SGT. Mark Genovese
U.S. Marine Corps. – Marine Security Guard
Marine Security Guard Battalion
Warsaw, Poland, Tel Aviv, Israel, Havana, Cuba
August 31, 1974-September 8, 1978
U.S. Marine Corps. – Marine Security Guard
Marine Security Guard Battalion
Warsaw, Poland, Tel Aviv, Israel, Havana, Cuba
August 31, 1974-September 8, 1978
“I am what I am because of the Marine Corps.”
Mark Genovese was born on July 2nd, 1956, in New Haven, CT. Mark was the middle child of five children. His parents, Jake and Donna Mae, met while they were both serving in the Marine Corps. All four of the Genovese boys served in the Marine Corps. His uncle was a Marine, fought at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir and was the biggest influence in his joining the Marine Corps.
Mark wasn’t much of a student. “I despised school. I just didn’t want to apply myself”. He loved football and played outside linebacker and tight end. “I had a little bit of speed, but not a lot”. Mark just wanted to graduate and do something, but he wasn’t sure what that would be. He spent time at the family electrical business where he met Hayes Gibson, a black police officer from the Town of North Haven who worked part time for his dad. “He always had a smile on his face. He always looked happy and was a nice guy. I wanted to be just like him”. Officer Gibson was the biggest influence in Mark’s decision to become a police officer.
Mark considers himself a fighter. In 10th grade he was on the verge of failing a history class and the teacher told him if he didn’t get at least a B+ he wouldn’t pass the class and would have to repeat the 10th grade. Mark read his textbook from cover to cover twice. He passed the test with a grade of 98%. His teacher was sure he cheated. “I studied as hard as a I could and that’s why I got a 98. If you think I cheated, and you can prove it go ahead”.
In March of his senior year, Mark had his mother sign the papers so he could enlist in the Marines. In August he left for boot camp at Parris Island, just as the Vietnam War was winding down. Bootcamp was an eye-opening experience.
When Mark arrived at bootcamp he thought he was in pretty good shape. “Boy was I wrong”. Pullups, sit-ups and a three-mile run. Mark was able to exceed the minimum score but not by much. He vowed those would be the lowest scores he ever recorded. As bootcamp progressed Marks body changed from a boy to a man, and he continually improved his scores on the physical fitness aspect of training. By the time bootcamp is complete, Marks cloths no longer fit, and he was a lean, mean, Marine.
Mark had the highest scores at the shooting range of the four platoons of recruits on prequal day. Mark was an experienced marksman having grown up around guns. “I was constantly shooting”. Mark received an Expert qualification on the range. Later, when he reached his unit, he received an Expert rating shooting at targets 500 yards away. The Marines trained Mark in several different small arms and Mark learned as much about these weapons as possible.
Mark was initially assigned to be a radio/operator repairman with the 2nd Tank. Battalion. The Vietnam War was raging on, and he knew Radio Operators were being targeted by the enemy. Mark was assigned to the repair shop where he found himself bored beyond belief. He thought there must be somewhere in the Marine Corps he could be more useful and he decided to violate a basic military principal of “never volunteer”. Mark volunteered for every training available. Things have gone from bad to worse. Undaunted Mark continues to volunteer hoping he can find something to do that interests him. His constant volunteering for training catches the attention of the Gunnery Sargent who is the career planner for the Marine Corps and he called Mark into his office. As luck would have it the Gunny mentioned Marine Security Guard (MSG) training. He told Mark these spots were reserved for the top 15% of the Marine Corps. Mark applied and he was accepted. He packed his bags and headed to MSG School at Henderson Hall in Washington, DC.
MSG was 13 weeks long and Mark believes the training was most extensive he has ever received. “You were training when you were asleep. They could come in your room in the middle of the night and tell you an attack was coming. We had four inspections every day. If you screwed up at all, you were gone”. Intense physical training and extensive classroom training including bomb detection, dining room etiquette, and security and protection of both property and personnel. Mark recalled an attrition rate of approximately 50%.
Mark received training in a variety of firearms including the Smith and Wesson model 10 and model 19 Revolvers, the 12-gauge shotgun, the Israeli Uzi and the German MP5. The shotgun and the revolver are the weapons the Marines will be issued. These weapons are chosen because they are designed for close combat and defensive use. The Marines will be protecting an Embassy which is considered a small environment where larger weapons are not as effective.
Mark graduated from this rigorous program, but now he needed to clear an FBI background check to allow him to receive Top Secret security clearance. He was able to explain a youthful indiscretion with the North Haven Police Department but there was a concern that his family had ties to Vito Genovese, a reputed Mafia boss in the tri-state area. There is in fact a family connection by blood that Mark was never made aware of. After some investigation it was determined his family had no direct ties to the alleged mob boss and his security clearance is granted. It was December of 1975, and Mark was now a Marine Embassy guard.
Four weeks before graduation, the Marines were told of the various countries where they could possibly be stationed. They completed a sheet, called the “dream sheet” with their top three choices for assignment. Mark chose Tokyo, Japan, Bangkok, Thailand and Canberra, Australia. When the Marines were gathered to learn of their duty assignments, the First Sergeant announces, “Lance Corporal Genovese, Warsaw, Poland. At that time, Poland was a Soviet Bloc country and considered a hardship tour. Later, Mark learned he was chosen for that assignment because he finished in the top five in his class.
In early January Mark found himself in Warsaw Poland. As a security guard at a foreign embassy, the Marines would be responsible for the health and well-being of the U.S Ambassador and the Embassy staff. They were also to avoid friendships with the local nationals. This also meant the Marines could not be married nor could they plan to get married while they were a MSG. “Lose lips sink ships”.
Poland was a dreary, very poor, communist country with few of the amenities of the United States. The stores had long lines and empty shelves typical of failed, planned economies and very unlike the capitalist system of the U.S. Everything the Embassy needs is shipped in. The American Embassy and Marine House make up the compound that is surrounded by a fence. On the brighter side, the U.S. has completed its pull out from Vietnam and Mark knows he won’t be going to serve in southeast Asia.
There are 13 Marines in the detachment assigned to the Embassy and Mark finds that the unit is not as cohesive as a Marine unit should be. Later that will lead to 3 Marines being dismissed for inviting Polish nationals back to the Marine living quarters.
Mark occupied his free time playing platform tennis with his partner, a woman who worked with the U.S. State Department. Each Marine is adopted by local American families living in Warsaw. Mark is adopted by three different families, and he is able to find friendship and homecooked meals. He also visited the notorious World War II Auschwitz Concentration Camp which left a lasting impression on him.
Mark is unable to disclose much of what he did in Poland because it remains Classified, but he did recall that the Embassy received several credible threats from antisemitic groups which put the Embassy on high alert from time to time. As his time in Poland came to a close, he completed another “dream sheet” requesting Tel Aviv, Morocco or Madrid. In May of 1977 Mark learns his next assignment will be in Tel Aviv.
Mark flew from Poland to Switzerland and then on to Israel. When Mark arrives, he is greeted at the airport by several Marines dressed in shorts with a cooler of beer in tow. Mark can immediately sense the camaraderie and tight-knit nature of the detachment. A welcome change from Poland. The weather was warm, the food was good, and the Israeli’s were welcoming. Mark decided to learn all he could about Israel and took trips to the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, Masada and the Mount of Olives.
In 1977 the capital of Israel was Jerusalem, but the U.S. did not recognize it as the capital for political reasons. Jerusalem is the home to three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The U.S. Embassy is in Tel Aviv and the Ambassador’s residence is in the shoreline town of Herzliya, located between Haifa and Tel Aviv. The Marine house is nine miles away in Herzaliya. Mark fits right into his detachment of 15 men who are responsible for guarding the Ambassador, his family and the Embassy 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
In late 1977 when Mark arrived, Israel was a small country with most of the population following the Jewish religion. Israel was surrounded by Arab countries, many of whom wanted to have Israel wiped off the face of the earth. But President Carter and his Secretary of State Cyrus Vance looked to renew peace discussions between Israel and Egypt. Menachem Begin was open to resuming these discussions and Cyrus Vance was scheduled to visit Israel in mid-December of 1977. This meant the Marines would be working closely with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to ensure high security for the meeting. For a 10-day period the U.S. set up diplomatic operations in the King Davd Hotel in Jerusalem.
Mark’s detachment is broken into two teams. One to guard the Embassy and the other the King David Hotel. Mark is assigned to the team at the King David Hotel. On the first day of the visit Mark is assigned to a van of five armed Marines. They are to guard a truck carrying diplomatic equipment from the airport to the King David. It is a two-hour ride and starts without a hitch. 45 minutes from the hotel a Marine looking out the rear of the van sees a taxi that has been following the van for some time. The Marines speed up and so does the taxi. After 15 minutes the taxi attempted to pass the van on a narrow road. As the taxi pulled alongside the van, the door opened to reveal several Marines holding rifles. The taxi backed off and there were no issues for the rest of the trip.
In March of that year Palestinian terrorists hijacked a bus near Tel Aviv and took 20 to 25 hostages. When this news reached the American Embassy, the Marine detachment is broken into two groups and Mark is responsible for the group protecting the Ambassador’s home, an American School and other locations. Although the Ambassador is not at home, his family is. It is confirmed that the Ambassador’s residence is a potential target. Mark explains to his men that their locations is a confirmed target, and they cannot count on any assistance from the IDF. The men are lightly armed. Here Mark learned his first true leadership lesson.
A concerned corporal, looking scared and unsure, asked Mark how he was to provide protection with only a 357 Magnum and a pump action 12-gauge shot gun against what was likely to be more heavily armed terrorists. “He was scared to death”. Mark told him, “we are Marines. Make it count. If they come over the wall shoot to kill”. Mark slept very little that night. In the end, a fire fight between the IDF and the terrorist killed all but two of the terrorists and the two survivors are taken into custody. Years later that young Marine sent a letter to Mark’s mother telling her that Mark told him exactly what he needed to hear to prepare himself for whatever came next.
After a little over a year in Israel and with only six months remaining on his enlistment, Mark is given orders to report to Havana, Cuba. Israel leaves a lasting impression on Mark, and he has stayed close to his buddies from the Tel Aviv deployment through the years. Mark’s detachment was recognized as the best detachment in the Battalion, “because we were squared away”. Mark is given five weeks to go home, let his hair grow long and grow a beard and a mustache. He will need to look like a civilian when he gets to Havana.
While Mark is at home he arranged to have a girlfriend come visit him in Connecticut. He plans to cook her dinner and heads to the local butcher to buy chicken cutlets. At the butcher, Mark runs into his former high school classmate, Caren Mally. Litle did he know she would one day be the future Mrs. Genovese.
Mark arrived in Havana in March of 1978. The United States had not had a diplomatic relationship with Cuba since 1963 and the Embassy had been abruptly closed in 1961, probably, after the Bay of Pigs incident and just prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The President in 1978 is Jimmy Carter and he wants to reopen the Embassy. Mark will be part of a group that will search the Embassy for any Top-Secret material left behind when the U.S. made an abrupt exit.
Walking through Havana, Mark felt like he had stepped back in time. The streets were lined with American cars from the early 1960’s or prior, there has been no new construction in quite some time and there were military vehicles everywhere. In ‘78 Fidel Castro was the leader of this small, Communist island just off the coast of Florida. There is no U.S. compound, and the Marines must live in a nearby hotel. The Marines are not permitted to venture anywhere unless they are in a group of at least three.
While searching through the Embassy offices Mark felt as though time has stopped in 1961. The offices had photos of President Dwight Eisenhower hanging on the walls. The desks were full, and it seemed that everyone in the Embassy was evacuated with no notice. Mark hoped he would stumble upon some Top-Secret documents related to the Bay of Pigs but that was not to be the case. In August of ’78 Mark packed his bags and headed to Washington, DC where he would serve out his last few weeks in the Marines.
When Mark returned to Connecticut, he found himself searching to fit into civilian life. He worked in construction and landscaping, but he wanted to be a police officer. This was proving to be elusive. He reconnected with Caren Mally, and they began dating. On November 2, 1980, they were married. Finally, on September 11, 1981, Mark received a call advising him that he has been selected to be a North Haven Policeman. He would begin the Municipal Police Training Academy in November.
Mark had an illustrious 35-year career as a Policeman. “I loved being a policeman”. When Mark graduated from high school, Hayes Gibson, Mark’s role model and a member of the North Haven police Department told him something very important. Hayes said, “you do not simply join a police force and turn into a police officer. A police officer is a calling; it’s what you become”. Mark said the best part of being a policeman was meeting people. “I met a lot of people. For good and for bad.” The worst part was “the dead bodies, broken bodies, broken spirits”. Mark recalled his worst day on the job was seeing two dead children, the result of a car wreck. Over 35 years Mark had his share of close calls. Mark got a call for a family dispute. He asked the man for his license. The man told him he needed to go upstairs and get it. Mark, suspicious said he would get it. The man resisted and said he could not go upstairs. Mark went upstairs and found a loaded AK47.
Mark talked about negotiating with people that had guns. He was successful on numerous occasions in talking people into putting their weapon down. Mark was also considered as a weapons expert and to this day, well into his retirement, he still receives calls to help with weapons identification.
On September 11th, 2001, the day of Marks 20th anniversary as a policeman, he was sitting in a barber chair when he saw the first plane hit the twin towers in Manhattan on the small black and white television in the barber shop. Mark knew something was wrong and told the barber to finish up. He started to cut faster and then the second plane hit the twin towers. Mark jumped out of the chair, ran home and got dressed in his SWAT gear, loaded his firearms and waited to be called in early, but the call never came.
Mark enrolled at the University of New Haven to work toward a degree to help him advance his career in the Police Department. By 1990 Mark earned a BS in Public Administration with a minor in Criminal Justice. He also had enough credits to earn an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice. Mark went on to earn a master’s degree in Political Science while in the Police Department. He also received a battery of training through the Police Department and eventually went on to become a firearms instructor.
Mark retired in 2015 as a Captain in the Police Department.
Mark and Caren have a son and a daughter. Mark coached his daughter in softball during her high school career. She was a standout center fielder and went on to play college softball at Brandeis University and was voted All American.
Mark has written his memoir, I’m Not Famous. Don’t Ever Expect To Be. These days Mark spends his time rooting for the N.Y Yankees and preparing to write his second memoir that begins on September 11th, 2001.
Mark is still a fighter. “I have Parkinson’s Disease now. I’m not gonna let it keep me down”.
Thank you Mark for protecting our diplomats and the citizens of North Haven. Most of all, thank you for giving that young Marine in Israel the courage he needed to face the enemy.
Mark Genovese was born on July 2nd, 1956, in New Haven, CT. Mark was the middle child of five children. His parents, Jake and Donna Mae, met while they were both serving in the Marine Corps. All four of the Genovese boys served in the Marine Corps. His uncle was a Marine, fought at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir and was the biggest influence in his joining the Marine Corps.
Mark wasn’t much of a student. “I despised school. I just didn’t want to apply myself”. He loved football and played outside linebacker and tight end. “I had a little bit of speed, but not a lot”. Mark just wanted to graduate and do something, but he wasn’t sure what that would be. He spent time at the family electrical business where he met Hayes Gibson, a black police officer from the Town of North Haven who worked part time for his dad. “He always had a smile on his face. He always looked happy and was a nice guy. I wanted to be just like him”. Officer Gibson was the biggest influence in Mark’s decision to become a police officer.
Mark considers himself a fighter. In 10th grade he was on the verge of failing a history class and the teacher told him if he didn’t get at least a B+ he wouldn’t pass the class and would have to repeat the 10th grade. Mark read his textbook from cover to cover twice. He passed the test with a grade of 98%. His teacher was sure he cheated. “I studied as hard as a I could and that’s why I got a 98. If you think I cheated, and you can prove it go ahead”.
In March of his senior year, Mark had his mother sign the papers so he could enlist in the Marines. In August he left for boot camp at Parris Island, just as the Vietnam War was winding down. Bootcamp was an eye-opening experience.
When Mark arrived at bootcamp he thought he was in pretty good shape. “Boy was I wrong”. Pullups, sit-ups and a three-mile run. Mark was able to exceed the minimum score but not by much. He vowed those would be the lowest scores he ever recorded. As bootcamp progressed Marks body changed from a boy to a man, and he continually improved his scores on the physical fitness aspect of training. By the time bootcamp is complete, Marks cloths no longer fit, and he was a lean, mean, Marine.
Mark had the highest scores at the shooting range of the four platoons of recruits on prequal day. Mark was an experienced marksman having grown up around guns. “I was constantly shooting”. Mark received an Expert qualification on the range. Later, when he reached his unit, he received an Expert rating shooting at targets 500 yards away. The Marines trained Mark in several different small arms and Mark learned as much about these weapons as possible.
Mark was initially assigned to be a radio/operator repairman with the 2nd Tank. Battalion. The Vietnam War was raging on, and he knew Radio Operators were being targeted by the enemy. Mark was assigned to the repair shop where he found himself bored beyond belief. He thought there must be somewhere in the Marine Corps he could be more useful and he decided to violate a basic military principal of “never volunteer”. Mark volunteered for every training available. Things have gone from bad to worse. Undaunted Mark continues to volunteer hoping he can find something to do that interests him. His constant volunteering for training catches the attention of the Gunnery Sargent who is the career planner for the Marine Corps and he called Mark into his office. As luck would have it the Gunny mentioned Marine Security Guard (MSG) training. He told Mark these spots were reserved for the top 15% of the Marine Corps. Mark applied and he was accepted. He packed his bags and headed to MSG School at Henderson Hall in Washington, DC.
MSG was 13 weeks long and Mark believes the training was most extensive he has ever received. “You were training when you were asleep. They could come in your room in the middle of the night and tell you an attack was coming. We had four inspections every day. If you screwed up at all, you were gone”. Intense physical training and extensive classroom training including bomb detection, dining room etiquette, and security and protection of both property and personnel. Mark recalled an attrition rate of approximately 50%.
Mark received training in a variety of firearms including the Smith and Wesson model 10 and model 19 Revolvers, the 12-gauge shotgun, the Israeli Uzi and the German MP5. The shotgun and the revolver are the weapons the Marines will be issued. These weapons are chosen because they are designed for close combat and defensive use. The Marines will be protecting an Embassy which is considered a small environment where larger weapons are not as effective.
Mark graduated from this rigorous program, but now he needed to clear an FBI background check to allow him to receive Top Secret security clearance. He was able to explain a youthful indiscretion with the North Haven Police Department but there was a concern that his family had ties to Vito Genovese, a reputed Mafia boss in the tri-state area. There is in fact a family connection by blood that Mark was never made aware of. After some investigation it was determined his family had no direct ties to the alleged mob boss and his security clearance is granted. It was December of 1975, and Mark was now a Marine Embassy guard.
Four weeks before graduation, the Marines were told of the various countries where they could possibly be stationed. They completed a sheet, called the “dream sheet” with their top three choices for assignment. Mark chose Tokyo, Japan, Bangkok, Thailand and Canberra, Australia. When the Marines were gathered to learn of their duty assignments, the First Sergeant announces, “Lance Corporal Genovese, Warsaw, Poland. At that time, Poland was a Soviet Bloc country and considered a hardship tour. Later, Mark learned he was chosen for that assignment because he finished in the top five in his class.
In early January Mark found himself in Warsaw Poland. As a security guard at a foreign embassy, the Marines would be responsible for the health and well-being of the U.S Ambassador and the Embassy staff. They were also to avoid friendships with the local nationals. This also meant the Marines could not be married nor could they plan to get married while they were a MSG. “Lose lips sink ships”.
Poland was a dreary, very poor, communist country with few of the amenities of the United States. The stores had long lines and empty shelves typical of failed, planned economies and very unlike the capitalist system of the U.S. Everything the Embassy needs is shipped in. The American Embassy and Marine House make up the compound that is surrounded by a fence. On the brighter side, the U.S. has completed its pull out from Vietnam and Mark knows he won’t be going to serve in southeast Asia.
There are 13 Marines in the detachment assigned to the Embassy and Mark finds that the unit is not as cohesive as a Marine unit should be. Later that will lead to 3 Marines being dismissed for inviting Polish nationals back to the Marine living quarters.
Mark occupied his free time playing platform tennis with his partner, a woman who worked with the U.S. State Department. Each Marine is adopted by local American families living in Warsaw. Mark is adopted by three different families, and he is able to find friendship and homecooked meals. He also visited the notorious World War II Auschwitz Concentration Camp which left a lasting impression on him.
Mark is unable to disclose much of what he did in Poland because it remains Classified, but he did recall that the Embassy received several credible threats from antisemitic groups which put the Embassy on high alert from time to time. As his time in Poland came to a close, he completed another “dream sheet” requesting Tel Aviv, Morocco or Madrid. In May of 1977 Mark learns his next assignment will be in Tel Aviv.
Mark flew from Poland to Switzerland and then on to Israel. When Mark arrives, he is greeted at the airport by several Marines dressed in shorts with a cooler of beer in tow. Mark can immediately sense the camaraderie and tight-knit nature of the detachment. A welcome change from Poland. The weather was warm, the food was good, and the Israeli’s were welcoming. Mark decided to learn all he could about Israel and took trips to the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, Masada and the Mount of Olives.
In 1977 the capital of Israel was Jerusalem, but the U.S. did not recognize it as the capital for political reasons. Jerusalem is the home to three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The U.S. Embassy is in Tel Aviv and the Ambassador’s residence is in the shoreline town of Herzliya, located between Haifa and Tel Aviv. The Marine house is nine miles away in Herzaliya. Mark fits right into his detachment of 15 men who are responsible for guarding the Ambassador, his family and the Embassy 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
In late 1977 when Mark arrived, Israel was a small country with most of the population following the Jewish religion. Israel was surrounded by Arab countries, many of whom wanted to have Israel wiped off the face of the earth. But President Carter and his Secretary of State Cyrus Vance looked to renew peace discussions between Israel and Egypt. Menachem Begin was open to resuming these discussions and Cyrus Vance was scheduled to visit Israel in mid-December of 1977. This meant the Marines would be working closely with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to ensure high security for the meeting. For a 10-day period the U.S. set up diplomatic operations in the King Davd Hotel in Jerusalem.
Mark’s detachment is broken into two teams. One to guard the Embassy and the other the King David Hotel. Mark is assigned to the team at the King David Hotel. On the first day of the visit Mark is assigned to a van of five armed Marines. They are to guard a truck carrying diplomatic equipment from the airport to the King David. It is a two-hour ride and starts without a hitch. 45 minutes from the hotel a Marine looking out the rear of the van sees a taxi that has been following the van for some time. The Marines speed up and so does the taxi. After 15 minutes the taxi attempted to pass the van on a narrow road. As the taxi pulled alongside the van, the door opened to reveal several Marines holding rifles. The taxi backed off and there were no issues for the rest of the trip.
In March of that year Palestinian terrorists hijacked a bus near Tel Aviv and took 20 to 25 hostages. When this news reached the American Embassy, the Marine detachment is broken into two groups and Mark is responsible for the group protecting the Ambassador’s home, an American School and other locations. Although the Ambassador is not at home, his family is. It is confirmed that the Ambassador’s residence is a potential target. Mark explains to his men that their locations is a confirmed target, and they cannot count on any assistance from the IDF. The men are lightly armed. Here Mark learned his first true leadership lesson.
A concerned corporal, looking scared and unsure, asked Mark how he was to provide protection with only a 357 Magnum and a pump action 12-gauge shot gun against what was likely to be more heavily armed terrorists. “He was scared to death”. Mark told him, “we are Marines. Make it count. If they come over the wall shoot to kill”. Mark slept very little that night. In the end, a fire fight between the IDF and the terrorist killed all but two of the terrorists and the two survivors are taken into custody. Years later that young Marine sent a letter to Mark’s mother telling her that Mark told him exactly what he needed to hear to prepare himself for whatever came next.
After a little over a year in Israel and with only six months remaining on his enlistment, Mark is given orders to report to Havana, Cuba. Israel leaves a lasting impression on Mark, and he has stayed close to his buddies from the Tel Aviv deployment through the years. Mark’s detachment was recognized as the best detachment in the Battalion, “because we were squared away”. Mark is given five weeks to go home, let his hair grow long and grow a beard and a mustache. He will need to look like a civilian when he gets to Havana.
While Mark is at home he arranged to have a girlfriend come visit him in Connecticut. He plans to cook her dinner and heads to the local butcher to buy chicken cutlets. At the butcher, Mark runs into his former high school classmate, Caren Mally. Litle did he know she would one day be the future Mrs. Genovese.
Mark arrived in Havana in March of 1978. The United States had not had a diplomatic relationship with Cuba since 1963 and the Embassy had been abruptly closed in 1961, probably, after the Bay of Pigs incident and just prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The President in 1978 is Jimmy Carter and he wants to reopen the Embassy. Mark will be part of a group that will search the Embassy for any Top-Secret material left behind when the U.S. made an abrupt exit.
Walking through Havana, Mark felt like he had stepped back in time. The streets were lined with American cars from the early 1960’s or prior, there has been no new construction in quite some time and there were military vehicles everywhere. In ‘78 Fidel Castro was the leader of this small, Communist island just off the coast of Florida. There is no U.S. compound, and the Marines must live in a nearby hotel. The Marines are not permitted to venture anywhere unless they are in a group of at least three.
While searching through the Embassy offices Mark felt as though time has stopped in 1961. The offices had photos of President Dwight Eisenhower hanging on the walls. The desks were full, and it seemed that everyone in the Embassy was evacuated with no notice. Mark hoped he would stumble upon some Top-Secret documents related to the Bay of Pigs but that was not to be the case. In August of ’78 Mark packed his bags and headed to Washington, DC where he would serve out his last few weeks in the Marines.
When Mark returned to Connecticut, he found himself searching to fit into civilian life. He worked in construction and landscaping, but he wanted to be a police officer. This was proving to be elusive. He reconnected with Caren Mally, and they began dating. On November 2, 1980, they were married. Finally, on September 11, 1981, Mark received a call advising him that he has been selected to be a North Haven Policeman. He would begin the Municipal Police Training Academy in November.
Mark had an illustrious 35-year career as a Policeman. “I loved being a policeman”. When Mark graduated from high school, Hayes Gibson, Mark’s role model and a member of the North Haven police Department told him something very important. Hayes said, “you do not simply join a police force and turn into a police officer. A police officer is a calling; it’s what you become”. Mark said the best part of being a policeman was meeting people. “I met a lot of people. For good and for bad.” The worst part was “the dead bodies, broken bodies, broken spirits”. Mark recalled his worst day on the job was seeing two dead children, the result of a car wreck. Over 35 years Mark had his share of close calls. Mark got a call for a family dispute. He asked the man for his license. The man told him he needed to go upstairs and get it. Mark, suspicious said he would get it. The man resisted and said he could not go upstairs. Mark went upstairs and found a loaded AK47.
Mark talked about negotiating with people that had guns. He was successful on numerous occasions in talking people into putting their weapon down. Mark was also considered as a weapons expert and to this day, well into his retirement, he still receives calls to help with weapons identification.
On September 11th, 2001, the day of Marks 20th anniversary as a policeman, he was sitting in a barber chair when he saw the first plane hit the twin towers in Manhattan on the small black and white television in the barber shop. Mark knew something was wrong and told the barber to finish up. He started to cut faster and then the second plane hit the twin towers. Mark jumped out of the chair, ran home and got dressed in his SWAT gear, loaded his firearms and waited to be called in early, but the call never came.
Mark enrolled at the University of New Haven to work toward a degree to help him advance his career in the Police Department. By 1990 Mark earned a BS in Public Administration with a minor in Criminal Justice. He also had enough credits to earn an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice. Mark went on to earn a master’s degree in Political Science while in the Police Department. He also received a battery of training through the Police Department and eventually went on to become a firearms instructor.
Mark retired in 2015 as a Captain in the Police Department.
Mark and Caren have a son and a daughter. Mark coached his daughter in softball during her high school career. She was a standout center fielder and went on to play college softball at Brandeis University and was voted All American.
Mark has written his memoir, I’m Not Famous. Don’t Ever Expect To Be. These days Mark spends his time rooting for the N.Y Yankees and preparing to write his second memoir that begins on September 11th, 2001.
Mark is still a fighter. “I have Parkinson’s Disease now. I’m not gonna let it keep me down”.
Thank you Mark for protecting our diplomats and the citizens of North Haven. Most of all, thank you for giving that young Marine in Israel the courage he needed to face the enemy.