Marth: CC Life member, motion picture and still photographer Rudy Marth passes

Rudy Marth, right, on Barrier Island, South Vietnam, 1969

From Kirk Eric Marth,

Proud To Be A Son Of  A United States MARINE
Red Carpenter is correct. The Viewing is being held at Mountcastle Funeral Home in Dale City VA. Viewing will be from 18:00 – 20:00, 14 Jan 2009,  with services afterward. (A Chaplain and then Masonic Service)
Internment will be the following day15 Jan 2009,  at the National Cemetery Quantico at 09:00 with full USMC Honors.
Also, the Markham family and our family shared exceptional times together. Mr. Markham and my father had a wonderful friendship. I wish I had a friend that was as marvelous as Fred Markham. My father was Very Proud to be a United States Marine Corps Combat Correspondent.  He has taught these skills to both of my children. We will miss him dearly.

From Red Carpenter: 
It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of CC Life member Rudy Marth on January 9 in Woodbridge, VA.  Marth, both a motion picture and still photographer in the Marine Corps, was a retired Gunnery Sergeant who later became a film editor and worked for Capitol Films.  No formal obituary is available.  His son reported that the funeral would be on Wednesday, January 14 at Mountcastle Funeral Home, 4143 Dale Blvd., Woodbridge.  He will be interred at the National Cemetery at Quantico.  

From Fred Markham
Rudy’s wife is Dorothy. They had 3 sons. Oldest is Mark, Then Kirk and then Scott.  I first met Rudy in 1962 in Okinawa 3rd Marine Division.  Rudy and I were the two enlisted Marines selected to attend the USC Cinematography course in 1970-71 as Gunnery Sergeants.  

Jerry Gill was the officer selected. Rudy worked for many years during his military service with Capital Films in Washington as a negative cutter.  He also worked as a security officer at E J Corvets in Arlington, Va at night.  I worked with him for one week.  Dorothy worked with the telephone company from which she retired.  Rudy had a knack for impersonating Flip Wilson.  He was very good at doing voices with accents while telling a joke or a story.  He was missing the end of one of his fingers and would “charm” little children with the stub, pretending that he had just lost it in his nose, and would show it to them.  He drove a camouflaged VW bug while at Quantico and at USC during the 70′s with all of the demonstrators of that time.  He could imitate any German officer and would confuse one of USC’s German professors during class.  While in Okinawa in 1962 he organized a blood drive of fellow Marines in Service Company 3rd Marine Division for the older brother of my future wife, Sueko.  The drive contributed greatly in the hospitalization of Sueko’s brother.

Rudy and I were very good friends and our families were close.  Even though he resided on the East coast and I on the West coast we sent E-mails to catch up and keep in touch.  Our sense of humor were off the wall and would bring a laugh (LOL) during our writings.  Each of our wives had a connection with family values and I am sure that Dorothy was the driving force for Rudy’s success in the Marine Corps and as a family man.

Red, I hope this will shine some light on a small part of Rudy’s life and his very own character.  He will be missed by all who knew him personally and those who followed in his footsteps as they progressed through the Marine Corps photography history.  Semper Fi.  Fred Markham