Hathaway, Ron

Ron Hathaway was born July 10, 1942 in Havre de Grace, Maryland.  He grew up in that small community in a time of segregation, and seeing that his opportunities would be limited he chose to enlist in the Marines right out of high school.  The Cold War was taking place during this time, and Ron was aware of the flashpoints unfolding during his teen years.  He completed his training at Parris Island and Camp Lejeune, and he was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 6th Marine Regiment; a Marine Corps Mediterranean Cruise followed, where Ron had the chance to visit many ports-of-call.  His early years in the Corps also saw major historical events occur, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of JFK.  This was also a period where Ron had to confront the realities of racism on and off base in the Jim Crow South, as well as in Apartheid-era South Africa.  Ron decided to take the training to become a combat photographer during this time too, and in 1966 he was deployed to Vietnam with that mission in mind. On one memorable occasion, Ron was stranded on a mountain top with ARVN forces, and he became involved in an intense firefight where he had to put down his camera and pick up a carbine.  Ron accompanied his fellow Marines on many missions in 1966-67, capturing important moments from a difficult time in American history.  Ron distinguished himself  in combat photography during battles with the Vietcong, and twice he was shot down in helicopters operating near the Demilitarized Zone. He went on to serve as Photo Officer and then as Director of Marine Corps Camera Unit; he was in fact the first African American to advance to that rank in the Marine Corps Photojournalism career field. Ron received many promotions over the course of his service, advancing to the rank of major by the end of his 33 year career.  Major Ron Hathaway was interviewed by Scott Masters in Mt. Laurel Twp., New Jersey in July 2025.

All the photographs on this page appear courtesy of Major Ron Hathaway, USMC Photographer.