Veteran’s Way | Paul Douglas: The Oldest Marine to Go Through Boot Camp
A 50-YEAR-OLD WORLD WAR II MARINE IS OVERLOOKED NO MORE.
A well-known friend in our industry, Bob Ingoglia—formerly vice president of corporate communication for Ricoh USA, now retired—recently sent me an article about a Marine named Paul Douglas. I pride myself on being fully aware of Marine history, and Ingoglia reminded me that there’s always more to know.
Matt Fratus, a history writer for Coffee or Die, authored the article. He has a reputation for finding unique stories that haven’t been covered. The original title of the article Ingoglia sent me is “The Marine Who Went to Parris Island At 50.”
Paul Douglas was born in Massachusetts on March 26, 1892, and raised in Maine. After graduating from Columbia University, where he earned a doctorate in economics, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago as an economics professor in 1920. World War II began in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. That same year, Douglas was elected a Chicago alderman. He tried moving up to being a state senator, but that did not work out.
The mere title of Fratus’s article still makes me shake my head in disbelief. As an officer candidate, I did my boot camp at Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, Virginia. We were told it is similar to the Marines’ experience at the Recruit Depot Parris Island. I was 21, fresh out of college, and in fair shape. It is hard for me to imagine how he—at 50 years of age—got through it.
Douglas wore glasses and had gray hair. As a 50-year-old, he was falling in with recruits as young as 17. Fratus underscored this age gap by highlighting that Douglas was one of the few people on the island born in the 19th century. On Parris Island, most people in their fifth decade and older were part of the training staff, particularly in the early years of the war, and had been in the Marine Corps during World War I.
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www.thecannatareport.com
A 50-YEAR-OLD WORLD WAR II MARINE IS OVERLOOKED NO MORE.
A well-known friend in our industry, Bob Ingoglia—formerly vice president of corporate communication for Ricoh USA, now retired—recently sent me an article about a Marine named Paul Douglas. I pride myself on being fully aware of Marine history, and Ingoglia reminded me that there’s always more to know.
Matt Fratus, a history writer for Coffee or Die, authored the article. He has a reputation for finding unique stories that haven’t been covered. The original title of the article Ingoglia sent me is “The Marine Who Went to Parris Island At 50.”
Paul Douglas was born in Massachusetts on March 26, 1892, and raised in Maine. After graduating from Columbia University, where he earned a doctorate in economics, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago as an economics professor in 1920. World War II began in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. That same year, Douglas was elected a Chicago alderman. He tried moving up to being a state senator, but that did not work out.
The mere title of Fratus’s article still makes me shake my head in disbelief. As an officer candidate, I did my boot camp at Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, Virginia. We were told it is similar to the Marines’ experience at the Recruit Depot Parris Island. I was 21, fresh out of college, and in fair shape. It is hard for me to imagine how he—at 50 years of age—got through it.
Douglas wore glasses and had gray hair. As a 50-year-old, he was falling in with recruits as young as 17. Fratus underscored this age gap by highlighting that Douglas was one of the few people on the island born in the 19th century. On Parris Island, most people in their fifth decade and older were part of the training staff, particularly in the early years of the war, and had been in the Marine Corps during World War I.
More...
Veteran’s Way | Paul Douglas: The Oldest Marine to Go Through Boot Camp
Frank G. Cannata tells the story of Paul Douglas, a Marine notable for being the oldest to not only make it through boot camp but serve with distinction.
www.thecannatareport.com
