Marine buddies band together for Alzheimer's walk

Marine buddies band together for Alzheimer's walk
Sep 20, 2013 (The News-Sentinel (Menafn - Fort Wayne - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -

The Marine motto of never leaving a Marine behind doesn't just apply to the battlefield.

Three of Wade Smola's Vietnam buddies are coming from Chicago; Louisville, Ky.; and Indianapolis to walk with him and his family Saturday in the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's.

A Fort Wayne native, Smola joined the Corps in October of 1967, reported to Monument Circle in Indianapolis to be sworn in, was bused to San Diego for boot camp and then transferred to Camp Pendleton for infantry training before being shipped to Vietnam. He served one tour of duty as a Marine private in the Hoosier Platoon 1108 and was honorably discharged in 1971.

On returning home he used the GI Bill to earn bachelor and master degrees in fine arts and graphic design. After his employer went out of business five years ago and he was unable to find work, he suffered depression and began showing signs of early Alzheimer's. He was officially diagnosed with the disease in January.

Because of his condition, his daughter, Azure, has been taking him to the annual platoon reunions the past few years in Spencer, southwest of Bloomington, and keeping in touch with his buddies via the Internet.
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