We have been learning about Mike Lamfers, who grew up on a farm east of Amiret and served with the Marines in Vietnam. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in July 1965 after graduating from Tracy High School.

Mike described his journey to Marine Corps Boot Camp in San Diego.

“I left on July 2nd. I missed the Everly Brothers at the Showboat in Lake Benton on July 4th. (Mike laughed) I got on a bus in Tracy and went to Omaha. I got sworn into the Marines the next day. Afterward two sergeants picked me up in a car and we went to a hamburger place. They bought me two burgers and French fries and paid for everything out of their own pockets. I think it was because they knew what I was getting into. (Mike laughed) From Omaha I flew to San Diego.”

Mike recalled many of the details of Marine Corps Boot Camp, beginning with the first days of Receiving Barracks for new recruits where he received more than his share of attention.

“I landed in San Diego and two Marines picked me up at the airport. They took me to MCRD, San Diego — Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot. They had all these painted footprints to stand in for many people at a time. But I was the only one there. One of the first things that happened was a haircut. The barber was upset because he had to be there after hours. I went through Receiving Barracks completely alone and then got thrown into a training platoon that was forming. It was quite a rude awakening, (Mike chuckled) to say the least.”

His assignment to a training platoon began the challenging business of becoming a Marine.

“I couldn’t even tell you what they put us through in boot camp — it was unreal. It was a total shock. When I went to high school we had two football coaches who were captains in the Marine Corps and they pushed you. But when you got into the Marine Corps, you found out what being pushed really was. You went until you couldn’t go anymore and then you just kept on going. We had 60 or 70 in our platoon. Our platoon sergeant was Sergeant Raisner. We had two E-5s (sergeants) and two E-4s (corporals). Sergeant Raisner did a good job, but he was something else.”

Mike described the training schedule in boot camp and a special status he held as a competitor.

“We had 12 weeks of training. I don’t know what time it was, but you’d get up in darkness. There’d be a head (bathroom) call and then they’d take you for a run before breakfast and a run after breakfast. I was always a competitor. I wasn’t much at marching, but I was Sergeant Raisner’s a**-kicking guide. When we went to pugil stick fighting, bayonet training, or whatever was physically competitive, you always competed with the other platoons. So, as Sergeant Raisner’s a**-kicking guide, I marched in front of the platoon when we were going to the physical stuff and as one of Sergeant Raisner’s a**-kicking guides we’d run behind the platoon on runs and encourage people to keep going.”

Mike explained that Sergeant Raisner and his drill instructors ensured recruit screw-ups became never-to-be-forgotten events.

“When you screwed up, you wouldn’t believe the things they did. They had blanket parties. (Trainees causing trouble were covered by a blanket and others punched them.) We lived 20 or 25 in Quonset huts. Everybody had a bucket. If you were going to wash your clothes; you had your soap, your brush, and your bucket. You would sit on your bucket. You always had your bucket. If we did something wrong, they’d take those buckets; fill them with sand; and dump them over our bunks in the Quonsets. You’d clean all night to get the sand cleaned out.”

The rifle range was a major milestone in becoming a Marine that also involved serious physical challenges.

“In the Marine Corps until you went to the rifle range and came back, you couldn’t blouse your trousers. You had to have your trousers down to your shoes. You could blouse your trousers when you returned from the range. We trained with the M-14 (Battle Rifle) in boot camp and I did well at the range. But during the rifle range they’d also make us “duck walk” up and down this hill. You were walking on your feet, but you were squatted down. We’d go duck-walking up Sergeant Raisner’s hill. (Mike laughed) It was steep and we’d spend hours out there. You found out you could push yourself to limits that you didn’t think you had.”

The trainees finally reached week 12 and boot camp graduation. Mike recalled that day.

“I made PFC (Private First Class) out of Boot Camp. That was something I took pride in. We graduated in the morning. The people who had visitors could spend the day with their visitors. We got to walk into the other areas of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, which you couldn’t do before. That evening we loaded up and went to Camp Pendleton by Oceanside, California. There we went to what was called ITR, Individual Training Regiment. That’s where we received our infantry training.”

Mike shared a final reflection about boot camp.

“I can’t say that I enjoyed boot camp, but I’m a Marine. (Mike laughed) Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

Please visit our new exhibit at the Lyon County Museum, The Vietnam War and Lyon County, to learn more about the experiences of our area Vietnam veterans.