Photo By Julie Lucas | Malcolm Stewart, a Naval Hospital Jacksonville Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program...... read more read more
When Malcolm Stewart joined the Marine Corps a few days after his 17th birthday, he had no idea where his career would take him. As the younger brother of two older Marines, he had his goals set on putting on a uniform.
“I wasn’t a great student and drove my parents crazy until they relented and signed for me to join,” Stewart said.
Stewart said he turned 18 on a ship heading to his first duty station, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe, Hawaii, to work as an aircraft mechanic in VMF (AW) 232, a F-8 Crusader squadron. While there, he found trouble he wasn’t expecting. “I was drinking with the boys in the barracks and had three Non-Judicial Punishments within six months,” he said.
His next duty station was MCAS El Toro, California, in VMFA-334, a F-4 Phantom II squadron. He was in that squadron for one year and separated from the Marine Corps.
Stewart landed a job with McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, California, as a structural mechanic and subsequently received his first DUI. Stewart gave up his job and returned to his home of record, Memphis, Tennessee. After 89 days, he knew he needed to return to the Corps.
“I spoke with a recruiter, one of my drinking buddies from Hawaii, who got me a re-enlistment bonus for six more years,” he said. “Military people in combat have a purpose, a reason, and when you are not active anymore, you lose your identity. I wasn’t a civilian at heart.”
Stewart continued bouncing between duty stations and received divorce papers in Vietnam. He ended up back in Hawaii heavily drinking, but credits October 6, 1972 – his sober date, to changing his life.
“It was attending Alcoholics Anonymous, I got invited to church, I got saved and it made me want to give back,” he said.
After attending Alcoholism Treatment Specialist School in 1977, thanks to his four years sober, Stewart was given orders to the Alcohol Rehab Center (ARC) Jacksonville, which is now known as Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program (SARP).
“Those days we had 10 groups of 10 patients for 10 counselors, so there were 100 patients,” he said, the ARC was located conveniently across from the package store.
Stewart was picked up for first sergeant and served his last three years at Camp Pendleton, California, with India Company, 3/1, 1st Marine Division. He retired November 1983 and moved between job opportunities trying to make ends meet.
“I had made an agreement with my wife that she would stay home with our two daughters, so I knew I needed to provide,” he said. A former administrative officer who he had worked with offered him a position in Orange, California in a civilian Care Unit and even paid to move his family there. While working at the facility, he was searching for training records back at ARC in Jacksonville and was offered a job to come back and that started his career December 1987.
“Back in the 1970s before these treatment programs were stood up, people were discharged and told to go to the VA and hope you make it,” Stewart said. “It made a difference that all of us original counselors were people who were in recovery ourselves.”
Stewart notes that one of the bigger changes he has seen in patient care has moved from a spiritual base to a mental health base.
“I appreciate that now with earlier detection and intervention, we can help people before it gets too far out of hand,” he said.
During his 38 years working for SARP Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Stewart has continued to work on vehicles as a mechanic, enjoys riding his motorcycle, and church activities. He plans to be more active in the Marine Corps League doing Toys 4 Tots and helping local families in need.
When asked how he will keep busy in retirement, he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I have about 45 years of a honey-do list to complete. I won’t be sitting around waiting for the mailman.”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2025 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 494380 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 153 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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