Mr. East had been a guard at the Embassy for nearly two years and had grown to love Cuba. Mr. East had been one of only two African-Americans in his training class for Embassy guards at Parris Island, S.C., in 1959. He enlisted in the Marines out of high school, served two tours in the Vietnam War as a motor transport maintenance chief and was later a Marine recruiter. In addition to his son Stanley, Mr. East is survived by his wife, Alice (Harris) East, a nurse and schoolteacher; his son Michael; a sister, Dora Miller; a brother, Alphonse; three grandchildren; and a great-grandson. Jim Tracy, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, spent 30 years in the Marine Corps, retired as a master gunnery sergeant and now lives in Alabama.

Source: New York Times June 28, 2020 21:11 UTC