James E. Frazier
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Marines
James E. Frazier served in World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War.
He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1944, at the age of sixteen.
After completing basic training at the Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, Mr. Frazier was assigned to a military police unit at Naval Base Treasure Island, California. His job there was to load ammunition on Merchant Marine ships. Next, Mr. Frazier was a guard at the Shoemaker Naval Prison. He was then assigned to the Military Police at the Port Chicago Ammunition Depot, California.
At the end of the war, Mr. Frazier was discharged and went back to Windom High School to finish his studies.
Mr. Frazier rejoined the Marines at age twenty-two after attending college, with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He was sent to Quantico, Virginia, for training and then to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to attend Amphibious Training School.
Mr. Frazier was assigned the position of Embarkation Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Camp Lejeune, and was sent on a six-month tour of duty in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Cambria.
Mr. Frazier continued to serve in the Marine Corps and then joined the Marine Reserves. He stayed in the reserves for thirty-six years, retiring with the rank of Colonel.
Units Mr. Frazier was attached to and his role in each unit are Platoon Leader and Company Commander of 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Company Commander of the 65th Rifle Company of the 4th Marine Division in Duluth, Minnesota; and the Navy Supply Officer of the 4th Marine Air Wing at the Naval Air Station in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
During his time in the Marine Corps, Mr. Frazier was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California; Cherry Point, North Carolina; El Toro, California; Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, Virginia; the Coronado Naval Amphibious Base in California; and Vieques Training Base, the training center for the 2nd Marine Division.
Mr. Frazier also served on the Marine Corps Reserve Policy Board, located at Marine Corps headquarters, the Pentagon.
James Frazier was born at the Fort Snelling military hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1928, the son of Fredrick and Violet (Spielman) Frazier.
Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall veteran history form (below)
“There are so many experiences I have had in my long career in the USMC, I could not relate them all. The one most memorable was when the USMC prepared for the Bay of Pigs during the Cuban Missile Crisis during the Kennedy presidency.”
