Vietnam-era veterans mark 40 years

Marines from Washington remember six fallen men

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published July 13, 2008

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OLYMPIA – In July 1968, a group of mostly 18-year-old men gathered on the Capitol Campus to be sworn in as the first all-state U.S. Marine Corps platoon eventually bound for Vietnam.

On Saturday, about 20 of those men returned to Olympia to share memories of that day and to remember six platoon members who died in the Vietnam War.

The gathering was organized by former platoon members Doug Simpson of Issaquah and Larry Plager of Spokane.

Forty years ago, they were known as the Evergreen State Marine Platoon, an all- volunteer unit made up of about 80 men from throughout the state. Two of the men live in South Sound: Ronald Brookins of Shelton and Dick Gobel of Rochester. Gobel didn't attend Sunday's reunion.

In 1968, the men met under the Capitol Rotunda of the Legislative Building and were sworn in by then-Gov. Dan Evans.

On Saturday, Evans was invited to take part in the 40th reunion of the platoon but instead sent a letter that Simpson read aloud in the Rotunda.

"You agreed to defend the United States during a tumultuous time and an unpopular war," Evans wrote. "Our state was honored by having you represent us in the fine tradition of the U.S. Marine Corps."

Later, the Evergreen platoon left for boot camp in San Diego, but only about half the platoon wound up going to Vietnam, Simpson said.

Simpson was a helicopter gunner in the war. Today, he works for a development company in Bellevue and is a political consultant. Plager served in the infantry and now works as a cardiovascular technologist at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

To mark the occasion, Carl Rice of Port Angeles returned to Olympia wearing the same shoes that were issued to him in boot camp.

"It's the only thing that fits after 40 years," Rice said.

Rolf Boone is a reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.