From Vietnam to the SEC, Al Dandridge brings unique perspective to Philly Bar

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Mike Belici

Albert S. Dandridge III will become the Philadelphia Bar Association's 88th chancellor in January.

Jeff Blumenthal

Reporter- Philadelphia Business Journal

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When he outlines his plans for 2015 at the Philadelphia Bar Association's annual meeting net week, incoming Chancellor Albert S. Dandridge III will focus much of his attention on service. It's a subject for which he is uniquely qualified to discuss and he has the battle wounds to prove it.

The West Philadelphia native joined the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Overbrook High School in 1963 on the basis of a lost coin flip with his best friend. His friend wanted to join the Marines and Dandridge did not. But the two had a pact to move to the next phase of their lives together so they flipped a coin to decide and Dandridge lost. Ironically, during boot camp, his friend broke his foot so the two did not stay together in training.

Dandridge wound up completing two tours of combat duty in Vietnam between 1967 and 1969. The first one was in special operations off the coast and the second one was as a sergeant in the infantry. He received a Bronze Star with Combat "V" for Valor for his efforts in one battle and a Purple Heart after being wounded in another trying to save a soldier who had been hit by mortar fire.

Dandridge vividly remembers the day he was wounded. He was at an outpost that was exchanging artillery fire when mortar fire came in and the marines took cover. After the incoming fire stopped, Dandridge said he asked if everyone was OK and heard someone call out "Sergeant Dandridge!" from about 50 feet away. A member of his infantry unit was hit and Dandridge and another Marine ran to save him under enemy fire and brought him to safety. Dandridge was ready to get on the move again when a medic pointed to his right arm and hand, which had been hit by shrapnel in the rescue attempt.

Jeff Blumenthal covers banking, insurance and law.