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thedrifter
04-22-07, 07:55 AM
Elite Marine joins ranks of S. Elgin's finest

April 22, 2007
BY GLORIA CARR Staff Writer


SOUTH ELGIN -- He was trained not to show emotion.

James Creighton had to remain stoic as a member of the Marines' elite Body Bearer unit. Everything had to be perfect, he says. His duty was honoring fellow Marines one last time.

"This is our final salute to the fallen Marine," the 30-year-old says, displaying a photo of his unit holding a Marine's casket, draped in an American flag, over their shoulders. "We raise it, then we lower it down. That's why we are called 'the last to let you down.' "

Recently, he started a new career. Creighton and Adam Rzeppa became South Elgin's newest police officers during an April 2 swearing-in ceremony. Creighton is making another big change -- he will be getting married in August. His fiancée, Heather, his mother, Diane and his sister all were on hand at his swearing-in ceremony.

During Creighton's career as a Marine, he presided over 575 funerals. A majority were held in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., while he was assigned to Body Bearer unit of the Marine Corps barracks in Washington known as the 8th&I. The unit conducts funerals for active Marines, former Marines and their family members.

There were a handful of funerals that did affect him, like one for a young pilot killed during active duty. The Marine's parents, wife and young daughter asked to meet privately with the unit's 14 members.

Creighton says he saw his own family in their faces.

"All they said was 'Thank you,' " he recalls.

The Belvidere native left the military in 2003. In November, he returned from a one-year stint in Iraq. He worked for a private security firm assigned to a military base. Creighton had not been deployed as an enlisted Marine, but going to Iraq "was something I felt I had to do," he says.
College football to Marine
Creighton brings to his new job a varied background. He played football at Western Kentucky University under coach Jim Harbaugh, a former Chicago Bear. His college football career became more of a job than for fun, and he decided he wanted to see the world. He was recruited in 1999 through the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Beaufort, S.C. It was through Parris Island that he was recruited to the Body Bearer unit.

A friend told him if he ever had the chance to join the 8th&I, he should. For a guy who never felt comfortable visiting a cemetery, it was an unusual choice. But Creighton saw it as a way to honor the history of the Marine Corps and its heroes, he says.

The Marines conduct 14 different types of funerals. The most common is where six Marines hoist the casket while seven Marines do a 21-gun salute, shooting three rounds each. A bugler performs taps while the Marines fold the American flag and present it to the family, he says.

A high-profile funeral Creighton served at was a full-honors service for Johnny "Mike" Spann in November 2001. Spann, a Marine and CIA agent, was notable for being the first U.S. casualty in the war on terrorism. His casket was transported by a horse-drawn caisson. There, Creighton met former CIA head George Tenet. A photo of Spann's funeral appeared in People magazine with Creighton in the background, looking straight ahead as he carried the casket.

Creighton's military career included brushes with famous leaders, like President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton. Bush spoke at a parade the Marine barracks hold every Friday during the summer. This year, the Marines will celebrate the 50th anniversary of that parade. Clinton spoke at a groundbreaking ceremony at which Creighton's unit performed.
'We train ... for perfection'
The unit trained intensively and had to do a lot of weight training, he says.

"The way we train is for perfection," Creighton says. "We make sure the funeral has no flaws, because that is the last time the family will see them. It's all about discipline."

Toward the end of Creighton's assignment, there were more funerals for Marines who died in active duty, he says. The graves at Arlington National Cemetery have a lot of history and he is honored to have served as a Body Bearer, he says.

"It's amazing to think of the people buried there and what they did," Creighton says. "The thank you goes to them. What I did was, hopefully, give them the best funeral and made sure they got the proper burial."
Move to Iraq
Even though he helped bury Iraq war casualties, Creighton felt he had a duty to serve, somehow. Creighton worked as a contractor for a year. He said a majority of the contractors hire ex-military who work on the base. He says it is like helping the military and supporting the troops there.

His work in Iraq involved doing fingerprints and iris scans of anyone working on base, including Iraqi soldiers, Shiites and Sunnis. Creighton says he worked with people of 19 different nationalities, people who just were trying to get to work each day and support their families.

The worst part of that experience was not knowing what to expect, he says. Ultimately, that job has given him a new perspective on life.

"Here, you don't have to think twice about drinking the water or take for granted being able to take a walk without worrying about being shot at or mortars coming in," he says.

Ellie