BOLES, CARL D.

By his wife, Marcia Boles

Carl was born in 1925 in Santa Ana, Ca. He was the oldest of 3 boys. His brother Robert was born in 1927 and Jimmy was born in 1929. They grew up in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles and attended John Marshall High.

Let me begin with a humorous story about how Carl joined the Marines. As a young boy with no money…he would sneak into the movie theater. Not to see the movie. He wanted to see the newsreels. He was very upset over the war in Europe and angry about Germany’s invasion of Poland and Czechoslovakia. When Carl was 16, he decided he wanted to join the Marine Corps, (only problem was you couldn’t join the Marines until 17, with parents’ permission) but he was determined to become a Marine.

In the 1940s the post office was also the recruitment center with separate rooms for Army, Navy and Marines. In December 1942, Carl took his birth certificate and headed for the post office to enlist. He knew if he was asked to show the birth certificate, he couldn’t become a Marine. As he passed through the post office, he spotted a pen and ink well. Carl dipped the pen in the ink and…oops…a drop of ink fell right on the year on the birth certificate.

After careful inspection, Carl decided it looked very obvious and would never pass approval. Still determined, he marched into the recruitment office and filled out an enlistment form.

He was then sent to the next room for a physical. Having passed the physical, the corpsman ask to see his birth certificate and “ditty bag.” Carl replied he hadn’t brought them with him. He was told to return with the certificate and “ditty bag” as he would then be leaving immediately for boot camp in San Diego.

Still determined to become a Marine, Carl returned a few days later. The recruiting officer looked through the paperwork and said he needed to see the birth certificate, since it was the only thing not checked off the paperwork. With a puzzled look, Carl said, “Sir, I showed my birth certificate the other day. I do not have it with me now.” The corpsman was a little suspicious and replied, “Well then, who did you show it to?”

Carl looked around the room and picked out a guy the most distance away. He pointed and said “I think that was the Marine I showed it to.” The recruiter yelled across the room, “Hey Joe, did you see this kid’s birth certificate the other day?” Joe turned and stared Carl right in the eyes. Carl didn’t flinch and stared right back. The staring contest lasted a long time and Joe finally said… “Yeah, I saw it.” Carl felt both recruiters knew it was a lie, but he felt because he didn’t back down…he apparently passed the test. So, 8:00 p.m. that night, he was on a bus heading for San Diego. Carl started boot camp in San Diego in December 1942. Boot camp lasted 4 months. He graduated from boot camp in 1943. He was honorably discharged in 1945 after the war.

On graduation day in San Diego, Carl graduated with 1,800 Marines. Just after the ceremony, a Marine officer stepped up on the platform. He said they were looking for a few volunteers for a “Commando type” unit called the Raiders. The Marine officer asked for any Marines that were interested, please step forward. 73 Marines volunteered, but only 22 were accepted. Carl was one of the 22. He was personally interviewed and accepted to become a Marine Raider by Jimmy Roosevelt. (son of the President.) Carl was in the 2nd Marine Raider Bn. under the leadership of Evans Carlson. Hence, the 2nd Bn. was known as the “Carlson Raiders.” It was later under the command of Lt. Col. Alan Shapley.

Special Ops training was done at Camp Elliot in San Diego, New Caledonia, New Herbrides and various other small islands in the Pacific. Bougainville was his first big battle. Carl was in the machine gun squad. He was injured on Bougainville in the line of duty during a supply run. He was hit in the head by shrapnel. He did not request a Purple Heart. Raiders felt they were not entitled to a Purple Heart unless they were severely injured, permanently maimed or killed. They felt they were just doing their job.

Carl also saved the life of a fellow Marine Raider. Their unit was hit and when the fight was over, only Carl, the sergeant and Monte Lawrence were still standing. Monte was wounded. Carl threw Monte over his shoulder and carried him down the trail to safety.

Carl was also on Guadalcanal, Guam, and several smaller Islands in between. In 1944 the Raiders were disbanded and Carl became part of the 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division. He served his country from 1942 until the war ended in 1945. Later he also enlisted in the Korean War and trained troops being sent overseas. Due to family hardship, he was unable to complete his full term of duty.

In 1945 Carl had just gotten out of the Marine Corps of WW 2. He and his pals hung out at Santa Monica Beach. The Govt. paid veterans that did not wish to attend school and didn’t have a job $20.00 per week for 52 weeks (known as the 52/20 plan).

One particular day at the beach, Carl was talking to a group of guys. A friend (Carl doesn’t remember his name) mentioned he had just gotten a job working for the studios.

Carl asked, “Doing what?” The guy answered, “As an electrician.” He asked Carl if he’d be interested in working at the studios, but Carl said he didn’t know anything about electricity. The guy told Carl not to worry. Everything was color coded. They exchanged telephone numbers and a few days later Carl got a telephone call from General Service Studios. Carl’s first day of work (as a permit) was November 11, 1945. He worked as a permit until September 9, 1946 when he finally became a member of Local 728.

There was never a day that Carl didn’t enjoy going to work. One of the earlier shows Carl worked on was the matinee series called “Hopalong Cassidy” with William Boyd.

The almost complete list of credits can be found on IMDB.

Carl was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2005 and although no longer was able to work, there was never a day that he didn’t wish he was at the studios waiting for the next set up. He missed the work, he missed the crew, he missed the “fun” and “joy” that being in the motion picture business brought to him.

Carl’s first marriage was in October, 1946. They had one child, a son Dale, in 1947. Carl divorced and his 2nd marriage was to Marcia Glosup AKA Marcia Myles. Marcia worked as a stand-in and occasional stunt double. They met on the set of “Apples Way,” a TV sit-com in the 1970s. Carl became step-father to Marcia’s 4-year-old son Charles Glosup. Charles followed in Carl’s footsteps as he is now a gaffer for the studios.

Carl called it “a wrap” and left us on February 10th, 2008.