Hi all,
I can't believe it. I just got an e-mail from Bogie last week. He was so jazzed about moving to Oregon with Rose next spring. When he got settled he thought he would come down and visit me here in L.A. I wrote back that I had a spare room with his name on it. Thinking about him, I want to share this story with everyone. You may have heard it before, but maybe not.
Bogie and I joined the Navy together in 1963, went in on the Buddy system. We were supposed to be together for the whole time we were in. (We thought) When we got to Great Lakes we both joined the Recruit Drum & Bugle Corps. (We got out of a lot of crap the other recruits had to do like shoveling snow, K.P duty and who knows what else.) Our company was made up of other drum corps people from lots of other corps. We had someone from Garfield and someone from Blessed Sacrament and a couple from St. Kevins and a few others from other east coast corps.(too long ago, I can't remember who else)
The first day there, besides getting our hair cut and getting all of our uniforms, the company commander, a grizzly old Master Chief Petty Officer called Bogie and I into his office and recognizing our wonderful leadership abilities (after all, we WERE Vanguards) made us both Platoon Leaders.(there were only two platoons) There was one other recruit that was supposedly OUR leader. Can't remember his name, maybe cause he didn't last more than a few weeks. He was from one of the other east coast corps, and had such a strong New York accent he was sometimes hard to understand. He really didn't have any control of the company, and like I said, after a few weeks our Company Commander demoted him and made Bogie the head guy. After that the company did great. We even won some award for best company one week. We got to carry a special flag for that week. Our company, being all Drum Corps was only half the size of the rest of the recruit companies on the base, so that was a pretty great accomplishment. We had a great time in boot camp, even though it was January thru March and very VERY cold. When we did laundry (by hand) we hung the wash outside and it "freeze dried". You didn't want to take your "skivvies" off the line and put them on right away. When we finally finished the 12 weeks of training, Bogie got orders for Washington D.C and I got orders for an air station in Japan. (So much for staying together)
I didn't get to see Bogie when I came back in September because he was having a hernia taken care of, and didn't make it to the mini-reunion. I just figured I'd see him next year. I will miss him.
Bob Cochran
Hi Bob
I didn't know Bogie for very long - my first meeting with Bogie ever was at the 2004 Reunion at the Marriott Lincolnshire. I was very fortunate to meet him and talk with him several times afterwards and I really liked him alot.
From what he had done musically for the Vanguard over the early years I know he was very talented and his reputation preceeded my meeting him by many years.
I do miss him alot - a GREAT guy and true genetleman....
Jay The Web Guy