MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Beaufort residents laid a beloved member of the community to rest when retired Lt. Col. Jesse L. Altman Jr., a 30-year Marine veteran and former Beaufort City police chief, was taken by horse-drawn caisson to his final resting place at the Beaufort National Cemetery Feb. 3.
Altman died of complications from diabetes Jan. 31. He was 76.
At 6 feet 7 inches tall and 250 pounds, Altman will be remembered most by his friends, family and co-workers as a former military man who had a big heart and served his community with as much dedication as he did while serving his country in the Corps.
Despite his astonishingly large appearance, he was really quite gentle at heart, said friends.
"He could be gruff and grouchy, but he was a teddy bear at heart," said former Municipal Judge and City Councilman George O'Kelley, who served with Altman in Vietnam in 1969.
Altman, who held every rank from private to lieutenant colonel, began his Marine Corps career when he enlisted at age 17 during World War II, a few months away from his high school graduation. Rather than being drafted into the Army at age 18, he chose to leave high school and enlist early in the military branch he felt shared a greater sense of brotherhood.
"Back in World War II, if you waited until your 18th birthday and registered for the draft, you could not select your service ... at least you could not select the Marine Corps," said Altman in 1989. "It was my desire, since I was a small boy, to be a Marine."
Altman, who later realized the importance of an education, finished high school in 1952 - seven years after his enlistment - and went on to receive his Bachelor of Education degree from Jackson College in Honolulu and a master's degree in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina.
Throughout his Marine Corps career, Altman served as a recruiter, drill instructor, combat Marine, heavyweight boxing champion and All-Marine basketball player. Altman was awarded more than 20 medals and decorations, including a Bronze Star with a combat "V," while serving in such locations as the South Pacific, Korea and Vietnam. His last duty station before retirement was aboard Parris Island as Assistant Chief of Staff for Supply and Services.
After his retirement, Altman took the leadership skills and discipline he had obtained in the Corps and carried them over to the Beaufort City Police Department, where he served as police chief from 1974 - 1992.
Altman developed the Police Movie Club for children of the Lowcountry to keep them off the streets. The program continues to provide free movies for children on Saturdays, while teaching them pride and providing safety tips.
Altman also initiated a training program for the officers that "took the department into the 20th century," he said.
"I would say the biggest thing the chief brought to us was the sense of pride," said Chief Jeff Dowling, who climbed the ranks under Altman's leadership and took over as police chief in 2000. "All police departments are like the military - there is a lot of respect for the rank structure. [Altman] instilled that here and it really gave the officers a sense of pride."
Altman once said the training and lessons he learned while in the Corps helped shape him into the successful person he became.
"If I had a chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing," said Altman in 1997. "I don't know what it is, but you can never forget the training you receive [at Parris Island] or at home. It's the good kids coming down that will continue to make the Marine Corps the best branch of service."
Altman is survived by his wife of 50 years, Nora Stephens Altman of Beaufort; two sisters, Elizabeth Geraldine Green of Huntsville, Texas, and Wanda Ann Bone of Bellaire, Texas; and a brother, James M. Altman, of Port Allen, La.