Page 125 - Stand Down Vietnam

My name is Robert G. Taylor, Jr., I was born and raised
in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I went to Bowling Green
High School. I played football, basketball, and other
sports.

When I got out of high school, which I didn’t have very
good grades, there was no way that I was going to go to
college.

I joined the Marine Corps to get me to grow up; which
is what it did, I grew up. For about two years I had
sea duty. After those two years, I got off the ships
and was sent to Camp Lejeune, North, Carolina, for
Infantry training. I was with the 1 Battalion, 6
th
st
Marines.

I did not expect to go to Vietnam, I only had eight
months left on my enlistment. They extended me; my
tour of duty and sent me to Vietnam. Anyway, so I
literally should not have been there, but I was. It
was no big deal that I was extended, I didn’t mind
going.

I got to Vietnam on Christmas eve in 1966. I was in
Vietnam fighting for my country. I was raised to fight
for my country. I was assigned to Mike Company, 3d
Battalion, 9 Marines. I spent my whole time of duty in
th
Vietnam with that unit. I got promoted to Sergeant.

Would I go back, would I do it again; I don’t know,
probably yes, because my family was raised that way.

I was a combat infantry Marine; my unit would go out on
patrol including Laos, Cambodia, and into North
Vietnam. We did reconnaissance, looking for where the
North Vietnamese were. Life expectancy was almost
zero, not many people made it through that.