Major R.O. "Dick" Culver: Obituary

Just received this a short while ago from LTC Craig Roberts, USA Ret. He was asked by LTC Robert K. Brown to write an obituary for Dick to be included in an up coming issue of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. LtCol Roberts was a USMC Scout Sniper in Vietnam and long time friend of Major Culver. As many know, Dick traveled around the world as a journalist for SOF Magazine and some of his exploits can be found here at jouster.com.

Richard L. Turner
GySgt USMC Ret

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A Warrior Passes

Major Richard O. Culver, Jr. USMC (Ret)
April 9th, 1936--February 24th, 2014

Major Richard O. Culver, Jr., USMC, (Ret) known to all as “Dick”, passed on to Sky Six on Monday evening, February 24th, in Cour d’Alene, Idaho. Dick was often known as “the Jouster” because he fearlessly addressed any topic, whether military or political, with gusto. He and his wife, Gloria, hosted the website “Culver’s Shooting Page--Gun Talk”, and served as the Sniping/Countersniping contributing editor to Soldier of Fortune.
Dick had the distinction of being the first child born on Alcatraz Island (4-9-1936). His father was a lieutenant in the guard section, and he and his wife lived in the family quarters on the island. His father, LtCol. Richard O. Culver, USMC (Ret), was also a Marine, and fought in the “Banana Wars” and served in China. Dick enlisted in the Marines at age 17 and after his enlistment attended college at Virginia Military Institute (1954-58) majoring in physics. After graduation he received a commission in the Marine Corps. A Force Recon Marine, his later combat experience occurred in Vietnam where he served as a company commander in an infantry battalion. While serving as skipper of H Co., 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines in Vietnam, Dick was awarded the Silver Star for actions that occurred on July 21st, 1967 during a firefight with a North Vietnamese Army company. Dick exposed himself to fire several times, rallied his Marines, coordinated fire and medevacs, called in artillery and air support, and forced the enemy to break contact after suffering numerous casualties.
After Vietnam, it was decided to form a permanent Scout/Sniper program in the Marine Corps instead of losing the skills as had happened after past wars when sniper programs were disbanded as soon as the war ended. Major Culver helped form, and commanded, the first USMC Scout-Sniper Instructor School, formed at Quantico. His senior NCO was famed Marine Corps sniper GySgt Carlos Hathcock. Also playing a key part in the organization and logistics of the school was Major E. James Land, who is now Executive Secretary of the NRA, and served as Hathcock’s commander in Vietnam when Land established the 1st Marine Division Sniper School near Da Nang.
Major Culver is survived by his wife, Gloria, of Cour d’Alene, and his son James R. Culver of Dothan, Alabama. Dick will be sorely missed by all.
Internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.



Craig Roberts
LTC, USA, Ret.
USMC, RVN 1965-66

Thank you Gunny Turner and Lieutenant Colonel Roberts. Semper Fi.

I appreciate the post of the Major's obit. It does him justice for the man he was and what he did.

It should have added that the Major and Gloria created an entire community here on the Jouster Page. They are just the finest kind of folks and I offer Gloria my sincere condolences.

Philip

Very nicely written. Major Culver was such a gentleman and a righteous warrior for our country.

I had to shed a tear when I was contacted of his passing. A truly great man, that I was honored to know personally. he was my JROTC instructor for 4 years of high school and we remained in contact for a few after, when he wasn't out gallavanting the globe. He was one of my greatest influences, politically, and in the realm of firearms. He will be greatly missed, and the lives he touched is only outnumbered by those he saved, either directly or through his instruction. Semper Fi, Major..

D. Duncan

Thanks gunny for posting this..........& to Phillip's & all the posts above....... Amen .....

A fitting tribute to Major Culver. Thanks to Lt. Col Roberts for that.

Very well said, Thanks Gunny.

Thank you for the posting. For the Major:icon_salut:

Rest In Peace Sir ,A fine AMERICAN That's You Sir!

Can anyone keep me advised of the Major's burial date at Arlington? I would be honored to attend. Semper Paratus

dougdouglasscpi@aol.com

Time to play "Mansions Of The Lord".

Well done, sir.

Doug (and others), I'll definitely be posting the Arlington information as soon as we have it. Also, please see the >> "Sad News" thread << for info about the local (Coeur d'Alene) service, which will be on Monday, March 10, at 2:00 pm.

Sorry to read the news this morning. I had always hoped to meet MAJ Culver in person someday. I'll be thinking of him tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for your service and R.I.P.

Once the burial arrangements are finalized at Arlington, it would be great to learn the burial site number and location, so that as we happen to be in Washington, DC we might have an opportunity to pay our respects to Major Culver at his resting site in Arlington. I know I am making more frequent visits to Arlington these days, as the final member of my Father's WWII 'Greatest Generation' pass on, and even friends from the Vietnam era and latter wars are passing along as well.

Hoping to visit DC in April, and with the cherry blossoms out and other trees blooming, Arlington is a beautiful spot for a quiet visit and a walk among the tombstones. You begin to have a sense of the magnitude of the sacrifices made to sustain our country, and the freedoms we enjoy (at least the ones which still remain today, anyway).

Prayers and good thoughts to Mrs. Culver, Major Culver's son, and all of their close friends and associates at this time.

Well, I guess we can't keep em around forever, just be glad we had him for a while. I know he is greatly missed.

Me to....please let me know wher the Major is in Arlington....I'm there often... dougdouglasscpi@aol.com

Folks, the service will be at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, May 28, at 3:00pm. It will be with full military honors, including caisson with horses and a band. You may have seen this in the other threads, but I thought I should put it here too.

More details as I know them, such as where, specifically, and other information.

I am an infrequent visitor to CSP these days, and it saddens me greatly to learn of Maj. Culver's passing. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but we knew some of the same people. He was also a brother Freemason, which he revealed to me some years back in one of our on-line conversations about one of the acquaintances we had in common, back in the days of the old CSP on the old server. As we say in the Craft, Maj. Culver "has laid down his Working Tools Of Life, and now resides with The Great Architect Of The Universe, in That House Not Made With Hands, eternal in the Heavens".