Waller Hall, Quantico

[collector]

Here's a relic from my childhood. Remember Waller Hall well, it's gone now.

[collector]

#2

[BagmanL6]

Very nice. Thanks for posting. Where was it located? When did you live in Quantico? Did a few years there. My kids loved living aboard the base.

[collector]

We were there in the mid 50s and early 60s.

We were there twice, our last address was MOQ 371 if I remember correctly, we were going to be sent to Pendleton, but LtGen Snedecker requested my father for a position back at Quantico.

There were buddies from the war (7th Marines).

I think Waller Hall was at the end of Heywood, I was a kid so wasn't driving then. I do remember we could bike there, maybe even Flexi.

Had to take cotillion there too.

We loved that life then, lots of woods, and things to explore, like the tank park. We would bike out there and sneak around, the Marines laugh at us and would run us off.

Got some cool items at the old dump, at low tide we could wade around the fence. Still have a couple of RFX practice grenades, and had a rusted solid Japanese machine gun we found there.

Major superfund site in the making back then!

[collector]

Did your kids go to John H. Russell?

[BagmanL6]

I was there for TBS and IOC and then there as a family in 93-94 with just 2 of 4 kids (3 yrs and 1 yrs old at the time). The longest stretch we did there was 98-03 with 4 kids. We lived right at the end of a path through the woods from Ashurst Elementary. That's where they went with oldest continuing onto Quantico Middle School. I think the house number was 4030A. We moved to a 4 bedroom at some point which I think was 4509B or vice versa or some combination there of. I was actually gone a lot having a job where I was probably TAD 1/2 the time. Then I deployed from there to Afghanistan very early and Iraq for the invasion so some of the details of addresses are a bit foggy. Even though the base had changed by the time we were there from your time and has since changed again (new housing, new schools, etc.) my kids' experiences were the same as yours it sounds like. They loved playing in the woods and we'd hike the trails finding old bunkers that overlooked Chopawamsic Creek, rounds in the dirt, etc. Will never forget going for a run one afternoon/early evening with my son in tow on his bike and him getting heat sick. Had to get him home and throw him in a cold shower. HIs mother was peeved!

 

Typical Marine brat story - I sponsored the Royal Marine at Command and Staff College. He's over one Saturday morning to borrow a chain saw to gather fire wood for a party that night. Bunch of us dads/classmates/Marines are standing outside drinking coffee and here comes a few neighborhood boys, mine included, all cammied up with their respective dad's covers, cammie tops, gear etc. Between them there is a decent selection of knives, simple bow and arrows, toy guns, maybe a BB gun or two all tucked in belts, slung over backs, etc. Not completely dangerous or adult weapons but certainly items you 'could put an eye out with'. As the swarmed by us headed up into the woods I piped up "What are you guys doing?" because they just had that look. Complete silence form the "fire team" until one pops off "Nothing". To which the response from the dads was "Nothing? Riiiiight. Don't get hurt." Off they went. The Royal Marine looked at me and said in a typical British accent, "Only in America. It's like Lord of the Flies around here." I have to tell you after 9/11 there were some fighting positions they put in the woods that would have rivaled any Marine's. If AQ/Taliban got into those woods they would have met their match.

 

Also remember the rule of thumb in the neighborhood was you fed the # of kids you had at dinner time. I didn't necessarily have to feed my 4, just 4 - 2 of mine and 2 of their friends or any combination there of. The math worked and everyone got fed.

 

I could go on all night! Thanks for brining up very pleasant memories.

[collector]

Thanks for the replies, all that does sound very familiar.

I have a couple more artifacts, I'll shoot and post them.

Were you ever at Camp Lejeune?

[BagmanL6]

I was. 87-93; up to Quantico 93-94 for AWS and back to Lejeune 94-98. Didn't live on base though. Rented some places. Built a house out towards Richlands. How about you?

[BagmanL6]

Don't know if you saw this

 

http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=5246

[collector]

Thanks for the Waller Hall link.

Yes we were at Camp Lejeune in the mid/late 50s.

Have a pic of our MOQ somewhere.

Used to go for blue crabs at the end of the pier near our quarters.

Caught a flounder once too.

Another great place for a kid.

[collector]

Here's some Camp Lejeune mementos, including a shot of our MOQ.

[BagmanL6]

Nice picture of your quarters. I was driving around Lejeune over the summer. I don't think those quarters have changed at all.

[collector]

I will go back at some point and see if my memories of that area match the reality.

I do remember that at the end of the street was a playground and then woods.

[collector]

I remember having a try at caddying at that course.

Did take golf lessons there.

[collector]

Program from the post stables, learned to ride there.

[BagmanL6]

Those stables were great. Always a nice afternoon to take the kids up there to pet the horses, etc. Don't remember them taking riding lessons but I was gone a lot. Really enjoyed running all the trails in the woods behind the stables. We lived up the hill from the lettered apartments. I could basically go out my backdoor and hit the trails.

[collector]

That's one of my best memories, just how great the country was.

One of the life lessons I remember was the time my father and I were going through some thick woods and brush at the end of our street in Camp Lejeune. I was about seven.

When I looked down my legs were COVERED in small ticks, never have seen anything like it since.

I began to freak a bit, and my father just coolly said something like "stay calm, you will deal with it when you can, nothing you can do right now", or something like that and it calmed me right down.

It doesn't sound like much, but I never forgot it and it was a great lesson for later in life. Loses a lot in translation.

[collector]

I remember some of the horses were named after battles: Guadalcanal (Guadie), Munda, Okinawa (Okie), etc.