Alyssa Saldana

Jasmine Jimenez

Period 3

Enoch “Mac” McClain

Marine Corps

6 Years Served

2016

Enoch “Mac” McClain

On December 18th, 1946, Enoch “Mac” McClain was born and raised in a small Louisiana town. McClain grew up with very religious parents, his father being a World War II and Korean War Veteran.

One day, marine recruits visited McClain’s School. For a school with a graduating class of only 57, such an event was a huge deal. The young McClain was not interested in joining the service at first but explained that the Marine’s uniform became his driving force. The moment he saw a Marine wearing it, he decided he wanted to as well. When describing this, he laughed at the irony of such a small reason influencing him to make such a serious decision.

Mac McClain entered the United States Marine Corps in 1965. When Mac McClain first arrived at boot camp, he was hit with reality. McClain thought back on one of his first memories of him laying on his cot, thinking why did he sign up for this. He recalled, “I remember thinking that night, I have made a terrible career choice.” Boot camp proved to be a mentally mentality testing struggle. McClain told of the brutal yet successful ways of the sergeants and the rigid discipline. In fact, the principles engraved at boot camp have stuck with McClain. He still exercises every morning and night, much like he used to. However, the one thing Mac McClain remembered most about boot camp was that it was his first exposure to universal acceptance.

Having been raised in a time of segregation, McClain was accustomed to racism and judgement. For this reason, he clearly and joyously recalled the accepting nature of everyone regardless of ethnicity or religion.

Mac McClain also shared that boot camp could not have better prepared him for what was to come in war. After weeks of training, the day had finally come in 1966 when McClain was deployed for his first leave to Vietnam. He was selected to be a rifleman and was assigned to a group with soldiers he had never met before. His first experiences in war quickly became stressful. McClain described being involved in ambush attacks every day which always caused casualties. While on patrol he would hear a loud noise and someone would yell, “Fire in the hole,” indicating a soldier had triggered a booby trap. Casualties began to be a usual occurrence, something inevitable. As McClain explained about his surroundings of violence and suffering, “You never truly get used to it, you adapt.”

McClain then went on to describe one of his first most memorable experiences as a rifleman. His group was asked to guard an airport in Vietnam. They were provided with tents and cots as living quarters (a luxury compared to holes in the ground they had used before). At the time, he vividly remembered watching the film, “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World” when the troops had been informed about an attack on another American camp. McClain was shipped over to the attack in the first wave of helicopters and arrived to a massacre scene. McClain along with other soldiers had to load dead bodies and were quickly ordered to chase after the enemy. There came a point where McClain and his unit were told to charge the line of opposing North Vietnamese. At this moment, Mac McClain believed he would die. He specifically recalled a sergeant in charge rallying the troops to get up, fight, and “die like a Marine.” As bullets flew past his head, McClain made made his way to the top of the hill. He stated, “I could feel the wind of bullets pass me.” His driving force was the thought of his mother. Praying to live and pleading “Oh God don’t let me die,” McClain finally made it safely. Though, once at the American side, he was ordered to retrieve the wounded. McClain precisely remembers a blonde haired, blue eyed young boy who had bullets shot down his torso. He was able to carry him to a helicopter though received little help lifting him onto the transportation. McClain became emotional when he described this soldier’s death. He explained that he felt it was his duty to return the man he didn’t even know to his family. That he’d want the same to be done for him.

Overall, Enoch “Mac” McClain shared his story of his remarkable service for our country. Though, he still struggles from post traumatic stress disorder and explained that he will never be the same due to the amount of mental trauma the war caused. To deal with this, he keeps busy attending yearly reunions and serving the Riverside National Cemetery. He shared that, “Talking about it and keeping busy is what helps the most.” His sacrifices depict just how important our country is. As McClain finished, “I would never trade that experience for the anything in the world.”