thedrifter
12-08-07, 06:34 AM
Marines dedicate memorial to fallen troops in Iraq
By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
7:58 p.m. December 7, 2007
CAMP PENDLETON – A memorial was dedicated here Friday to the 221 Marines, soldiers and sailors who have died since 2003 while serving combat duty with 5th Marine Regiment battalions in Iraq.
The granite memorial resembles the “Texas” barrier used by U.S. troops for protection in the Anbar province of Iraq.
Hundreds of Marines and their family members attended Friday's ceremony despite threatening skies and cold, blustery winds. Some cried when a Marine placed a wreath at the base of the memorial as a bugler played “Taps.”
Deborah Smith traveled to Camp Pendleton from Florida. She sat in the front row and held a poster-sized photo of her only son, Lance Cpl. Antoine Smith, who was killed Nov. 15, 2004, in Anbar. He had turned 22 a few days earlier.
“I'm not going to let their memory just die,” Smith said. “I support the Marine Corps.”
Memory, history and tradition were themes frequently underscored by those in attendance.
The memorial rests in a small park that commemorates battles fought by the 5th Marines, who are revered as the most decorated regiment in the Marine Corps. The park also contains concrete markers that record milestones from World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Col. Patrick Malay, who will lead the 5th Marine Regiment on its next deployment to Iraq in a few weeks, referenced the historic clashes and Iraq's place among them.
“This history continues,” Malay said. “You can't have a dedication to a memorial like this without some somber aspects, but today we should celebrate their victory.”
Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, who came up with the idea for a fund that resulted in the new memorial, spoke of today's Marines creating a legacy.
“The wall ... will live on long after all of us are gone,” he said. “I think future generations will study what was done in Anbar.”
A group of former Marines and their supporters raised more than $70,000 in less than a year to build the memorial and a smaller version for the 5th Marines' chow hall.
Etched into the outdoor memorial are the words: “Fallen and Never Forgotten, Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
Some former Marines returned to Camp Pendleton for the ceremony. One told the story of how Capt. Harry Thompson refused to leave the battlefield despite being shot.
Thompson, a former platoon commander, posed for a picture and then studied the names of friends and comrades now gone.
“It's comforting to know that they will be up there forever,” he said.
Rick Rogers: (760) 476-8212; rick.rogers@uniontrib.com
Ellie
By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
7:58 p.m. December 7, 2007
CAMP PENDLETON – A memorial was dedicated here Friday to the 221 Marines, soldiers and sailors who have died since 2003 while serving combat duty with 5th Marine Regiment battalions in Iraq.
The granite memorial resembles the “Texas” barrier used by U.S. troops for protection in the Anbar province of Iraq.
Hundreds of Marines and their family members attended Friday's ceremony despite threatening skies and cold, blustery winds. Some cried when a Marine placed a wreath at the base of the memorial as a bugler played “Taps.”
Deborah Smith traveled to Camp Pendleton from Florida. She sat in the front row and held a poster-sized photo of her only son, Lance Cpl. Antoine Smith, who was killed Nov. 15, 2004, in Anbar. He had turned 22 a few days earlier.
“I'm not going to let their memory just die,” Smith said. “I support the Marine Corps.”
Memory, history and tradition were themes frequently underscored by those in attendance.
The memorial rests in a small park that commemorates battles fought by the 5th Marines, who are revered as the most decorated regiment in the Marine Corps. The park also contains concrete markers that record milestones from World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Col. Patrick Malay, who will lead the 5th Marine Regiment on its next deployment to Iraq in a few weeks, referenced the historic clashes and Iraq's place among them.
“This history continues,” Malay said. “You can't have a dedication to a memorial like this without some somber aspects, but today we should celebrate their victory.”
Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, who came up with the idea for a fund that resulted in the new memorial, spoke of today's Marines creating a legacy.
“The wall ... will live on long after all of us are gone,” he said. “I think future generations will study what was done in Anbar.”
A group of former Marines and their supporters raised more than $70,000 in less than a year to build the memorial and a smaller version for the 5th Marines' chow hall.
Etched into the outdoor memorial are the words: “Fallen and Never Forgotten, Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
Some former Marines returned to Camp Pendleton for the ceremony. One told the story of how Capt. Harry Thompson refused to leave the battlefield despite being shot.
Thompson, a former platoon commander, posed for a picture and then studied the names of friends and comrades now gone.
“It's comforting to know that they will be up there forever,” he said.
Rick Rogers: (760) 476-8212; rick.rogers@uniontrib.com
Ellie