thedrifter
08-16-07, 07:54 AM
A modest ring made of dull gold may not seem special to most. With simple diagonal stripes of yellow and white gold on the front, it does not catch anyone’s eye. It does not contain diamonds or any other jewels, and it is not worth a great deal of money. However, to one corpsman, it is priceless.
The ring belongs to Senior Chief Petty Officer Larry Tentinger, the assistant battalion chief and training officer with 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, currently attached to 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. The ring has a deep history with the military that spans two generations.
“My father graduated early from high school when he was 17 to join the Marine Corps,” Tentinger said. “He received the ring as a gift when he graduated around 1941.”
Tentinger’s father wore the ring when he was an infantryman with 6th Marine Division while he served in such places as Guadalcanal and fought in Okinawa.
After his military service, Tentinger’s father stowed the ring safely away. He kept it in a jewelry box he got in Japan after the Japanese surrendered, which he was present for while he was aboard the USS Missouri.
Sadly, Tentinger’s father died in 1991 while Tentinger was in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm.
The ring found its way to Tentinger years after his father's death.
“After I got back (from Operation Desert Storm), I earned my doctorate in education,” Tentinger said. “My mom was looking for a gift to give me and she found the ring.”
From the second he put it on, he felt that he was meant to wear the ring.
“When I put it on, it just fit perfectly like a glove, even though I had never even tried it on before,” Tentinger said.
Tentinger was with one of the first groups to invade Iraq at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He arrived at Camp Coyote, Kuwait, in mid-Feb. 2003, serving as the senior line corpsman for Weapons Company, 2nd Bn., 23rd Marines. The Marines were anxious. They knew they would be one of the first units crossing the line of departure, but they did not know exactly when that would be.
Tentinger said being a corpsman is more than ensuring his Marines’ physical wellness. It is also taking care of their mental and emotional health. So he would comfort them by sharing “the power.”
“Whenever I would see a Marine looking downbeat, not focused or by himself I would say to him, ‘Marine, let me give you the power,’” Tentinger said. “The Marine would reply, ‘The power, what’s that doc?’ Then I would raise my hand and point to this ring and continue, ‘This ring is my father’s ring. He was a Marine who wore it to Okinawa and Guadalcanal.’ I would hold out my hand with the ring and touch his hand. Then I would say, ‘Now you have the power.’ Instantly the Marine would straighten-up with pride.”
Soon after they crossed into Iraq, just outside of An Nasiriyah, they engaged in their first firefight. After the firefight, Tentinger had Marines approach him and say, “Thanks for the power, doc.”
“I believe this power is the living legacy forged by the Leathernecks who have gone before us and built our heritage,” Tentinger said.
The Marines and sailors who have worked with Tentinger may not have noticed the ring at first. However, it did not take long for them to notice that something is different about this simple piece of jewelry.
“It’s a unique ring,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Mathis, the lead petty officer for training with 3rd Bn., 23rd Marines, “I’ve never seen anything like it, and once you know the story it makes it even more special. He’s really used it to mentor me and anyone else who has come into contact with his story. He uses his personal experience to motivate people around him.”
“He definitely believes in ‘leaving something better than you found it,’” Mathis said. “He develops young corpsman and Marines, and when he leaves the military, the Navy and Marine Corps will be a better place because of him.”
The ring belongs to Senior Chief Petty Officer Larry Tentinger, the assistant battalion chief and training officer with 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, currently attached to 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. The ring has a deep history with the military that spans two generations.
“My father graduated early from high school when he was 17 to join the Marine Corps,” Tentinger said. “He received the ring as a gift when he graduated around 1941.”
Tentinger’s father wore the ring when he was an infantryman with 6th Marine Division while he served in such places as Guadalcanal and fought in Okinawa.
After his military service, Tentinger’s father stowed the ring safely away. He kept it in a jewelry box he got in Japan after the Japanese surrendered, which he was present for while he was aboard the USS Missouri.
Sadly, Tentinger’s father died in 1991 while Tentinger was in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm.
The ring found its way to Tentinger years after his father's death.
“After I got back (from Operation Desert Storm), I earned my doctorate in education,” Tentinger said. “My mom was looking for a gift to give me and she found the ring.”
From the second he put it on, he felt that he was meant to wear the ring.
“When I put it on, it just fit perfectly like a glove, even though I had never even tried it on before,” Tentinger said.
Tentinger was with one of the first groups to invade Iraq at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He arrived at Camp Coyote, Kuwait, in mid-Feb. 2003, serving as the senior line corpsman for Weapons Company, 2nd Bn., 23rd Marines. The Marines were anxious. They knew they would be one of the first units crossing the line of departure, but they did not know exactly when that would be.
Tentinger said being a corpsman is more than ensuring his Marines’ physical wellness. It is also taking care of their mental and emotional health. So he would comfort them by sharing “the power.”
“Whenever I would see a Marine looking downbeat, not focused or by himself I would say to him, ‘Marine, let me give you the power,’” Tentinger said. “The Marine would reply, ‘The power, what’s that doc?’ Then I would raise my hand and point to this ring and continue, ‘This ring is my father’s ring. He was a Marine who wore it to Okinawa and Guadalcanal.’ I would hold out my hand with the ring and touch his hand. Then I would say, ‘Now you have the power.’ Instantly the Marine would straighten-up with pride.”
Soon after they crossed into Iraq, just outside of An Nasiriyah, they engaged in their first firefight. After the firefight, Tentinger had Marines approach him and say, “Thanks for the power, doc.”
“I believe this power is the living legacy forged by the Leathernecks who have gone before us and built our heritage,” Tentinger said.
The Marines and sailors who have worked with Tentinger may not have noticed the ring at first. However, it did not take long for them to notice that something is different about this simple piece of jewelry.
“It’s a unique ring,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Mathis, the lead petty officer for training with 3rd Bn., 23rd Marines, “I’ve never seen anything like it, and once you know the story it makes it even more special. He’s really used it to mentor me and anyone else who has come into contact with his story. He uses his personal experience to motivate people around him.”
“He definitely believes in ‘leaving something better than you found it,’” Mathis said. “He develops young corpsman and Marines, and when he leaves the military, the Navy and Marine Corps will be a better place because of him.”