After graduating high school in 1960, Jim completed boot camp, then enrolled at the University of Arizona. He majored in government and law enforcement. He was on the five-year plan and graduated in 1965 with a B. S. Degree in Public Administration.

 

Jim successfully completed his active military reserve commitment, having attained the rank of corporal. He applied for Marine Officer Candidate School and was accepted. In October of 1966, Jim reported to OCS at Quantico, Virginia. Out of 50 candidates in his platoon, Jim was one of 29 still around at graduation. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in December,1966. He then completed an abbreviated Basic School at Quantico in April of 1967 as part of TBS Class 4-67. Then it was off to Tank Officer’s School at Camp Pendleton.

 

With orders to WESTPAC in his hand, Jim arrived in Vietnam in August, 1967. After a harrowing, sleepless night spent in a tent by the runway at Danang, Jim and eight other lieutenants reported the next day to 3d Tank Battalion near Phu Bai (Gia Le). Jim was assigned assistant S-3 under Major Bruce McLaren. He would report a month later to Alpha Company in Dong Ha, where he would relieve 2/LT Tom Barry, the 1^st Platoon Leader, who had received two Purple Hearts from shrapnel wounds at Con Thien.

 

For the next 40 days, his baptism under fire, Jim dodged NVA artillery, mortars and rockets at the Hill of Angels. First 3/9, then 1/9 held the hill while his tank platoon was there.  His remaining tour saw his platoon operating in support of 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 2/9, and 2/26, covering most of Leatherneck Square from the DMZ to Cam Lo, and up into the DMZ with the 9^th Marines during Operation Thor. After ten months in the field, during which time he was wounded during a mortar attack on Con Thien, Jim went back to Dong Ha to be the XO of Alpha Company.

 

From 1969-70, Jim was the CO of Charlie Company, 2d Tanks at Camp Lejeune. He attained the rank of Captain, USMCR, after he left active duty in 1970.  His decorations include Purple Heart; Navy Commendation w/Combat V; Combat Action Ribbon; Presidential Unit Citation w/Star; Meritorious Unit Commendation w/Star; Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/Palm; and Vietnam Service Medal w/three Stars.

 

Jim next obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. After graduation, he hired on as a parole agent with the California Youth Authority. During a 30-year career in youth corrections, Jim held several positions including Supervising Parole Agent, Institutional Program Manager, and Treatment

Born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Fayetteville, AR, Lieutenant General Martin R. Steele enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in January 1965.  During his initial tour at Camp Pendleton he was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam where he served in First Tank Battalion, First Marine Division.  Subsequently assigned as a Corporal to the Officer Candidates School, General Steele was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in January 1967.  He rose steadily in the ranks, holding positions as Platoon Commander, Executive Officer and Tank Company Commander.  This was followed by a second tour of duty in Southeast Asia and an assignment as Office-in-Charge of Sea School in Portsmouth, VA.

 

In 1973, General Steele returned to Camp Pendleton and served as a Tank Company Commander, Battalion Operations Officer and Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division.  An assignment as an Assault Amphibian Vehicle Company Commander was followed by duty as the Marine Corps Liaison Officer to the Project Manager, M60/M1A1 Tank Program at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command in Warren, MI.  He then served at Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) in Washington, DC as the Tank Acquisition Project Officer.

 

From August 1985 through 1988, General Steele was the Commanding Officer of both 1^st Light Armored Vehicle Battalion and 1^st Tank Battalion.  In July 1988, he transferred overseas where he was assigned as Operations Officer, Combined Forces Command, Republic of Korea.  Upon his return in August 1990, he assumed the duties as the Deputy Director, Marine Air-Ground Task Force Warfighting Center, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, VA.

 

After serving in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, General Steele took over as Director of the Warfighting Development Integration Division at Quantico.  In 1993, he was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned duty as Commanding General, Marine Corps Base, Quantico in June of that year and was selected in November 1994 for promotion to Major General.  He served as the Director of Strategic Planning and Policy, U.S. Forces Pacific, from 1995 to 1997.  He was then promoted to Lieutenant General and assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies and Operations at HQMC.

 

Upon retirement in 1999, General Steele became President and CEO of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, the largest naval museum in the world where they adopted the mission to “Honor our heroes, educate the public and inspire our youth about the price of freedom.”  Currently, he is President and CEO of Uncommon Leadership, LLC, a leadership consulting company whose mission is to develop uncommon leaders of character across a wide audience range from transitioning Marines, to college students and administrators, as well as corporate level executives.

 

His personal decorations include: The Defense Distinguished Service Medal; The Distinguished Service Medal; The Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Meritorious Service Medal; Navy Commendation Medal with gold star; and The Combat Action Ribbon.  Equally notable are his academic achievements: a BA degree from the University of Arkansas, MA degrees from Central Michigan University, Salve Regina College and the Naval War College.  He is a distinguished graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, an honor graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and graduate of the Naval War College.

 

Married to the former Cynthia Bayliss of Little Rock, AR, and father of three grown children, General Steele serves proudly on many boards.  General Steele acts as Vice Chairman of the American Life Insurance Congress Board of Governors, is on the Board of Trustees of the Fisher House Foundation, and serves as Trustee Emeritus on the Intrepid Foundation. He is also an active member on the University of Arkansas Alumni Association and an Advisor Member for the Veterans Advantage Board. In acknowledgement of his achievements, he is the subject of the recently published Boys of ’67, an award winning book about three highly successful Marine officers whose lives reflect personal heroism, dedication and their impact and devotion to the Marine Corps and our country.

 

 

John enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and entered Boot Camp in August 1966.  He graduated from Tank School at Camp Del Mar, Camp Pendleton in April 1967. He and was assigned to 5^th Tank Bn. for the next year.  Promoted to Corporal in July 1967, John carried that rank for the next 18 months.  Deployed to 3^rd Tank Bn. in Vietnam during January 1968, he was assigned first to a provisional platoon from H&S Company and was caught up in the Battle of Hue City during Tet 1968.  Later he was assigned to the 3^rd flame-thrower tank section as section leader.  His tank was deployed with Alfa Company for the next six months and then to Charlie Company.  John rotated back to CONUS in February 1969. He finished out his three years enlistment as a Sergeant with 5^th Tanks at Camp Pendleton.

 

Decorations include:  Marine Corps Commendation w/ ”V”, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, Marine Corps Unit Citation w/ star, Good Conduct, National Defense, Vietnam Service w/ five stars, Republic of Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/ Palm and Vietnam Campaign medals.

 

Life Member: Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation, USMC Vietnam Tankers Association,  Marine Corps Tankers Association, Disabled American Veterans, Third Marine Division Association, Vietnam Veterans of America and the Veterans of the Vietnam War.

 

After his experiences in the Marines and in Vietnam, John opted to finish college and become a civilian.  He has spent most of his working career as a house wares buyer for several department stores and as a sales manager for several house wares manufacturers.  Currently he is an independent manufacturers’ sales representative selling to retail stores in the Northeast.

 

John is married to Dr Jeanne Sharpe, a self-employed chiropractor.  He has four children from his first marriage.  His son, John F. Wear, III, (38) is a Master Sergeant in the US Army and is currently deployed (for his fifth combat tour) in Iraq.  His three daughters (Meghan, 35; Brooke, 32 and Caitlin, 30) are married and are working in Denver, Colorado.  John is a four-time grandfather.

 

Upon graduating from the University of Denver in 1971, John moved from Colorado to follow his career.  He has always wanted to return to Colorado where his entire family resides but there never was an opportunity to do so.  John & his wife recently purchased land east of Albuquerque, New Mexico and in the next five years or so he intends to retire and move there to build a home.  One of John’s long-time hobbies has been pottery making.  His dream is to start a pottery school and teach his craft to others.  This is what he intends to do in New Mexico.  At that time he also plans to spend even more time with his involvement with the Vietnam Tankers Association and the Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation..

Richard enlisted in the Marine Corps from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio during May 1965. He arrived at MCRD San Diego October 1965. After I.T.R. he was selected as in-take processing clerk and troop handler at Schools Battalion, Camp Delmar, Camp Pendleton. He was trained there as 2141. Richard received orders for WestPac in the summer of 1966. Arriving on Okinawa he was sent to Camp Hansen and was assigned to the 3rd Force Service Regiment, Maintenance Battalion as Battalion Mail Clerk (0161.)

Extending his tour he volunteered for Vietnam service, arriving at the 3rd Tank Battalion, H&S Company during July 1967.  Upon re[porting for duty he served with the 3rd Tanks Reactionary Rifle Platoon as M60 machine gunner doing convoy duty on the back of six-bys. He also preformed listening post duty, night patrols and ambushes in the  Phu Bai (Gia Le) area. In early September 1967, he was transferred to Bravo Co., Camp Carroll. His duties included platoon maintenance man for 1st Platoon and then 2nd platoon where he was assigned tank commander and acting platoon Sergeant for a period of time while serving at the Rockpile. Richard rotated home the first week of April 1968 and was relieved of active duty October 1968. He was honorably discharged May 1971.

Richard is the Co-Founder Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation and Founder/President Emeritus of the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association.                                          

He has been a veterans advocate for nearly forty years and was the Founder of the Veterans Crisis & Outreach Center, Newark, Ohio. Volunteered to manage Veterans Crisis & Outreach Center, many years assisting veterans with serviced connected claims and issues involving the Department of Veterans Affairs. Coordinator of Funding with United Way, Founder/National Coordinator, National Vietnam War Era Museum, Armed Forces Community Council, Columbus, Ohio. He represented Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc., testifying  before a Congressional Committee, investigating tobacco addiction and the role of the military. Created and Developed the Sponson Box Magazine for the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association.

Life Member: Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation, Third Marine Division Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars Children's Home, Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc.

Decorations include Combat Action Ribbon; Good Conduct Medal; Presidential Unit Citation w/Star; Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation w/Star; Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/Palm; Vietnam Service Medal w/three Stars, Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Beginning in 1976, Richard and his wife Dona  owned Carey Publishing, selling the publishing business in 1985.  They founded  The Carey Group in 1979, that specialized in marketing and public relation. They continued in that business until he retired in 1990, due to his service-connected disabilities.

Richard and Dona (nee: Ramey) have been married for 39 years and are the parents of four adult children and five grandchildren.