MEGA History Page
MEGA Detachments
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Mike Bertini
Master Sergeant,
USMC Retired
Marine Security Guard Battalion
Saigon, RVN
1973 - 1975
17 SEP 1952 - 21
FEB 2004
Coastal Carolina Veterans
Cemetary
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Special thanks to Ken Crouse
from the Fall of Saigon Marine Association in assisting with honoring Mikes memory
Detachments: Saigon
MOS: 3521 / 3529
OCCUPATION: USMC Retired
USMC Bio:
Name: Michael J. Bertini
MOS: 3521 / 3529
Rank: MSgt (E-8)
Arrived in Saigon on 22Feb74.
Assigned to MSG Det, US Consolate, Bien Hoa 740225-750401
Assigned to MSG Det US Embassy Saigon, RVN
Departed Saigon 1Apr75
June 22, 1972: Reported to Paris Island, .
September 19, 1972: Graduated Boot Camp
September 29, 1972: Reported to M.C.S.S.S. – Camp Johnson
(Montford Point) for Basic Motor Transport
Mechanics School;
December 15, 1972: Graduated from Mechanics School;
January 6, 1973:
Reported in to Movement Center,
Camp Pendleton, California
to be
transferred to 3rd Marine Division (Okinawa);
January 20, 1973: Check in
to 9th M.T. Bn., 3rd Mar. Div. Okinawa
November 28, 1973: Check out 9th M.T. Bn., 3rd Mar. Div.
February 15, 1974: Graduated M.S.G. School
February 25, 1974: Arrived Saigon, Vietnam, U.S. Embassy
(Ken Crouse::"It
was during this period that
Mike served at the Consulate in Bien Hoa" )
April 1, 1975:
Departed Saigon, Vietnam
April 4, 1975:
Arrive
Geneva, Switzerland, U.S. Mission
June 2, 1976:
Departed
Geneva, Switzerland
August 11, 1976:
Arrived Okinawa, 3rd D.S.G.
November 20, 1976 > April 12, 1977: Went on WestPac cruise –
L.S.U. Echo in support of BLT ¾ conducting exercises
and liberty in the following countries;
Taiwan, Philippines,
Thailand, Hong Kong, Guam, Tinian, Saipan,
Singapore
and Korea
April 12, 1977:
Checked back into 3rd D.S.G.
August 2, 1977:
Departed 3rd D.S.G. (Okinawa)
September 2, 1977: Reported in to I&I duty – Battery “G”,
3/14 Marines. Trenton, N.J.
November 26, 1980: Departed I&I Duty
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December 22, 1980: Arrived Okinawa, duty 1st Marine Air Wing
December 10, 1981: Departed Okinawa – 1st Marine Air Wing
January 9, 1982: Arrived 2nd Marine Division, Camp LeJeune, N.C.
(2nd Tank
Battalion)
February 20, 1987: Departed 2nd Marine Division
March 13, 1987: Arrived Marine Barracks, Subic Bay,
Philippines,
Co. “A”
March 16, 1989: Departed Philippines
April 4, 1989: Arrived Cherry Point, MWSS-274
August 21, 1990: Aboard USS Iwo Jima,
“Operation Desert Shield”
Gulf War until January 16, 1991
January 16, 1991: Aboard USS Iwo Jima,
“Operation Desert Storm”
Gulf
War until April 15, 1991
June 30, 1992: Departed Cherry Point, N.C.
August 3, 1992: Arrived Camp Pendleton, California –
1st Maintenance Battalion, G.S.M. Co.
December 6, 1992: Somalia: Arrived
February 23, 1993: Somalia: Departed
July 14, 1993: Arrived MSSG-11
January 19, 1994 – July 20, 1994: WestPac Cruise on board USS Peleliu
LHA-5:
Singapore, Somalia, Guam, Rwanda,
Kenya, Australia
December 7, 1994: Checked back into G.S.M. Co.
June 30, 1975: RETIRED! |
Medals/Service
Ribbons:
National Defense Service Medal w/1 star
Meritorious Unit Commendation w/2 stars
Good Conduct Medal (6th Award)
Navy Unit Commendation w/1 star
Navy & Marine Corps Deployment Ribbon
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon w/2 stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal w/1 star
Overseas Service Ribbon w/3stars
Kuwait Liberation Medal
Personal Bio
Age at Death: 51
Memorial Services: 12Maro4 12pm
Interment: Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville, NC
Military Honors provided by: Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Base, NC
Born: 17SEP1952
Died:
21FEB 2004
Father:
Mother:
Notes on Mike's Passing:
from: Beruit
Veterans of America Message Board
from : Fall of
Saigon Marines Association
Jacksonville
Daily News
March
09,2004
Veterans, active duty
lose 'guardian angel'
TIMMI TOLER
Jacksonville Daily News
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Charlita Covington believes the city of Jacksonville has lost a
guardian angel.
Mike Bertini, 51, died in his Jacksonville home on Feb. 21, due to a
massive heart attack. His passing has left the community without a
"great friend" and veterans without one of their strongest voices.
"He was truly a guardian angel for these veterans and for the active
duty. That was his key mission," said Covington. "He spoke up when
something was wrong. He didn't keep quiet."
Charlita's father, Staff Sgt. Charlie Martin, was Bertini's best
friend. After Martin was killed during the Beirut bombing of 1983,
Bertini vowed to take care of Martin's family - his wife, Pacita; his
son, Renerio; and Covington. "He was like my brother. When my
husband was alive, he would always come to the house, he was just like
family," said Pacita, who chose to remain in Jacksonville and raise her
family after Charlie's death.
Bertini, originally from New York, retired at Camp Pendleton in 1995
after 23 years of service in the Marine Corps. But he moved to
Jacksonville to be near his adopted family. "He took care of us,
whenever we needed anything, he would always give it. He was a second
father to my son and daughter," added Pacita. "He was a good
man." "He gave us true guidance," said Covington. "He checked up
on us every day, made sure we were doing our chores, listening to mom
and doing what we were supposed to do. If not, he'd get on us. We
called him 'Uncle Mike,' but he was just like a dad."
Bertini is survived by a twin sister Julie Ettl, who lives in South
Bend, Ind., (Ettl is currently traveling to Jacksonville), but
Covington says Bertini's family was as big as the Marine Corps itself.
"He always looked out for the Marines. Whether it was the reservists,
veterans, active duty or their families, it didn't matter. If something
was wrong Â... if he felt they weren't getting what they were
supposed to, he spoke out for them," she said.
Many may remember the reserved Vietnam, Beirut and Gulf War
veteran, whose long hair made him a bit of a stand out in a town of
military buzz cuts. "That was the first thing he did when he
retired from the Marine Corps - grew his hair," said Covington. "That
was his freedom."
Bertini was a frequent visitor to the USO of North
Carolina. "He was a great friend to the USO," said Judy
Pitchford, executive director. She remembers the time the USO was in
need of a new stove, a fact that she mentioned in passing to
Bertini. "The next thing I knew, Sears showed up delivering this
beautiful brand new stove," said Pitchford. "It was from Mike. That's
just how he was, anything our service members needed, he wanted to
help."
Most weekdays, Bertini could be found in the USO's computer room
searching for names of fellow veterans - specifically those Marines who
were stationed at the American Embassy in Saigon (now called Ho Chi
Minh City) as security guards.
Bertini was one himself from 1973 to 1975. "That was part of his
daily routine," said Pacita. "He always talked about the veterans; he
was always looking for them." It was a task that Bertini pledged
himself to in 1996 after attending his first reunion of the Vietnam
Veterans of the United States Marines Security Guards for the U.S.
Embassy and Consulates. He sat at a table, conversing with other
veterans, who all wondered what became of their fellow comrades. Names
would pop up during the conversation, and Bertini began jotting them
down on a cocktail napkin deciding then to try and find them.
For the next eight years, Bertini would search the Internet, send
letters, make phone calls and read and place ads in military
publications looking for names, tips or any clue that may lead to
contact information for those on the list. By 2002, that list had grown
to more than 100 names - Bertini had found about a third of them.
Covington wants the people to know about Bertini's list and hopes that
someone will continue the search in his place.
"Ultimately it was about his respect for the military - looking out for
them was his goal. The public needs to realize what he did and that he
donated a lot of his time," she said. "We now need to step up and make
sure that goal continues."
Evidence of Bertini's work can be found on message boards at various
veteran association Web sites. Marines mention him by name, thanking
him for taking the time to find them and get them back in touch with
their fellow Devil Dogs. Bertini was in the middle of helping organize
a reunion for the Fall of Saigon Marines, scheduled for later this
year, when his untimely death occurred. "He was always searching for
names, seeking out Marines that he knew and beyond. He wanted to make
sure that people didn't forget," said Covington. "For him, it was
'We're here. Just because we're retired, don't forget about us.'"
Bertini kept his commitments even though he was facing a huge battle of
his own -cancer. He was undergoing treatments in New Bern but had
missed two appointments. Medical personnel at the treatment facility
were concerned and alerted the Jacksonville Police, who discovered
Bertini's body. Covington said he kept his suffering to himself,
so much so, that she and her family were not even sure when he was
diagnosed with the disease. "He never let us know what was going
on," she said. "We could tell he was sick from the weight he had lost,
but he didn't talk about it. But he was tired, it took a toll on him."
Covington - who is married to a Marine, Gunnery Sgt. Willie Covington,
a drill instructor stationed in California - is seven months pregnant
with her first child. She regrets that Bertini will not get a chance to
meet the new addition to the family.
"We were already calling him 'Grandpa Uncle Mike,'" said
Covington. And although she feels he was a guardian angel for
many during his lifetime, she hopes he is not in that role now.
"I want him to be at rest," she said. "He fought so many battles for
people for years. Now, he needs to be at peace."
A memorial service for Mike Bertini will be held Friday at noon in the
Coastal Carolina Veterans Cemetary, located on highway. A reception
will follow at the USO; family and friends are invited. Jones Funeral
Home is handling memorial arrangements. For information, call 455-1281.
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