Cal Atwood is an unusual combination - a proud Marine, educator, golfer and a poet. He will be the first to tell you that his distinguished career and the happiness he has found in life can be credited to the United States Marine Corps and his experiences as a young man of 18.

Atwood served as parachutist-machine gunner and was wounded in combat on Iwo Jima. He holds a degree from Lawrence University and a master's degree from Columbia University. He taught and worked in school administrations in Washington, DC, at the Sidwell Friends School, Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, the Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, the University of North Carolina and Emory University in Atlanta.

Atwood and his wife, Carol Ann, first started visiting Amelia Island in 1989 while living and working in Atlanta. In 1997 they made the island their full-time home.

Not a retiring man in any way, he has continued to share his talents and energy with a grateful community. He is a proud member of the Marine Corps League and active in other veteran's organizations. He serves on the board and is past president of the Amelia Island Museum of History. He continues as an active volunteer and was a founder of the Museum's annual golf tournament. When not volunteering, Atwood is likely to be found on one of the island's many golf courses.

The man is an avid golfer. No need to wonder if he wants to play golf. He is always ready to play. He delights in beating the younger men he often plays with. His ability to create complex wagers on the golf course is legend Ð somehow he always manages to win.

Like many veterans of World War II, Atwood is reluctant to talk about his experiences landing on the beaches of Iwo Jima, but at the urging of friends and family, agreed to participate in the Amelia Museum of History's Veterans History Project. The project, authorized by the United States Congress, covers World War I, World War II, the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. The Amelia Island Museum of History is the official partner archive of the Library of Congress. Trained volunteers interview veterans and other citizens to get first-hand accounts of wartime experiences. Interviews are available at the museum and will be placed in the Veterans website at www.loc.gov/vets. To listen to Atwood's interview, visit www.ameliaislandmuseum.org.

Atwood has been a teacher, a dean, an executive recruiting consultant and a poet. Of all his accomplishments, his recognition as a poet is one of his proudest. His first book of poetry, A Squadron of Roses, was published in 1978 and focused on the war and his sons Wayne, Todd and Nate. He was president of both the North Carolina Poetry Society and the Georgia State Poetry Society. His poems have appeared in The New York Times, Leatherneck Magazine, International Poetry Review, Tar Heel Magazine and the Fernandina Beach News-Leader.

His recent book, The Isle of You, is above all a book of love poems, but also shows us glimpses of Atwood's life-changing experiences as a young Marine landing on the dark beaches of Iwo Jima. Yes, he is the most unlikely of mixes - a soldier and a poet. His experiences have fed his work and those things that he cares deeply about ring true in his carefully crafted lines of poetry. His poems reveal his passions for what he cares so very much about Ð his fellow Marines, his sons, and daughter, 18 grandchildren and, most often, his wife, Carol Ann.

The Isle of You is available at Alexander's, Books Plus, The Plantation Shop, Eileen's Art and Antiques and Amazon.com for $12.95.

Dickie Anderson is an essayist, speaker and author. Her weekly columns are available on her website - www.dickieanderson.com. Her books are available at book and gift shops on Amelia Island or through her website.