TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - Retired Marine colonel M.J. ‘Mac’ Dube passed away, Tuesday.
Dube, a Silver Star Medal recipient, retired from the Marine Corps in 1989 after a 38-year career that included multiple combat tours during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and serving as the Combat Center’s chief of staff.
After retiring from the Marine Corps, Dube remained in Twentynine Palms, where he became involved in the local community. He was elected to the Twentynine Palms City Council in 1994, and served as mayor three times before leaving the council in 2002.
“When I raised my right hand and was sworn in, I was very proud to serve my community, especially since I was a relative newcomer compared to all the others,” Dube told the local newspaper, The Desert Trail in 2007.
In 2010, Dube was awarded the Silver Star for acts of valor committed during combat operations in Vietnam when he dodged a barrage of enemy fire to rescue a downed Air Force pilot before returning to the aircraft to remove its rockets.
Dube’s personal and unit decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, four Bronze Star Medals with Combat “V,” four Purple Hearts, two Air Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” three Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V,” the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, four Presidential Unit Citations, three Navy Unit Citations, and two Good Conduct Medals.
Dube is survived by his wife, Patricia, and their twin boys, Marc and Erik. Dube will be forever remembered as a dedicated Marine, and as a person who genuinely cared about his family, his Marines and his community.