From military service to hunting, boat inspector has led a full life

Garland “Ham” Hamilton is a man with plenty of stories and he’s very willing to share them.

The Sacramento, California, native was a career Marine who now works for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks inspecting boats for the dreaded aquatic invasive species.

Hamilton, even as he approaches the age of 72, doesn’t spend much time sitting around. When a vehicle with a boat that needs an inspection pulls up at the rear of the Region 1 FWP headquarters, a small alarm alerts him. He takes a quick look out the window to see if it’s a department vehicle or one with a boat.

The trucks or sport-utility vehicles carrying or hauling boats turn Hamilton into a man in motion as he bolts up from his desk and out the door.

“We don’t want the people to wait any longer than is necessary,” Hamilton said as he described his desire to get people on their way. “We want to see them get on the water as soon as possible. We know this can be an inconvenience, but we also know it’s important.”

Hamilton has served in many capacities with Fish, Wildlife & Parks since he arrived in the Flathead more than 20 years ago.

After completing training at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Helena, Hamilton served as a water safety officer. He also patrolled Block Management Lands owned by first Plum Creek Timber, then Weyerhaeuser.

Region 1 Director Jim Williams credits Hamilton’s efforts to keep motorized vehicles out of places they weren’t supposed to be for continued cooperation with timber companies for allowing their lands to be open for public use, such as hunting and fishing.

Hamilton has worked at game check stations, served as a biologist and patrolled parks on Flathead Lake.

BORN IN 1948, Hamilton is the son and grandson of two former California Highway Patrol officers who also served their country.

His dad was a pilot in the U.S. Navy and his grandfather served in the U.S. Army. He grew up hunting and was also a runner at Eureka High School in California.

But his abilities in art took him on an unique path that not everyone finds in the worlds of military service or law enforcement.

“I received an art scholarship to a community college near home,” Hamilton said. “After graduating there, I went to Humboldt State for wildlife management. After a year there I decided to enlist in the Marines.”

The year was 1969 and things were hot in Vietnam as U.S. military forces battled North Vietnamese troops.

“I went in on a two-year enlistment and was on the high rifle team because of how I had learned to shoot from hunting,” Hamilton said. “I nearly maxed out the physical readiness tests and I was promoted to Private First Class right out of boot camp in San Diego.

“I was a hard charger and I picked up rank quickly,” he said.

He arrived at a U.S. military base on the island of Okinawa in February 1970. He still excelled with rifles, including the recoilless rifle, which was mainly employed as an anti-tank weapon.

But while there, he took an art test and his military career pivoted to becoming the battalion draftsmen. While at Okinawa, Hamilton was promoted to lance corporal.

He soon had a chance for another transfer and he ended up in Quantico, Virginia, at the large Marine Corps base. Hamilton worked in the Training Support Center for audio and visual applications.

While there, he re-enlisted and joined the Corps’ wildlife management program and became a deputy game warden.

Because the base, which covers more than 55,000 acres, is so large and much of it is forested, it is populated with wildlife. It required management and a law enforcement presence.

Hamilton recalled one perilous incident that nearly left him dead.

“Deer season had closed, but another warden and I found a deer that had been killed and left in a brush pile,” he said. “There were two guys and they split up so we each took a track and followed them.

Hamilton soon put eyes on his man and after he caught up to the suspect, the man turned and told him to stop following him or he would shoot.

“At that time, we weren’t allowed to carry sidearms,” Hamilton recalled.

The suspect then ran, but Hamilton soon caught up to him.

“He was still threatening, but I told him he’d better make the first shot count because he wouldn’t get another.”

Hamilton got closer and then reached for the gun barrel, pushing it out of harm’s way when the man pulled the trigger.

“It missed, but I was ticked off,” Hamilton said. “After that we were allowed to carry our sidearms.”

WHILE AT Quantico, Hamilton was also engaged in another passion — building and flying model, radio-controlled airplanes.

Soon, Hamilton’s service career took him to Yuma, Arizona. He took his model planes to air shows and on one occasion, he met legendary World War II Marine Corps fighter pilot Pappy Boyington. Boyington flew his combat missions in a F4U Corsair and he was known to have shot down 26 Japanese “Zeroes” before he was shot down and spent time as a prisoner of war before being released after the war was over.

“I got him to autograph a F4U that I had built, pretty exciting,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton’s expertise flying model airplanes also drew the attention of Hollywood filmmakers.

He worked in the industry flying model planes that were used in movies, including the 1991 Vietnam flick “Flight of the Intruder.”

“I was fortunate to have great superior officers who allowed me to take leave to fly the planes for the movies,” Hamilton said.

HAMILTON’S CAREER has also taken him to the Middle East, where he trained with the Israeli Defense Force in using remotely piloted vehicles, essentially small craft that were outfitted with cameras used for advance scouting.

He also spent time in Alaska and Australia before returning to the Middle East for the Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm, where he was in charge of the Corps’ aerial processing labs.

There he proudly served under Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf and Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner.

“Anytime you saw black and white photos on TV from Desert Storm, they were out of my labs,” Hamilton said. “We learned we needed to use yellow filters on the cameras because the desert was so bright, it blew everything out.”

Hamilton then was promoted to Master Gunnery Sergeant, the highest rank in the Marines for a non-commissioned officer.

“That was my final promotion and it was a real honor,” Hamilton said.

After retiring from the Corps in 1995, Hamilton became a technical representative for Bob Violett Models, a company that designed and built radio-controlled jet model planes.

That work ultimately brought Hamilton to the Flathead.

Addison Clark Jr., a former Navy pilot and chief of police in Kalispell, asked Hamilton to come to the valley to fly his model jets in an air show.

“While I was here I got to ride horses in the mountains and I loved it, so I moved here in September 1998,” he said.

His desire to spend more time hunting also was sparked by the opportunities in Montana as well as neighboring states and Canada.

Since then, he’s achieved the Grand Slam Club’s North America Super Slam 25, including animals such as Roosevelt elk, Shiras moose, brown bear, Dall sheep and others.

“2019 was my best year ever,” Hamilton said. “I bagged a Shiras moose in British Columbia and took six record book animals in South Africa.”

Hamilton keeps fit and in shape for his hunts by running several miles every week and continuing the pushups, situps and pullups he’s done his entire life.

“I’m looking forward to a trip to New Zealand in June for some hunting, but it may be delayed because of coronavirus.”

Hamilton is pleased with how his life has turned out.

“I’ve had such a neat life,” he added.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.