Lieutenant Colonel Frank M. Izenour, Jr.
United States Marine Corps
1942-1988
Lest we forget...

By
Skip Quant
March 11, 1990
Revised July, 2003

The news of the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy was the headline for that day in June 1968 as I arrived for duty at the Marine Barracks at 8th & I Streets, SE in Washington, D.C.

The officer of the day was Captain Charles Robb, Adjutant of the Post and later the son-in-law of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Chuck Robb later became a U.S. Senator and the Governor of Virginia.

The Commanding Officer was Colonel Joseph C. Fegan, but was soon replaced by Colonel Paul G. Graham, who later became a Brigadier General and after his retirement was elected as the Mayor of Oceanside, California.

I started my tour at 8th & I as the driver and bodyguard for General Lewis W. Walt, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. My immediate supervisor was Major Carl Mundy (later General Carl Mundy, 30th CMC) and Captain Harvey “Barney” Barnum (Retired as Colonel) recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Within six months my security clearance was approved and I was transferred to Ceremonial Guard Company, 2nd Platoon. The Platoon Leader was Lt. Barry E.C. Fellinger, a mustang officer who had been a staff NCO for over 15 years. The Platoon Sgt. was SSgt John Rwznicki.

I quickly rose to Fire team leader, 1st Squad Leader and to Right Guide. The new Platoon Sgt. was John Harmon. Before long, Lt. Fellinger was promoted to Executive Officer and we were told that our new Platoon Leader would be Lt. Frank M. Izenour, Jr. The entire platoon was thrilled over the announcement.

Lt. Izenour was tall, about 6'2”. Sgt. Harmon was short by Marine standards. Harmon was also a “salty short-timer” who was married to a Woman Marine Officer with a new baby. His “Espirit De Corps” was fading fast! On one trip to Camp David, Harmon did something that I learned to avoid...He really irritated Lt. Izenour. To this day, I don't know what Harmon did, exactly, but I do know that it was the last thing he ever did as Platoon Sgt. for “Ike”. as we affectionately called Lt. Izenour. Frank strolled down the hall from Room One at Camp David and handed me a black Leather Belt, worn only by Platoon Sergeants and Officers. He said, “Here, put this on, you're the new Platoon Sergeant”. I looked him squarely in the eye and said...”Yes, Sir.” No questions were asked or answered about the circumstances surrounding my promotion. I became the new Platoon Sergeant of 2nd Platoon.

“Ike” was a real pistol! A great sense of humor and a tame ego. Frank was soon promoted to Captain and began billing himself as a “Captain of Marines”. We all enjoyed his new title, as he did his rank.

After all, we were the Marines of which he was the Captain.

In a very short time, the 2nd Platoon began to shape up and gained a solid reputation as a crack unit, second only to Lt. Sheldon J. Bathurst's Silent Drill Team. Sheldon J. Bathurst later retired as a Colonel.

Every other month, we would rotate with the 3d Platoon for duty at Camp David. Frank loved “The Hill” as we called Camp #3. An avid skier, Frank alternated liberty with me when the President wasn't in residence.

It was now nearing the end of 1968 and President Johnson was ready to leave office. On his last trip to the hill, LBJ and his family said their last goodbyes to the senior people. I recall Lucy and Linda Johnson both flirting with Frank as LBJ called out, “Come on girls, you're in love with enough Marines already”. (Captain Chuck Robb would become LBJ's son-in-law very shortly thereafter).

By no means did Frank consider himself a “Ladies man”, rather a strong silent type. On a few occasions, Frank and I would double date. (I always had to fix him up) The only complaint the girls had was...”He's just too much of a gentleman”. Nice work if you can get it!

Although Frank was only 26 at the time, he was prematurely bald. I suspect it really didn't bother him as much as he pretended. Overall, Ike was unflappable, a real easy going Gyrene Gentleman.

1969 was a New Year with a new President. A President who's son-in law was the namesake of Camp David. We spent a lot of long weekends at Camp David that winter. Often Frank and I would check posts together around the three mile perimeter of Camp David at all hours of the day and night. Frank set a great example for all of us. He didn't just sleep all night while I got up to check posts at 2:00 a.m. It didn't matter how cold it was or what the hour was, Frank was up and on the job, giving encouragement to the men. The all night duty wasn't so bad when the officers were braving the elements along with the men.

One bitterly cold day, Frank and I went on a routine visit to the Field House that served as a storage facility for Camp David. We found an old snow sled and since we had two or three feet of snow on the ground, we decided to check posts via sled. What a ball! That is until we got going too fast down a hill and “Fearless Leader” steered us into a tree. Poor Frank, he was in the front. All I got was the back of his bald head against my chin; he got what was probably a 100-year-old Sycamore tree. It was no contest. Frank was a mess; he looked like he had just fought Muhammad Ali. No more sled trips that year.

As the year wore on, the news of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's failing health became increasingly grim. When I was in the 1st grade, Eisenhower was President. The heart attack he suffered at that time made national headlines. Our class wrote him a get-well letter. We received a very cordial thank you letter from Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower. Little did I know that several years later I would be selected as one of the Marines to serve on President Eisenhower's funeral detail.

We began practicing “Operation Abilene” about six weeks prior to Eisenhower's death. The detail consisted of one officer from each branch of the service, and one enlisted man from each branch of the service. Frank Izenour and I were on the same detail. One day in March 1969 while at Camp David, Frank Izenour called me at Room 10 at BOQ with the news...President Eisenhower had died. We piled into a bus and raced back to the Barracks at 8th & I in Washington to change into our ceremonial dress blues and drove straight to Gawler's Funeral Home to assume the

“Deathwatch“.

The next day the late President's body was moved to the Bethlehem Chapel of the Washington Cathedral. Each branch of the service served a seemingly endless shift that actually only lasted an hour. The duty was tough. Standing at attention, walking in slow motion, everything was in slow motion. A nod from Frank, not visible to the crowd, would signal us to move slowly to Parade Rest, then back to attention with the same nod. I will never forget my feelings as I slowly marched, “Deathwatch” style, past President and Mrs. Nixon and their family, Mamie Eisenhower and Milton, the late President's brother. I was afraid that I would trip or somehow make a mistake. Frank, on the other hand, appeared to be as cool as a cucumber.

Frank's father was a retired Lt. General in the Army...The uncanny and amazing irony was that Frank looked like the spitting image of President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a young officer. One young army Sgt. on the detail came up to Frank and noticing the physical resemblance and identical sounding name, asked, “Sir, are you any relation to General Eisenhower? The wrong choice of words! Frank answered without hesitation in his very dry humor, “Yes; he's my Dad”. The poor Sgt. turned pale and almost passed out! Frank just walked away and winked at us as he passed.

As our shift repeated itself, the more confident we became. From the Washington Cathedral, the body was taken to the Rotunda of the Capitol to lie in state. Frank and I stood guard over the President's casket while such notables as President Richard M. Nixon, Charles DeGaulle, and a host of foreign dignitaries paid their final respects to the legendary General of World War II and former President.

The fact that President Eisenhower was buried in his uniform and former “Ike Jacket” presented a slight problem. The U.S. Army had discontinued the issuance of Tropical shirts. Only the Marine Corps still issued them as part of the uniform. A runner was sent to the Marine Barracks at 8th & I to procure a “very small” Tropical shirt. A young, slightly built Corporal volunteered one of his, not knowing the purpose for which it would be used. “When will I get it back”? Asked the Corporal. The runner replied “we're going to bury him (Eisenhower) in it.” So, underneath the famous “Ike Battle Jacket”, one would find a shirt with the faint stitched outline of a Marine Corporal's chevrons.

The body of the late President was placed on a train en route to Abilene, Kansas. Accompanying the body was Corporal Rich Porter. Frank and I, along with Sgt. Ernie Richardson of 3rd Platoon and 30 or so officers and men on the “Deathwatch” flew to Abilene via Military Air Transport. The officers were billeted in a nearby motel, while the local High School Gymnasium served as “Home” for the enlisted men. We had a long wait for the train to catch up, so Frank and I decided to see the town of Abilene. For some reason that I fail to recall, the town of Abilene was closed! Frank and I were bound and determined to have a cold beer. The only place in town that was open was the local VFW club. We joined! That was the first and last time I (and probably Frank) ever set foot in a VFW Club. No offense meant to the VFW, it just wasn't good timing on our part. Although we were both Viet Nam veterans, that didn't really qualify as a “War” to the regular patrons of that particular club. WWI, WW II, Korea, maybe. But not Viet Nam. Pretty soon night fell and not long after, so did we. Frank was lucky; he didn't have as far to walk.

Lt. Frank M. Izenour (back to camera) Sgt. Skip Quant in front of flag

Bright and early the next morning we met the train at the station. The entourage was there and the parade was forming. As the train pulled into the station, a very hesitant Frank Izenour informed me that only he and I would be assuming the next “Deathwatch” shift due to the limited space on the train car that carried the casket. Frank and I ceremonially positioned ourselves at opposite ends of the casket. How much time elapsed, I don't know? Then it happened...A small party of people, including Mamie Eisenhower boarded the train and approached the casket. Frank and I were standing at attention with our head and eyes straight to the front. Frank and I had a routine worked out. We would stare holes in each other's foreheads. Slowly, one of the men in the party began to fold back the flag draped over the casket. My fears were immediately confirmed, as the side latches were unfastened. The top half of the casket (facing Frank) was opened, exposing the frail, lifeless body of the late President. The urge was too strong for both of us...Frank's eyes widened like saucers with curiosity, so did mine. We both looked down! It was shocking and unforgettable! The curled hands, folded across the chest looked more like a monkey's than a General's. Eisenhower only weighed about 120 pounds when he died, so he had withered away quite a bit.

It never came up between Frank and me until 18 years later when we both admitted to each other that we had looked. We both knew it, but never talked about it.

After the funeral, Frank Izenour was promoted to Executive Officer, reporting to Major Frank Breth. Major Breth would later retire as a Brigadier General. Replacing Captain Izenour as Platoon Leader of 2nd Platoon was First Lieutenant Peter Pace. Lt. Pace was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and had just returned from Viet Nam. Following in Frank Izenour's footsteps was no small task as Frank was extremely popular with the troops. However, Lt. Pace soon gained the respect of all the troops and was a top-notch officer. Before too long, Lt. Pace was assigned to replace Lt. Thomas Esslinger as Platoon Leader of the Special Ceremonial Platoon, which included the Silent Drill Team, Color Guard, and the Body Bearers. In 1988, Peter Pace, now a Colonel, returned to the Marine Barracks at 8th & I, in Washington, D.C. as the Commanding Officer. Peter Pace later became a Four Star General and Commander in Chief of the U.S. Southern Command, reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense. In August, 2001, President George W. Bush nominated General Peter Pace to the position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After confirmation by the Senate, General Pace became the highest ranking Marine Corps in history. In April 2005, President George W. Bush nominated General Pace to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Despite the urging of First Sergeant Leland “Crow” Crawford to refuse my orders to go back to Viet Nam and remain at the barracks until my release date of 15 March 1970, I left Washington D.C. in January 1970. In February 1970, I was released early from active duty and returned home to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In September 1970, I left Florida for California. The week after I left, my Mother got a phone call from Frank Izenour; he was in town and wanted to see me. Lousy timing!

Frank had received orders to go back to Viet Nam. Although wounded the first time around, Frank was luckier on his second tour. Saigon in 1971, when a Dong was still worth a Dong! (The Dong was the monetary unit of the Republic of South Viet Nam.)

Frank and I missed connections on his return to the States. I would call Frank or he would call me every November 10th on the Marine Corps Birthday. In the last few years we would call more often, maybe it was the AT&T ads, I don't know...

Frank talked about his retirement almost each and every call. In April 1988, I called Frank to let him know I would be attending a meeting in Washington, D.C.

Frank's office was in Crystal City, just across from National Airport. On April 11, 1988 I waited with anticipation for my old friend whom I hadn't seen for 19 years. The elevator opened and down the hall strode the same Frank Izenour, tall, still slim, and relatively unchanged in 19 years. What a great reunion! We sat and talked for five hours and ten beers! Frank invited me to come out to the house and meet his family. I had to conduct a Seminar and wasn't able to break away, however, I assured him that I would be back in Washington again soon. I did return the next month, but Frank got lost so we missed each other again. Oh well, I knew we'd get together again soon. We talked a few more times after his retirement in June, mostly about his progress in his consulting work.

I missed the usual November 10th call, but made a follow up call a month or so later. On Friday, December 16th, 1988 Frank called and was very excited about a new book he was writing. That book won't be finished now... Frank M. Izenour, Jr. died late in the evening on Friday, December 16th of a massive heart attack. He left a widow, Susan, and two young children Chris and Katy. Frank Izenour was also survived by his parents, Lt. Gen. Frank M. Izenour, Sr. and mother Billie.

Colonel Peter Pace, Commanding Officer of the Marine Barracks 8th & I Streets, Washington D.C. presided over the funeral of his old friend Lt. Col. Frank M. Izenour, Jr. and presented the United States Flag , on behalf of a grateful nation, to Frank's widow, Susan Izenour.

I didn't find out about Frank's death until March 13, 1989 when making a routine call to just say hello. It has taken me a year to be able to put these words on paper so his family would have some knowledge of Frank's “Glory Days” at the Marine Barracks, 8th & I Streets, Washington, D.C.

Frank Izenour will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He was a great Marine and a great man.

Here's to you, Frank. Lest we forget...

Lt. Frank M. Izenour, Jr.
April, 1968
Center House BOQ
Marine Barracks
8th & I Streets
Washington, D,C.

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