Dennis (Mart) Ebert, 1960
I will begin by noting that in high school, I didn’t like my given first name. I was aggravated with being “Dennis the Menace” all the time. So, early on at East, I decided to use my middle name, Mart. However, as time went by, I came to accept Dennis as my name in life.
Following my graduation from East High in 1960 and one semester of college, I decided that the US Marine Corps would be a good direction to take. As it turned out, it would be much more important than I realized at the time. My training began in January, 1961. Following boot camp, we were shipped to the Far East and stationed at Camp Schwab in Okinawa. Our unit was what was termed as a “Float Battalion.” It was the 1-3-1, H&S Co. It was called a float battalion because our assignment was to be ready on 24 hours’ notice to engage any enemy in the Far East area. We actually lived out of our seabags. Today, the term is Expeditionary Forces. My specialty in the Marines was as a radio operator for the commanders in the field of combat.
One of the amusing events to me was in the first day of classes for our MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). While the instructor was informing us of the work and requirements of that specialty, he made a very enlightening comment. He informed us that our job was a very dangerous one. At first, I thought he was being funny. But he continued to say that during combat, and as we “hit the beach,” the enemy would be watching specifically for the antenna of the radio operators to take out communications first. My immediate thought was, “Oh great, give the radio to the 6’4” guy who now has a 10’ antenna.” I really didn’t see the wisdom in that and the thought was not very comforting to me.
As a float battalion, we moved from country to country, including Japan at Camp Fuji, located at the foot of Mount Fujiyama. Also our travels took us several times to Hong Kong and several times to the Philippines at Subic Bay, Olongapo City. It was there that we were given jungle survival training. That was truly an experience. Little did I know that being in that base several times would have a major part of later decisions that I made.
Although the Vietnam war was approaching during my time in the Marines, I was out of the service before the USA officially entered into actual combat in that country. During my time in the Far East, Laos was the area that the Communists were conquering. The fall of Laos moved the President to decide to enter Vietnam at the request of the existing South Vietnam government. The country was already divided by that time, and the purpose was to attempt to stop the march of Communism in that part of the world. As we know, that attempt was ultimately not very successful in Vietnam.
After four years in the Marines and my honorable discharge, I was back in Wichita with no idea of the future of my life. It was during the birth of a niece that I met my wife who was working as a nurses’ aide on the floor for birthing mothers. After our marriage, I attended Wichita State for a semester, but events took us to Oklahoma to work for several years. In Oklahoma City our lives took a more dramatic and certain turn. That was the time that we accepted Christ as our Savior and became active in a Baptist Church there. Not long after, I entered a Bible College in Springfield, Missouri.
Following graduation from Bible College, I was hired as a staff member in Texas with the pastor who would ultimately be my pastor for the next 50 years. However, there was a two-year period of planting a church in a town near Kansas City, Smithville, Missouri. Then, at the request of my former pastor, we returned to work with him in Dallas. During that time, we decided to become missionaries in the Philippines. That church and pastor were my sending church for the next 45 years.
In September, 1979, my family, including my wife Gloria and five sons, landed for the first time in Manila. During the next 44 years, we
established and led the Bible Baptist Seminary of the Philippines, Inc., where my wife and I also taught. The college grew to have seven campuses in the country. (Valenzuela campus pictured at left.) In addition to training people for ministry, we also helped and enabled them to plant new churches. More than 300 churches are in existence today directly out of that ministry. We also built two very large retreats and family camp sites. Each of them can accommodate more than 1,000 people overnight.
Sad to say, because of ongoing health issues of my wife, we have recently returned to live in the US. We are now located in Springfield, MO where two of our sons live. However, my participation in teaching in the college continues by Zoom, with trips to the Philippines planned from time to time. I plan to return in March to participate in the college’s graduation ceremony. There will also be a family camp with about 1,200 participants.
We are looking forward to the East High Class of ’60, 62nd reunion that is planned for September 30. I hope to see some of those people with whom I spent those four years of high school.
My grandparents, William and Florence Mustard, were teachers in the Philippine Islands from 1902-1912. They taught English in the Ilocos Sur area. My father was born in Baguio and never had a birth certificate since the hospital burned sometime after he was born. He never attempted to get one as he didn’t want to go anywhere! My grandparents always stressed they were civil service workers, not missionaries, as Christian missionaries were not allowed in those years. They were among those called “Thomasites.” I’ve learned there is a statue in Manila that was erected in recent years to commemorate the Thomasites. Thanks for sharing your story.