Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

LACROSSE – Local veteran Allen Cochrane joined the Marines in March of 1966, and was active until 1969 leaving with the title of Sergeant.

"I went to boot camp in the middle of July 1966," Cochrane said, noting that boot camp was only 8 weeks long when it's normally 18 to 32 weeks.

"We were losing Marines in Vietnam so fast," he said, "So the drill instructor said listen closely you might be able to stay alive, because you're all going to go to Vietnam."

Cochrane explained that his younger brother by two years had gone into the marines the year before, and Cochrane had wanted to go into...