Leatherneck Magazine Receives Visit From Tom Bartlett’s Family

Webmaster Kate Stark and Tom Bartlett on assignment covering the Haitian refugees for Leatherneck Magazine in March 1992.

The family of former longtime Leatherneck magazine managing editor and combat correspondent Tom Bartlett visited the magazine’s offices March 22 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., to reconnect and hear stories about their dad and granddad.

After a tour of the offices, Leatherneck staff and Bartlett family members enjoyed lunch, good conversation and a lot of laughs at The Clubs of Quantico. Tom’s family included two of his sons, Scott and Chris; a grandson, Christopher, who is a Marine staff sergeant currently serving as a recruiter in Maryland; and granddaughter Jennifer (and her friend Dave). Former Leatherneck associate editor Herb Richardson, a good friend of Tom’s in Vietnam and on the staff, joined current staff members Patty Everett, Ron Keene and Nancy White Hoffman in regaling the Bartletts with numerous sea stories about Tom.

Both staff and family left The Clubs with a good overall feeling, once again having been touched by our good friend, father and grandfather, who certainly would have approved of the gathering.

Known as “Mr. Leatherneck,” Tom served more than 25 years on the staff of the magazine after his retirement as a master sergeant from the Marine Corps in 1971.

A past Brigadier General Robert L. Denig Sr. Memorial Distinguished Performance Award winner and Col Donald L. Dickson Memorial Award recipient, Tom was a life member of the USMCCCA, served on its board of directors and was a three-time president of the organization. For those of you who didn’t know Tom, he and his lovely wife, Fran, attended numerous Jim Lucas Chapter meetings and national conferences.

Tom passed away in 1997 after a courageous fight against cancer. He was 63.

Tom, you are forever in our hearts and memories.

— “Snow” and the Leatherneck gang