James Alphonse Gura

Joan Gura's 75th Birthday Celebration - Sept 28th, 2014
All Children, Spouses, Grandchildren, and Great Grandchildren

James Alphonse Gura - Husband
Joan Slavik (Dowdle) Gura - Wife
Married: Aug 3, 1959

Children

James' History

1952 - 1954 Ursuline High School

1954 - 1956 Struthers High School - Class of 1956

1956 Paris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot
Platoon 238, "C" Company, 1st Battalion for Boot Camp from July 23rd 1956 to end of October 1956. SSgt McKeon's Court Marshall was going on during my boot camp.

1956 - 1957 Camp Pendleton

1957 - 1958 Camp Courtney, Okinawa
3rd Marine Division

1958 Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station - MCAS

1958 - 1962 Henderson Hall, Washington DC - HQMC
I was Corporal and promoted to Sergeant while working in the Casual Company Office which carried small detachment of Marines all over the world. One was Col. John Glenn while he was in the NASA program and when he orbited the earth.
Some times several of us guys would go to the Washington Monument and race up the stairs to the top as a form of exercise. Also how I froze during President Kennedy's inauguration parade. Especially driving an open air Jeep pulling the Tennessee float with girls on top and the wind that about froze them. It sure was freezing.

1962 - 1963 Fort Benning, GA
Independent duty at US Army base. I was Marine NCO in charge of Officers & Enlisted attending various training schools, Airborne, Ranger, Inf.Off.Career Course, and assisted a Lt Col Victor Kelber in instructions in Amphibious Warfare to the listed courses. Was in Ft. Benning during the 13 days in October of 1962 when the 11th Air Assault Division was formed.

Life
After graduation in '56 spent 7 years in the Marine Corps, where I met my wife and married in 1959. We have 5 grown children, 3 girls and 2 boys. We have 16 grandchildren ages 32-3 and 8 great-grandchildren. We moved around and have lived in Va, Tenn, Ga, NC, Ohio and in the Dallas,Texas area since 1975, specifically Plano, Texas. We now live 30 miles south of Dallas in Ennis, TX the Bluebonnet Capital of Texas and the National Polka Festival held Memorial Day Weekend. As of 2009 we now have 4 great-grandchildren.

Childhood Memories
THE SONG "GOD BLESS AMERICA" was sung to me daily by my Dad when I was 4-5 years old. My dad worked the graveyard shift 11pm - 7am and would go to bed around 2pm - 3pm in the afternoon and he would put me down for my nap at the same time. He would sing to me as we laid in bed. I can still hear him singing with his Slovak accent. That song always bring tears to my eyes hearing my Dad sing GOD BLESS AMERICA. - James Gura

50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration - Aug 9, 2009
All the Children, Spouses, Grandchildren, and Great Grandchildren.

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