specialized training.  My MOS (orders) were in the area of “airline freight” which I knew would involve helicopters as the USMC really had no “airlines.”   No indicators were given as to the timeline for the next training for me, thus I took my furlough right away so I could be in Minnesota for Grandpa Groen’s 88^th birthday in Leota. 

As a side note, there were 55 first cousins on the Groen side and 27 cousins on the Vis side of the greater family.  Of those, only my brother Pete and I had red hair.  I had always thought that the red came through the Vis side as Uncle John Vis’s hair had a glint of red (at least I thought so) when he stood in the direct sunlight.  However, it was at Grandpa Groen’s 88^th birthday that he shared with me that he was a redhead in his younger years.  In fact, when he served in The Netherland’s military, his nickname was “Red Jon.”

On my furlough I visited my niece, Marlene (Vis) Hettinga, who worked in the office at Dordt.  Betsy Sybesma met me at the business window and asked about my year since graduation.  I mentioned that I was being sent to Camp LeJeune in North Carolina.  She mentioned that her nephew, Jon Sybesma from Sanborn, was stationed there.

Upon my arrival at the Camp LeJeune barracks, the guys asked if my name was Vis as there was a Marine who had come by a couple of times asking for me.  Later, Jon Sybesma came by again and we met.  He and his wife Pat lived just outside the main gate area in military housing.

Since I was not told a schooling timeline when ending basic training, I had no idea that my classes had already begun on October 1^st.  The USMC was not going to let me sit around for the next class to begin, so my MOS was changed to SUPPLY. Classes began almost right away.  It ended the 3^rd week in December.  Given a 10 day leave, I went to visit my brother in Lake Worth, Fla.  Rog and Carol Vis had moved there in 1966 where Rog taught in the Christian school. 

Upon returning to Camp LeJeune, my orders were to remain there at the main headquarters supply facility.”