Correspondent photo / Tim Gleason Ron Scrabis sits in his Newton Falls home with a framed display of memorabilia from his time in the Marine Corps. He served from 1959 to 1965.

NEWTON FALLS — “When you join the military, you never know what to expect.”

Those are the words of 1959 Warren G. Harding High School graduate and Newton Falls resident Ron Scrabis, 82, who served in the Marine Corps from 1959 to 1965. He was thanked personally by both a U.S. President and a Spanish dictator. He saw a matador gored by a bull. He fed sandwiches to wild apes on top of the Rock of Gibraltar. He floated around Cuba anticipating the Bay of Pigs Crisis. He guarded atomic weapons in secret magazine shelters. He even placed a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

It all started after high school graduation when Scrabis, wanting to continue his uncle’s legacy, enlisted in the Marines. Uncle Charley died in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest in Germany during World War II.

“I was proud of him,” Scrabis said, “and honored to follow in his footsteps and join the military when I graduated from Harding.”

Stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Scrabis and his buddies would drive to Washington, D.C. during off weekends. Military personnel could stay at the YMCA for a dollar a night. It was there that Scrabis met and dated a secretary who worked for the government and had access to tickets to celebrity social functions.

During one such gala in early 1961, Scrabis, the only person dressed in a military uniform, was approached by newly-elected President John F. Kennedy, who thanked Scrabis for his service.

In April 1961, Scrabis signed up to serve a two-year stint in Spain, where he became a sergeant in charge of 28 soldiers. As a military police officer, he was part of a unit that protected an inner magazine that stored American weaponry.

“We knew there were atomic weapons in that magazine,” Scrabis recalled, “but we never asked questions.”

Scrabis was on duty when two Spanish communists tried to infiltrate the magazine. He needed to use his Colt 45 gun, but only to stop the perpetrator.

“I purposely shot him in the shoulder just to stop him,” Scrabis said, “but the Spanish police came and just threw him in a cell without medical attention and he died that night.”

Scrabis recalls the time in 1962 when the leader of Spain, General Francisco Franco, flew in to visit the bunker Scrabis was guarding. After Scrabis saluted Franco with his sword, the Spanish leader put his hand on Scrabis’ shoulder as a greeting in return.

When not on duty, Scrabis and his buddies attended Spanish bullfights.

“I wanted to experience the whole Spanish culture,” Scrabis said. “That’s why I signed up to go there in the first place. Unfortunately, some of the matadors were gored by the bulls.”

Another activity Scrabis and his companions engaged in were visits to the Rock of Gibraltar, located in Southern Spain near Rota, where the group was stationed. At the top of the Rock were wild apes. Scrabis and friends brought sandwiches to feed the apes, who appreciated the unexpected feast.

After Scrabis received an honorable discharge in 1965, he and many other “veteran alumni” would schedule reunions in different parts of the United States. They shared stories and honored those who had died in service. During one reunion in 2010, the group he was with selected Scrabis to place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“That was really quite an honor,” Scrabis said. “I was chosen by the group to do something that very few people get a chance to do — pay tribute to the Unknown Soldier.”

Scrabis was born in Brownsville, Pa., in 1941. His parents, Joseph and Olga, moved the family, including Ron, sister Pam and brother Joe, to Warren in 1953 when Ron’s father began a job at Brainard Steel.

After his military career, Scrabis returned to Warren to work for American Welding in 1965. After a brief stint as a patrol officer in the Warren Police Department, Scrabis began a 21-year career with General Motors in Lordstown, retiring in 1991 as a production supervisor.

In 1980, while living in Braceville, Scrabis married next door neighbor Rosemarie Kostrub, his wife of the last 44 years. It was also that year that the couple moved to Newton Falls.

Ron Scrabis

AGE: 82

RESIDENCE: Newton Falls

SERVICE BRANCH: Marine Corps

MILITARY HONORS: Overseas Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal

OCCUPATION: Retired production supervisor, General Motors Lordstown

FAMILY: Wife, Rosemarie; children: Rosario, Cynthia, Christina, Ronnie and John