13. Valentine in Vietnam and Beyond
During the Vietnam War, Valentine earned his combat air wings as a helicopter door gunner. Reminiscing about his experiences decades later, he stated “I served with many fine and heroic men and women during some of our country‘s major combat missions … The friendships and respect we have for one another has lasted through the years“. In 1973, after 31 years in uniform, Valentine retired from the Marines with the rank of Sergeant Major.
However, retirement did not end Valentine’s involvement with the Marines. In 1980, he got a job in Camp Pendleton as a civilian employee, running retirement seminars for Marines and sailors, and helping them land jobs in the civilian world. By the time that the second career came to an end three decades later, Valentine estimates that he had helped about 20,000 transitioning service members. All in all, Sergeant Major Valentine spent 65 years with the Marines, both in and out of uniform, before finally retiring for good in 2014.
