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Penico joined the marines in 1943 and

reached the rank of colonel in 1956. He
took part in four wars during his time in the

corps—along with many other assignments.

being in the Marines certainly puts
two landings, on Leyti and Zamboanga, Three months later, as the Korean

you in a training mood.” He and his and won a promotion to corporal.
War geared up, he was commissioned
wife work out regularly at Fort Sanders After the war’s end, Penico stayed
as a 2nd Lieutenant. For a year he com-

West. “And third, you’ve got to keep in the Pacific for 15 months or so, then manded an infantry platoon near Seoul
your mind alive and growing.”
took part in the Chinese Civil War. “I and the 39th Parallel, then at a combat

on the wall of Penico’s home office was in logistics support in Beijing, get- service group in Puson.
hangs an oversized map of the world, ting fuel for planes and tanks,” he says. In 1951, Penico taught at the Ma-

colored in swaths of red, blue, and “I’d fly down to Tiensing, then ride the rine Corps Basic School in Quantico,
green pins. “Red is me. green is Sharon. fuel trains back.”
Virginia. He then switched to artillery

And blue is us together.” Red pins dot When he returned to Philadelphia, and was sent to 29 Palms, California, in
Japan and East Asia, not only from Penico completed his remaining 2 2 the high desert about an hour’s drive

World War II but also Penico’s years years of high school in four months, from Palm Springs. “I loved artillery,”
stationed in okinawa, in charge of Ma- getting his South Philly High diploma at he says. “It was a much more technical

rine security at embassies in 15 coun- age 22. He went on to the university of subject than you’d think it would be.
tries and later all Marines in the Far Pennsylvania on the gI Bill, majoring in You use your trigonometry, and I loved

East. green pins cover the Middle East psychology and working part time at a the part about teaching.” He com-
and Europe from Sharon’s years in the settlement house for troubled youth.
manded a 155 Howitzer Battery for two

Marine Reserve refueling group based “You could learn a lot about leader- years, attaining the rank of captain.
on Alcoa Highway. And blue pins mark ship watching the gangs in operation,” In the mid ‘50s, Penico commanded

spots such as Hawaii and Burma that he recalls. “In those groups, you can the 3rd Marine Division on okinawa,
they’ve visited together. “But I have
see who the leader is, because every- then the 1st Battalion of the 12th

a bucket list that won’t quit,” he says. body does what he says. I formed a Marine Firing Battalion. It was the
“I’ve never been to the Pyramids. I’ve Scout troop and took a camping trip. era of police actions for the Marines,

never been through the Suez Canal.”
At the end, I said, ‘Now you have to including one around Borneo that had
Penico’s journey began on Febru- give back everything you’ve stolen.’ Penico’s battalion in an LST (short for

ary 28, 1926, in Philadelphia. one day And they did.”
“landing ship, tank,” the vessels used to
in 1942, while he was a student at While he was in school, he had re- support amphibious operations) sailing

South Philly High, he saw the movie mained in the Maine Corps Reserve. So circles around Borneo for 30 days. Wa-
Wake Island with McDonald Carey a month before graduation from Penn, ter was scarce on the LST, and Penico

and William Bendix, about Marines on he got a set of orders saying, “Come remembers the boat’s skipper once ask-
Wake Island after the bombing of Pearl back to active duty.” He wrote back ing everyone who wanted a shower to

Harbor. “I came out of that theater saying he was graduating, and they come on deck. The skipper then sailed
and walked right over to the Marine suggested that, as a college graduate, he the craft through a squall, providing all

recruiter,” says Penico.
apply for an officer’s commission. He the shower water anyone needed.
After boot camp at Parris Island, did so, and—in a great military tradi- Then came 3 2 years as an artil-

South Carolina, he attended Marine tion—heard nothing for months. He lery inspector/ instructor at a Marine
aviation school at oklahoma university. took a job driving a Yellow Cab, and at Reserve site in Pico Reviera, Cali-

once he reached his 18th birthday, he Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, he fornia, and then, in 1962, Penico was
was shipped overseas to the Admiralty once picked up Nat King Cole on his assigned to Manila, the Philippines, as

Islands off New guinea. He took part in
way to a gig in West Philly.
designated officer in charge of Marine

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