One of the few, one of the proud, one of the oldest

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — When the United States entered World War II in 1942, Jeff Glaves was like most young American men at the time. He wanted to join the fight and do his part to defeat the Axis powers.

“I really wanted to see combat, it was as simple as that,” said Glaves, who currently resides in Las Vegas.

However, while Glaves shared the enthusiasm of most of the country’s young men, he himself was not so young. Instead, he was a 28-year-old husband and father of two living in El Paso, Texas, working a steady job [with El Paso Natural Gas Company. Ed.].

Many men would fret at the thought of leaving their family behind, never to return, but Glaves’ desire to serve overpowered the sensibility of staying at home. He wanted to see action overseas and saw the Marine Corps as his ticket to the fight.

“I didn’t want to be in a department that didn’t see any action,” said Glaves, who is now 95 years old and one of the oldest living members of the 1st Marine Division. “I figured the Marines were the ones who would get me there.”

Much to Glaves’ disappointment he was told he had to wait to be drafted and there was only going to be one slot available for the Marines.

Glaves remained positive, was drafted a couple of years later, and with a little help from a friend, got what he wanted: a spot to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. He left his family, job and home behind two weeks later.

After basic training Glaves found himself island-hopping as a quartermaster while serving with the 1st Marine Division Service Battalion.

His original wish of seeing combat finally came true in September of 1944 during the Marine campaign to take the island of Peleliu.

“Now that was a tough one,” said Glaves, who was a corporal at the time. “But it didn’t bother me that much and I don’t know why. Maybe it was because I was older, but I never really understood it.”

Glaves’ next taste of battle came at Okinawa. “That one was scary too,” said Glaves. “I’ll never forget the machine guns and mortars.”

Yet despite braving enemy tanks, mortars and machine guns, and the hell that must have been Peleliu and Okinawa, Glaves remains humble.

“I don’t really consider anything I did special,” said Glaves. “I did what everyone else did. I fired my weapon.”

That is a typical answer from a member of what journalist Tom Brokaw has proclaimed “The Greatest Generation,” modestly proud, yet tentative to remember the horrors of combat.

“There have been many times Dad has talked about his life in the Marines, and the ones that I remember are of him having to storm the beaches of Okinawa, of digging trenches, of his buddies being shot around him and him having to call the medic,” said Kathy Frost, 53, one of Glaves’ daughters, from Savannah, MO.

Glaves’ son, William Arnold Glaves, said he also remembers listening to his father’s Marine Corps stories growing up.

“He has tons of stories. Once he was asleep next to a tank and when he awoke, to his surprise that tank was gone,” said the younger Glaves, from Cypress, TX. “Lots of stories about his buddies. And a few stories about the bad stuff, but he mostly keeps those to himself.“

When Glaves left active duty he may not have been fighting the Japanese, training for the next engagement or wearing his uniform, but he did not stray far from Marine Corps.

“We were taught the basic life values, but honor, courage and commitment were always a part of those basic values,” said Frost. “We were taught a lot of how to respect our elders and not to talk back and we were taught the proper manners and were held to them.”

“He is very proud of his Marine heritage. He believes in honor and commitment. He is very courageous in that he still drives and lives by himself,” said the younger Glaves. “He always said the Marines made a man out of him.”

While Glaves is slow to give himself praise, he is quick to praise the country’s modern-day leathernecks.

“Damn right I’m proud of them,” said Glaves. “I’m very interested in what the Marines are doing, and I am very proud of them.”

Glaves celebrated his 95^th birthday July 15, and is still a shining example of Marine Corps history. While he claims to have done nothing special and finds it hard to understand why people would want to hear his story, the answer stems from Marine Corps tradition.

Marines respect and cherish those devil dogs who came before them because, ‘Once a Marine, Always a Marine.’

Story by Cpl. Zachary Nola