They Also Serve

Johnson knew he could get his ass blown off in Korea, but that was a risk his government was willing to take. The story begins in 1952 when the three U. S. Navy Dental Technicians were assigned to the U. S. Marine Corps at Parris Island, S. C. The three were unlikely friends: Johnson, a self-professed “Redneck,” and Dubeau, a proud Cajun, were white and from the South. Carter was black and from the North. They learned they would not be going to Korea but would remain at Parris Island . . . “till this damn war’s over,” said the Chief.
They were bored, but life got better when Johnson won a classic 1939 Packard in a raffle, and they spend their off-duty hours in the nearby towns and the Lowcountry Sea Islands for beach parties and fishing. Segregation creates problems for Carter, who falls in love with Maria, a beautiful young lady from the Gullah Community on St. Helena Island.