Marion J. Buliga: Search and Destroy Missions

By John Hanley, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Marion grew up in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago and graduated from De La Salle High School in 1964. Marion was drafted in October of 1968 but decided that the U.S. Army was not for him so instead joined the United States Marine Corps. He flew to San Diego, CA and started his Basic Training at MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot). He remembers arriving at the training facility on a bus and the first sight of his drill instructor screaming at them even while still in civilian clothes.  They arrived at about 0100 hours in the morning (1A.M. for you civilians) and there was a barber waiting for them as they got off the bus. 

The recruits were assigned a hut and started training the very next day. The training was rough on most and some of the recruits did not fare well. They were sent back to the “fat farm” for more training and weight loss. Marion entered the USMC at 140 lbs. and at graduation weighed 160, almost all of it was extra muscle. Recruits that were trained at this center were referred to as “Hollywood” Marines. 

After Basic Training, he attended Advanced Combat Training with an MOS (military occupational specialty)  of 0331, Marine Corps machine gunner. Marion trained with the M14 rifle along with the M60 machine gun. 

After a short leave home, he was sent over to Vietnam and while they were deplaning,another group of Marines was getting ready to board the plane back home; their mission was complete. His group stayed in Da Nang for a couple of days waiting to see where they would be heading. Finally they boarded helicopters and flew about thirty miles to An Hoa where he joined K Company. 

K Company’s mission was simple: go into villages and conduct a search and destroy mission. There were few people in those villages and they were always on the lookout for weapons or stashes of ammunition.

Marion remembers on Mother’s Day 1969, they were on a mission where seven Marines were shot that day. He is not sure how many made it out alive. He and other members of this patrol had to carry their fellow marines to the end of the line for treatment. Bullets were flying over his head and he was afraid to raise his head for fear of getting killed himself. These were snipers doing the shooting and they could not really see their enemy. Some of them were farmers not the North Vietnamese Army (NVA); they were farmers by day and snipers by night.

He did recall getting an alert that they were to have ice cream flown in one day. While they waited for several hours, a helicopter arrived with the ice cream but unfortunately it was all melted when they opened the Dixie cups. 

After a while in-country, Marion was given a new assignment because he could type 45 words a minute. He was given the task of typing up requests given to him by the officers that put their men / women up for a medal or citation. He cleaned the first drafts up for them before they were submitted for approval; most of the ones he submitted were approved. 

Following his deployment to Vietnam,, he was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC. He continued with his typing skills processing discharge papers for his fellow Marines. Marion achieved the rank of Sergeant E-5. 

After his discharge from the USMC, he attended and graduated from Roosevelt College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.  Upon graduation, he worked for US Steel before it was forced to close. He then worked for Wrigley Gum on the south side of Chicago and was one of the last people to leave that location when it also closed. 

Marion is happily married to his wife Deborah and they have lived in the Mount Greenwood area of Chicago where they raised their two children, son John and daughter Marilyn.  

Lastly, when asked, Marion said he was treated poorly upon his return to the states. I assured him that Honor Flight Chicago will make it up to him on his flight. 

Marion, we thank you for your service! Enjoy your well-deserved Honor Flight day with your fellow veterans.