By Pat Murdock
Brooklyn, N.Y. native George Boemerman, who retired in 1976 after a 24-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, is unique among his fellow Marines.
He is the only person in the U.S. Marine Corps who has been a drill instructor, a paratrooper, a combat helicopter pilot and a combat A-6 pilot. He estimates that he has made more than 150 carrier landings.
Boemerman, nominated for grand marshal honors for the second year in a row, is among 10 nominees who will serve as an Honor Guard.
When Boemerman joined the Marine Corps in 1952, he headed for basic training at Parris Island, S.C. He had attended college at North Carolina State before joining the military and he spent a tour of duty as a drill instructor at Parris Island.
Boemerman received a commission as a second lieutenant in 1955 after completing flight training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam - one flying helicopters in 1964 and another in 1968 flying A-6 Intruders.
His meritorious service in the U.S. Marine Corps was well rewarded. He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, the Vietnamese Cross and 35 Air Medals.
Boemerman and his wife Shirley moved to San Marcos 27 years ago partially because of Shirley's family connections and partially for George to attend graduate school at what is now Texas State University-San Marcos. A San Marcos street – Dutton Drive – is named after Shirley's mother, Nina Dutton. A number of her relatives graduated from Southwest Texas State.
At Texas State, Boemerman majored in speech communication and received his master of arts degree in 1983. While in the graduate program, he worked as a teaching assistant. After graduating, he was a lecturer in what is now the Communication Studies Department for a number of years.
Perhaps it was a natural that George would join the Friends of Fine Arts and Communication at Texas State, an organization in which he is still active. Over the years, he has been active in the San Marcos Heritage Association and the San Marcos Breakfast Lions Club. With the Lions Club, he ran the river taxi for 11 years.
Today he is active in an organization called the Central Texas Trail Tamers that builds and rehabilitates walking trails across Texas and New Mexico.
