After Walter H. Mosby and his family survived the Great Depression, Mosby wanted to lessen the financial hardship on his parents. He sought their permission to enlist in the service, since he was only 17. He chose the Marine Corps and began a three-year enlistment on Jan. 29, 1947.
He went to basic training at Parris Island, S.C. He started as a typist and clerk. He served in Rhode Island, before he was transferred to Camp Catlin in Hawaii. He traveled by train to San Francisco and then on a propeller-driven aircraft to Hickam Air Force Base in Oahu, Hawaii. He served in the Headquarters Pacific Fleet as a clerk and typist. He later was corporal of the guard, a Navy and Marine brig guard detail. His enlistment was up on Jan. 29, 1950.
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