By Brandon Fey
Northeast Times
Philadelphia native William Frederick Groomes III is the embodiment of a United States Marine. To this day, he can still recite his serial number and the mechanical functions of the M1 Garand main battle rifle as he was trained in the 1960s. His resolve and determination guided him through a career of service during a turbulent time for the American military.
Groomes enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 9, 1960, after graduating from Bartram High School. Three of his brothers were Marines, and Groomes remembers sharing their sense of adventure and being drawn to their uniforms. He also described himself as being “wild” in his young adulthood, which he also attributed to his decision to enlist.
While boarding his flight to Parris Island, South Carolina for basic training, Groomes encountered a crowd of protesters that attacked his group of recruits at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Many of the recruits were beaten and insulted as they attempted to board their plane, though Groomes remembers being allowed to pass unscathed, for reasons he still does not understand.
Groomes underwent rigorous physical training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. “They [the drill instructors] yell and scream at you, call you all kinds of names,” he recalled. Despite this harsh environment, Groomes excelled in his training due to his good physical condition that won him favor among his drill instructors, who made him squad leader.
After basic training, Groomes was stationed at Camp Geiger, North Carolina, where he trained Cuban exiles for the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, for which the U.S. outfitted a covert attack force to invade Cuba and topple the communist regime of Fidel Castro.
“We taught them how to use all the weapons they would need,” said Groomes, who became fluent in Spanish through his interaction with the Cuban exiles. He remembers feeling disappointed upon learning that the Marines were not to join the invasion, as he and several of his comrades had felt eager to depose Castro. Ultimately, the invasion force failed, which Groomes attributes to insufficient air support.
Groomes was then sent to Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan, where he trained young Marines for the jungle warfare they were to encounter in Vietnam. His instruction included the use of emerging weapons like the Agent Orange chemical herbicide mixture, which was used to burn foliage where enemy soldiers could be hiding. Among his students were South Vietnamese Marines, who would support U.S. soldiers against communist forces.
Groomes’ experience with the Vietnam War extended considerably beyond training, though he wished not to reflect on the details of his unenviable involvements.
At this point in his career, Groomes decided to leave the Marine Corps to pursue other ambitions, despite insistence from his superiors that he remain enlisted. He remembers receiving daily calls from a career adviser asking him not to leave. “And as much as I liked the Marines, I got out, and the first thing I did was call the CIA, and I was told that I needed a college degree to join.”
Determined to achieve his goal of becoming a CIA agent, Groomes attended St. Joseph’s College (now St. Joseph’s University) for a year and then went to Temple University, where he graduated with a degree in political science. With his new degree, Groomes began the extensive CIA background check process and eventually received a call requesting that he report to the agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
As he was preparing to depart, Groomes’ wife implored him not to go, and after weighing his considerations, he decided to remain in Philadelphia.
“I wish I had gone to Langley when they called me,” he reflected.
Despite his disappointment, Groomes recalls having later spoken to an Army intelligence officer, who told him that if he had gone to Langley at the time, certain circumstances at the time made it possible that he would have lost his life.
Wishing to continue his career of service, Groomes then decided to study to become a pastor. Once he was ordained, he frequently preached on street corners in Philadelphia, including 52nd and Market, and 52nd and Chestnut. Groomes also led The Temple of Prayer Church on Chestnut Street in 1995.
“Since I was a little kid, my mother and father took us all [him and his siblings] to church every Sunday,” he cited as his inspiration for joining the ministry.
In 2021, Groomes moved into the Delaware Valley Veterans Home where he currently resides.
The life of William Groomes highlights his profound personal commitment to service, both as a Marine and a community leader. His story reflects the personal qualities that were pivotal to American perseverance during one of the most tumultuous periods in its history. To this day, he continues to feel an enduring pride as a former Marine.
“I loved the Marine Corps,” he reiterated. “It was home for me.” ••
