T. J. McGarvey entered the Marine Corps in 1966 and served in Vietnam from March 1967-April 1968.   He fought with the 1^st Battalion, 9^th Marine Regiment, 3^rd Marine Division in Vietnam.  During his time in Vietnam, his battalion earned the nickname “The Walking Dead” for the casualties they suffered, which were among the highest in Marine Corps history.

Wounded in April 1967, T. J. refused the Purple Heart so as not to upset his mother.