Snatched from 3rd Force Recon by Marine Corps MARS, Jim left the recon base at Dong Ha and  reported for duty with MARS station N0EFJ at the 3rd Marine Division forward headquarters in Phu Bai, RVN.  From here he ran phone patches and sent MARSGRAMS for his fellow Marines.  His entry into the MARS system and his amateur radio license earned the new secondary USMC MOS of 8981 when they were established in the early spring of 1968.