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by Margarette Chavez

While attending college at the University of Nevada in Reno, Fraser West participated in rodeo competitions to stay in shape and earn a little extra money. He competed in this calf-roping event during the summer of 1938 at a small rodeo in Carson City, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the author)

Fraser E. West is truly a "Marine for all seasons." Like the title character in Robert Bolt's play, 87-year-old West has a strong sense of self, defined by his feisty forcefulness, pit-bull tenacity and understated homespun wit. He knows exactly who he is: a retired Marine colonel who is still "a master of the rope and slope."

Throughout a 24-year military career, he successfully honed his cowboy and skiing skills at every available opportunity, excluding World War II. Yet it was never at the expense of his duties as a Marine. Rather, in typical Corps fashion, West found practice opportunities in between command time and recruiting duty -- not an easy task.

Still lean and mean, the 5-foot-10-inch Marine cowboy takes it all in stride. "Rodeo is a way of life, just like skiing is a way of life and the Corps is a way of life," he said.

A working cowhand since the age of 12, West passed on an appointment to attend West Point in 1936, concentrating his efforts on agriculture. But as the threat of war loomed more menacing, he reconsidered the military profession. So after graduating from the University of Nevada, West attended Marine Officer Candidates School, donning gold bars after completing training.

As fate would have it, a severe skiing accident during a 10-day leave in Vermont abruptly changed the new lieutenant's career timeline. The mishap, which injured his back, delayed West's officer training. In February 1941 he graduated, earning a regular commission with the Fifth Reserve Officers Class.

He soon found himself fighting in the South Pacific, and by his mid-20s West was a veteran of the brutal battle at Guadalcanal. A captain at the time, he rotated Stateside, joining the fledging Third Marine Division and picking up "George" Company, 2d Battalion, Ninth Marine Regiment. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the battlefield with his company to participate in the Bougainville campaign.

It was as Co G's commanding officer during the invasion of Guam that West's heroic actions earned him a Silver Star, landing him in the hospital for nine months and on limited duty for a year and a half. A Japanese bullet shattered the femur in West's left leg on July 26, 1944, while he directed tank gunfire on new targets during the attack on Fonte Hill.

Ironically, 59 years later on July 26, 2003, West withstood one more injury to his left leg. This time it wasn't the enemy who caused the damage, but a longtime faithful friend. West's 25-year-old roping horse, Sparky, dropped from a fatal heart attack during team-roping competition at the Amador County Fair near West's Westhaven Ranch in Ione, Calif. West was knocked unconscious and pinned beneath the horse's 1,200-pound bulk until others could free him for a helicopter ride to the hospital.

Showing the same resiliency at 85 that he showed at 26, West recovered. In July 2004 he returned to Guam with his Third Marine Division Association buddies and assisted in cutting the official ribbon for the newly renamed Marine Corps Drive. He also participated as a grand marshal in the Liberation Day Parade.

"Old Marines don't fade away," said West. "They come back and team rope again."

No matter how serious his injuries, they've never deterred West from pursuing his dreams. A member of the 1939 National Collegiate Ski Championship Team during his college days, he was either on the slopes or practicing the rope. Both pastimes paid off during his Marine Corps career.

In 1954 he took a team of 15 servicemen, three of whom were Marines, from Korea to Hokkaido, Japan, to compete in the U.S. Sixth Army's Far East Ski Competition. At the time, West was the commanding officer of 2d Bn, 7th Marines, but his tour was interrupted to coach, manage and train the skiers.

"There were about 75 teams competing. Mostly Army, but some Navy and Marines," said West. "We were the Reserve champions. We finished second."

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