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<p>Beaufort’s Del Tingley, 56, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1982 in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. After Boot camp at Parris Island, he trained in Aviation Ordnance before being assigned to Iwakuni, Japan, where he worked in station ordnance. Next he was assigned to both the Logistics Squadron and an F-18 squadron at MCAS Beaufort, making deployments to the Mediterranean, Japan, 29 Palms and other sites. He then served as a Marine recruiter in Charlotte, N.C., before returning to MCAS Beaufort where he again deployed to the Pacific and western states. Next assigned to Marine Reserve Headquarters in New Orleans, he retired in 2005 as a Gunnery Sergeant. Thereafter, he returned to work as a civil servant at MCAS Beaufort as a tactical safety specialist, including a deployment to the Persian Gulf. Today he is the Explosive Safety Officer for MCAS Beaufort.</p>
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<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://staging.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Del-Tingley-young.jpg"><img src="https://staging.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Del-Tingley-young-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53460"/></a></figure></div>
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<p><em>– Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 9. For nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.</em></p>
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