|
 Jay
A. Jamieson, M.D. was born in Passaic, New Jersey, a baby
boomer and the third of four children to Roger and Betty
Jamieson, both World War II Veterans. At age l0, he and his
family moved from northern suburban New Jersey to the sunny
central coast of California. He attended Willamette University
in Salem, Oregon graduating with a B.A. in biology in 1975 and
received his medical degree from Northwestern University in
Chicago in 1980.
In 1994, with the 50th anniversary of D-Day
Normandy, Dr. Jamieson developed a keen interest in the
history of World War II and, in particular, the Pacific
theater. He and his father, Roger (an officer in the Marines
during WWII) studied and revisited the sites of 3 battles. The
book, Once a Marine: Honoring the Life of My Father, Roger
Jamieson, USMCR (ret.) is the culmination of 14 years of
research and writing. It recounts the story of his father’s
humble upbringing, his Marine Corps training and battles and
his return to Okinawa, Guam and Saipan fifty years later.
Jay married Kelly Mulligan in 1976. After he
completed his residency in Family Practice at Good Samaritan
Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, they moved back to Salem
for 2 years and Jay worked at the West Salem Clinic,
fulfilling his obligations with the National Health Service
Corps.
In 1985, Jay and Kelly and their 3 young boys
(David, Daniel and Joseph) accepted a call to serve short term
in the mission field through Youth With a Mission, an
international Christian missionary organization. The Jamiesons
lived in Manila, Philippines for a year. Jay worked in clinics
attending to the medical needs of Manila’s poorest residents.
Kelly, aside from her daily tasks of raising the boys, gave
health lectures at one of the clinics, and also volunteered at
a nearby World Vision orphanage.
Upon moving back to Salem, in 1987, Jay started
private practice with Gregory M. Thomas, M.D. in nearby
Keizer, Oregon where he remains today. Aside from working in a
busy practice, life became centered on raising five children
(Holly and then Erin came along) and attending and coaching
hundreds and hundreds of baseball, football, soccer and
basketball games and cross country, track and wrestling meets.
|
|
|
We kids all knew
about the Marines. We were indoctrinated and believed they
were the top branch in all the U.S. Armed Forces. Most of my
early recollections about World War II were based on the
Hollywood heroics of John Wayne, the television series,
“Combat” and the like. My understanding about what our World
War II veterans did was superficial, at best.
But when I was 32,
I lived in Manila, Philippines for a year doing medical
missionary work. While there, my wife, Kelly, and I visited
the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. Kelly’s uncle, Don
Mulligan, a World War II soldier was buried there along with
over 17,000 other heroes. Over 32,000 additional names are
etched on a series of walls in the center of the cemetery. The
sight of all those grave stones in such a peaceful setting had
a profound effect on me; so many young lives gone in the prime
of their life. They died so I could have my freedom. That left
a lasting impression
In 1994, while
watching a documentary on the 50th anniversary of D-Day
Normandy, I began to think about my dad and what he must have
gone through in the Pacific. I knew he had quietly harbored a
lot of guilt and pain over the years. It became my goal and
passion to help him experience as much healing as possible.
Thus, we joined a reunion tour to Okinawa and took side tours
to Guam and Saipan. The year of preparation and the trip
yielded many unexpected surprises and discoveries.
Part One of this
book chronicles Roger Jamieson’s life growing up in New Jersey
and continues through his Marine Corps career. Part Two is a
story of rediscovery in which my dad and I retrace his steps
as a Marine officer with the hope of coming to terms with his
past.
Dr. Jay
Jamieson
2008
|
|
