thedrifter
09-06-03, 06:04 AM
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 200394195749
Story by Lance Cpl. Jenn Steimer
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(September 24, 2003) -- Gunshots, screams, fierce bombardment, fog, confusion, uncertainty - they're all earmarks of war that left one young lieutenant without a chance to meet his newborn baby boy.
When Paul F. Cobb Jr. was born, his proud father serving in Vietnam spread the word to his fellow Marines as he celebrated the birth of his first child entering the world thousands of miles away in America.
But the urgency of war quickly sidetracked his joy. Second Lt. Paul F. Cobb, a platoon commander with the 1st Marine Division, led his men to reinforce fellow Marines in a brutal attack against the enemy.
The fight, for which he received the Navy Cross, cost him his life and the chance of ever meeting his namesake.
That's when Marines serving alongside Cobb took on a new assignment - reuniting the son with his brave father, through their words, memories and gestures.
It took more than 30 years to accomplish their mission. But now, Paul F. Cobb Jr. has a much deeper understanding of who his father was as a military man, after attending reunions of his dad's old unit, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.
"I always remembered how Lt. Cobb never had the chance to meet his son, and wanted to do something about it," said retired Mater Sgt. Laurence H. Peterson, a platoon commander who served in Vietnam next to Cobb. Peterson and Cobb were interviewed here last month while Cobb was vacationing in California.
During a 1/7 reunion in 1999, Peterson brought up the idea to track down Paul F. Cobb Jr. Former police officer Nat Holmes joined him in the hunt.
Later that year, Peterson found Cobb and sent him a letter, hoping to receive a call back.
In November 1999, Cobb made the call.
"I had gone over in my head a million times what I wanted to say, but when he called, I was so happy, I just started talking," Peterson said.
Eventually, the words he had rehearsed came.
"I told him his father loved him very much and I would be honored to give him the hug his father never could," Peterson said.
"It was like a dream come true," Cobb said. "I've always wanted to know about my father as a Marine."
When the opportunity arose, Cobb attended the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 2000 reunion, where he received his hug from Peterson and the chance to meet several men who knew his father in combat.
In honor of Cobb and his son, the reunion committee read the Navy Cross citation as part of their ceremony.
Also that night, a former Marine, Fred Hawthorne, introduced himself to Cobb and told him about the evening his father passed on.
Now adopted into the 1/7 family, Cobb has attended two reunions and kept in close touch with the Marines.
"It's our chance to give something back to him," Peterson said.
"I have always had a desire to know about my father. Because we never met, there have always been unanswered questions," Cobb said.
"My friends and family told me about what type of person he was, but I never knew what type of Marine he was," he said.
"Now I do," he added.
Although he has always been curious about his father, Cobb never hurt for affection, he said. His mother remarried when he was young and he grew up with a very supportive father, Cobb said.
Now, 35 years later, Cobb is also a proud father of a 5-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, Paul F. Cobb III.
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Story Identification Number: 200394195749
Story by Lance Cpl. Jenn Steimer
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(September 24, 2003) -- Gunshots, screams, fierce bombardment, fog, confusion, uncertainty - they're all earmarks of war that left one young lieutenant without a chance to meet his newborn baby boy.
When Paul F. Cobb Jr. was born, his proud father serving in Vietnam spread the word to his fellow Marines as he celebrated the birth of his first child entering the world thousands of miles away in America.
But the urgency of war quickly sidetracked his joy. Second Lt. Paul F. Cobb, a platoon commander with the 1st Marine Division, led his men to reinforce fellow Marines in a brutal attack against the enemy.
The fight, for which he received the Navy Cross, cost him his life and the chance of ever meeting his namesake.
That's when Marines serving alongside Cobb took on a new assignment - reuniting the son with his brave father, through their words, memories and gestures.
It took more than 30 years to accomplish their mission. But now, Paul F. Cobb Jr. has a much deeper understanding of who his father was as a military man, after attending reunions of his dad's old unit, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.
"I always remembered how Lt. Cobb never had the chance to meet his son, and wanted to do something about it," said retired Mater Sgt. Laurence H. Peterson, a platoon commander who served in Vietnam next to Cobb. Peterson and Cobb were interviewed here last month while Cobb was vacationing in California.
During a 1/7 reunion in 1999, Peterson brought up the idea to track down Paul F. Cobb Jr. Former police officer Nat Holmes joined him in the hunt.
Later that year, Peterson found Cobb and sent him a letter, hoping to receive a call back.
In November 1999, Cobb made the call.
"I had gone over in my head a million times what I wanted to say, but when he called, I was so happy, I just started talking," Peterson said.
Eventually, the words he had rehearsed came.
"I told him his father loved him very much and I would be honored to give him the hug his father never could," Peterson said.
"It was like a dream come true," Cobb said. "I've always wanted to know about my father as a Marine."
When the opportunity arose, Cobb attended the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 2000 reunion, where he received his hug from Peterson and the chance to meet several men who knew his father in combat.
In honor of Cobb and his son, the reunion committee read the Navy Cross citation as part of their ceremony.
Also that night, a former Marine, Fred Hawthorne, introduced himself to Cobb and told him about the evening his father passed on.
Now adopted into the 1/7 family, Cobb has attended two reunions and kept in close touch with the Marines.
"It's our chance to give something back to him," Peterson said.
"I have always had a desire to know about my father. Because we never met, there have always been unanswered questions," Cobb said.
"My friends and family told me about what type of person he was, but I never knew what type of Marine he was," he said.
"Now I do," he added.
Although he has always been curious about his father, Cobb never hurt for affection, he said. His mother remarried when he was young and he grew up with a very supportive father, Cobb said.
Now, 35 years later, Cobb is also a proud father of a 5-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, Paul F. Cobb III.
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: