Leatherneck EZINE

Marine and Navy Corpsmen Memorial
Dedicated November 10th 2004
Jacksonville, Florida

When the Marines associated with the Jacksonville Semper Fidelis Society wanted to establish a tribute to Marines from the community, it was understood that the special breed of sailor, the Corpsman, would equally share this tribute. Marines without Navy Corpsmen are like kites without strings. It has been the Navy Corpsmen who has kept Marines together in more ways than one. They are beacons of strength and pillars of compassion, unselfish and courageous. Corpsmen are and have always been held in the highest esteem amongst all Marines and we did not want this Marine emblem or the title Marine on this monument to be displayed without a reference to our brothers in blue.

On the long flight back, I had lots of hours to reflect. Things that came to my mind were; “Why did I get out, with just a few bumps, lumps, scratches from enemy fire and others didn’t?”

When I got word that my Company CO a 1st LT, whom I befriended and who had only ten days left of his tour, was sent out with a team, I couldn’t believe it! So I even asked him and he said, ”I was ordered out, I don’t have a choice.” Then word came he had been killed. It really made me angry. His wife sent me a letter and his picture telling me how much he thought of me, and all about him. I sat down in my team’s tent and cried.

December 8th 1941
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

November 22nd 1963
Walter Cronkite
"In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas...President Kennedy died at 1:00 P.M. Central Standard Time, two o'clock Eastern Standard Time."

September 11th 2001
Andy Card, White House Chief of Staff
"A second plane has hit the tower, America is under attack."

September 11th 2001
Michelle, My Wife
"Wake up honey, a plane crashed into the World Trade Center."

You are not alone.

When the shit hits the fan, the world becomes a very small place. Imagine if you will, standing on the beach. The incredibly blue Pacific stretched out before you as the sun peeks over the horizon behind you. The sky slowly edges from black to purple to pink. You can smell the coffee brewing as the soft, sweet music from the radio lulls you, caresses you, takes you back home to her, to Mom's bread baking, to Dad's pipe smoke, to Grandpa's farm where the fresh cut alfalfa makes the air even better than this salt-fresh air. Back home, they would all be getting ready for church, this being Sunday morning. As you stare out over the crisp blue ocean at the sea birds flying almost as if in formation, it slowly dawns on you that they really are flying in formation. What kind of birds fly like that? Well, they are flying in to shore, so pretty soon you will be able to identify them. Maybe write back home to let everyone know about them. But they are not birds. They are planes. Japanese Zeros.

Where do these Veterans with the attitude, “that Vet thing doesn’t cut it with me” get off! That’s right Veterans who don’t give a damn about their fellow Veterans. Yes, we have them and I am sure you have run into this strange breed. I had my experience with a few and unfortunately some that I helped because they were Vets. The aforementioned quote rolled off the lips of a retired senior SNCO, a Sgt Major in fact, and was directed towards another Marine SNCO Veteran. I have also seen it in retired officers who have ignored fellow Marines and Veterans in need. They understand the brotherhood only when it is convenient to them; they certainly give new meaning to the phrase Semper Fi, Mac!