Marine84
08-22-10, 06:46 PM
I think just about everybody knows the story of my Uncle Wallace - how I found his Unit and friends of his. My Uncle Jerry (Wallace's brother) has also started attending the Reunions - we meet up with Wallace's buddies at every one and it's a party for about 3 days.
In 07 the reunion was in Savannah, GA. One of his friends got to Savannah a few days before everybody else, rented a car and drove all the way to Union, SC to visit Wallace's grave and glued a 1/1 challenge coin on the top corner of his marker that read "I will never forget".
This past Memorial Day, this same guy came to NC to stay at another Marine's place for a few days R & R. He did the same thing - rented a car and drove all the way to Union except this time, he finally met my Mother. I laughed when I talked to her afterwards. She had a pot of coffee and a little coffee cake or something to offer him when he got there. She said "he drank a whole pot of coffee!" and then proceeded to tell me how big the cup had been that he drank out of. I laughed when she said "I don't mind that he drank a whole pot - I've just never seen anybody do it in one sitting". I told her it was a Marine thing.
During their visit, she mentioned something to him about having Wallace's marker refurbed a little. Back then, the marker that the Government put down had a metal in it that tarnished (turned green)over the years. He told her how cool he thought it was that Wallace was buried beside his Mother. She was so excited as she told me about her visit with him.
Then yesterday...............she calls and says "you not gonna believe what Larry did!" Wallace's other brother, Jim, and his wife were in Union and they noticed that Wallace & my Grandmother's markers were gone. They went to the office there at the cemetary to tell Jackie (who also knows my Mother) and that's when it came out. Yep, you know it........Larry had gone by the office and arranged to have BOTH markers re-done AND arranged payment for! We were supposed to just "notice" later when we changed flowers on the graves and never know who did it. Of course, as soon as Jackie told Uncle Jim and calmed him, she called Mama and told her.
Yeah, I think it's like THE coolest thing that after 41 years, one of Wallace's buddies still remembers him and thinks enough of him (these guys only knew one another for less than a year of their lives) to surprise Wallace's sister (my Mom) and take care of it just because she mentioned in conversation that she was going to have it done. She was only going to do Wallace's but, Larry took care of my Grandmother's too so that one wouldn't be shinier than the other.
Found out a little more info today - when he told Jackie at the cemetary what he wanted to do, Jackie informed him that a family member would have to OK it. My Uncle Jerry lives in Greenville, SC and Larry got him to OK it and held him liable if my Mom found out. So, Uncle Jerry has known about it all this time.
It's been a heart warming thing for me. Again, I'm being shown that Esprit de Corps DOES still exist. I can't wait til the Reunion in DC next year!
In 07 the reunion was in Savannah, GA. One of his friends got to Savannah a few days before everybody else, rented a car and drove all the way to Union, SC to visit Wallace's grave and glued a 1/1 challenge coin on the top corner of his marker that read "I will never forget".
This past Memorial Day, this same guy came to NC to stay at another Marine's place for a few days R & R. He did the same thing - rented a car and drove all the way to Union except this time, he finally met my Mother. I laughed when I talked to her afterwards. She had a pot of coffee and a little coffee cake or something to offer him when he got there. She said "he drank a whole pot of coffee!" and then proceeded to tell me how big the cup had been that he drank out of. I laughed when she said "I don't mind that he drank a whole pot - I've just never seen anybody do it in one sitting". I told her it was a Marine thing.
During their visit, she mentioned something to him about having Wallace's marker refurbed a little. Back then, the marker that the Government put down had a metal in it that tarnished (turned green)over the years. He told her how cool he thought it was that Wallace was buried beside his Mother. She was so excited as she told me about her visit with him.
Then yesterday...............she calls and says "you not gonna believe what Larry did!" Wallace's other brother, Jim, and his wife were in Union and they noticed that Wallace & my Grandmother's markers were gone. They went to the office there at the cemetary to tell Jackie (who also knows my Mother) and that's when it came out. Yep, you know it........Larry had gone by the office and arranged to have BOTH markers re-done AND arranged payment for! We were supposed to just "notice" later when we changed flowers on the graves and never know who did it. Of course, as soon as Jackie told Uncle Jim and calmed him, she called Mama and told her.
Yeah, I think it's like THE coolest thing that after 41 years, one of Wallace's buddies still remembers him and thinks enough of him (these guys only knew one another for less than a year of their lives) to surprise Wallace's sister (my Mom) and take care of it just because she mentioned in conversation that she was going to have it done. She was only going to do Wallace's but, Larry took care of my Grandmother's too so that one wouldn't be shinier than the other.
Found out a little more info today - when he told Jackie at the cemetary what he wanted to do, Jackie informed him that a family member would have to OK it. My Uncle Jerry lives in Greenville, SC and Larry got him to OK it and held him liable if my Mom found out. So, Uncle Jerry has known about it all this time.
It's been a heart warming thing for me. Again, I'm being shown that Esprit de Corps DOES still exist. I can't wait til the Reunion in DC next year!