To all the old timers:

I was sorry to read of the death of Capt." Wild Bill" Aycock...

Bill Aycock was in my mind the best 1803 Marine I could have met as a young Amtrac officer.. After 1st Amtracs pulled out of Korea and we went to Japan, I first met up with then Capt Aycock, Maintenance Officer, "B" Company , 1stAmtracs..

The Company Commander was Major Cleveland..the Battalion Commander was Lt Col. Hooty Horner..later LtCol Seigel..

At that time, in early 1955, the decision was made to return Marines to Okinawa..as such, the unit assigned to go was designated the 1st Marine Division (minus) Forward..

The senior regimental commander was Col. Akinson, 3rd Marines..

Bill Aycock became the "B" Company Commander and I was designated as Maintenance Officer..although I was told that I would be the baseball coach for the Marine baseball team when we arrived in Okinawa.. The Maintenance Officer designation was just to get me there..

Because of our location at Camp McGill, just outside of Yokosuka, Capt Aycock sent to me to Osaka to meet with the 3rd Marines for embarkation plans.. and because I was the only one there from near Yokosuka, I very unfortunately, was designated as the primary embarkation officer for the Division.. I was a 1st Lt.

I had one floor of a barracks made into embarkation room.. and I was soon flooded with countless boxes of templates and embakation plans. My learned associate officers were also disgruntled embakation officers from the all the units schedule to depart from Yokosuka and then pick up the rest of the Division in Osaka.. We were not a very happy group..mostly because we didn't know what we were doing..and "embakation" became a four letter word... It was amazing that the movement took place.. The embarkation room looked like a place for Marines to make paper dolls..never was there such an inept group of young officers involved in such a chaotic situation..The only saving grace was that we had two jeeps wherein we could meet with the various ship's 1st Lt's at the Naval Base to help with the embarkation plans.. As it was, we left several TD 18's and fuel tankers on the pier at Osaka because there was no place to put them..

When we arrived off Kin Blue Beach in Okinawa, Capt Aycock sent me in a retriever with one 3(C) ashore the night before the Division was to land.. I was to check the area around Kin Blue for any offshore coral heads or reefs that might interfere with the landing of the Amtracs..

Although the offshore beach area was fine for an amphibious landing of 10 LVT's abreast, I reported that there was only one small exit from the beach area leading up to Kin Village.. The beach was backed up by a lengthy, and about an 8' foot heavy stone sea wall. It was going to make any exit from the beach area of heavy equipment difficult..which it ultimately did the following day.. quite a mess in fact..

After the beach survey, I took the 3(C) up a dirt road through Kin Village, crossed over the north-south road which was also dirt and drove onto an abandoned air field that eventually became the home of Camp Hansen..

The following morning the landing began and I will never forget my surprise when the Navy wave guides started to head for an area south of Kin Blue.. I got on the radio with Capt Aycock and told him they were heading for an area where there was no beach..I then picked up a Nan flag on a boat hook (which was used as a signal that an LVT was sinking) and ran down the beach waving it wildly over my head.. somehow they turned north and came ashore over Kin Blue..

Two days later, we re-embarked and went around the small peninsula to Buckner Bay and landed with Shore Party Company at White Beach. The Shore Party Company was commanded by another Marine who would have a lengthy and professional influence on the success of the Marine engineering MOS, and who retired as a Colonel ..named Frank Harris.. Then, Capt Harris, was senior to Capt Aycock and he became the Camp Commander of White Beach..

The Amtrac Company was very unusual consisting of 52 LVT3(C)'s.. 5 LVTA-5's (Armored Amtrac with 75 pack howitzer) and 27 DUKW's..

The baseball team was assembled and a ball field was built at Camp Tengan..now Camp Courtney..Ist Marine Division Hdq..and III MAF... The 1st Marine Div (Forward) Headquarters was set up at Camp Napunja ...now called Camp Hague, across the street for Camp Kinser..

All the baseball games were played at night at Kadena.. we did very well..thanks to half the team being made up of some very talented corpsmen.. and one old Marine MSGT that threw only knuckle balls..and seldom lost a game..what with playing all Navy ships putting into Buckner Bay..and all the Army and Air Force units on Okinawa..we had a very busy season..

However, the highlight of this tour on Okinawa was our exposure and the leadership provided by Capt Aycock.. A World War II Amtracer.. he was regarded as a hero by all of us.. A Marine with a square jaw.. arms that reflected a boxing ability that he was known for... and he walked with a swagger..topped off by a smile that one won't forget.. Always the teacher..and such a talented one..

Later, he reverted to MGsgt and finished his career at 2nd Amtracs under LtCol Jim Treadwell, CO and Bob Shufford, the XO.. He was like a special staff officer and was treated as such..

Over the years we met several times at Amtrac reunions and I always stayed in touch with him at his home in Tampa.. where he lived and where he frequently spoke of the wife he adored, Kitty.

My last conversation was just a few months ago when I spoke with him in a nursing home.. which by the nature of the call, I knew he was running out of time..

We also lost, recently, another talented Marine tank officer, Jinx McCain.. Both of these 1800 Marines molded the careers of many Amtrac and Tank officers.. Jinx will never be forgotten as the Tank instructor at the Education Center..where he and Bob Shuford were a great instructional team .. many of us shall never forget either one of them

Stub Chace..1803