This morning I was contacted by Paul Venti, needless to say it was a great surprise to hear from someone from my old class of '57'. After seeing some of the photos from the various reunions I wish that I was able to attend at least one of them. Maybe 2012. Take care to all and email me if you have a chance .
later. Frank Printing vocational 1957
My name is john kozaka and when I saw the message on the web site, I went to the year
book to look you up. In the year book, you said you wanted to join the Marines. From your
email address I could tell that you did just that and that it required a Hu-Rah! Not going into
the Marines was a big disappointment to me, but I was 4F with bad knees from football at
UMass. One of our class mates at PHS, Tom Mulcahy, upped in the late 50's and did 8 years
in the Corp. Tom Kirby from UMass and captain of the '63 football team was a helecopter
pilot in Nam. I didn't put my name down because it usually shows automatically on the email.
I don't think we knew each other at PHS. Sorry for not including my name.
Part of an email I received from Frank: Hey John, the correct name is Master Gunnery Sergeant. MGySgt is the highest rank a Marine can attain along with a Sgt Major. Both ranks are E-9s. The major scaring is on my left leg, which thanks to a B-40 rocket round during the battle of Hue in 1968, almost caused me to lose my left leg. They did fix me up pretty good, and the Marines allowed me to stay in the Corps provided I could still pass the running portion of the physical fitness test. Time was alloted for me to get my leg back in shape again I passed the test, in fact, beat out some younger Marines. I graduated from the U of Maine, after 5 years. I married a great gal I met in Maine while I was on recruiting duty and we have 4 children.
