SwiftVets.com

[MarineBrat]

For many years my father did something that I now find curious. Alas, he's no longer with us, and so I'm not sure who to ask about it. Perhaps one of you can shed some light on a tradition he had. As background he was USMC, fought in the South Pacific in WWII, he was forward air traffic control in Korea, and again in Vietnam. He finished up active duty a MSGT in GLYNCO Georgia as an air traffic control trainer, retiring in 1972. And when the first Gulf war started he called the Marines and asked to be allowed to help, only to be gently let down due to his age. A life long Marine without a doubt.

He once said to me that he felt like he was spending all of his time burying relatives. He was always there for everyone, and he was the last one at the gravesite, waiting until it was covered. No matter how distant the family member. We had a huge family, with around 40 cousins, and many many aunts and uncles, etc. My parents divorced when I was 14, and by 17 I lived on opposite ends of the country from my father. He stayed in our home town and watched everyone grow old and die.

After the crowds were gone at a gravesite, he would take a lapel pin of the Marine Emblem, not the small round colorful one but the larger black globe/eagle/anchor, and he would discreetly set it at the graveside, or drop it into the soil and kick a little dirt over it. I believe he did this only for military or ex military people. My sister once said to him that if he just leaves it there in the dirt, then some little kid will probably end up finding and taking it some day. He just said "Yes", as if that were the whole point. I got the impression that in his mind this was some sort of planting of a seed. Funny that today, a decade after his death, I find myself doing the same thing.

Have any of you USMC heard of this type of thing? Could it be something that my dad started doing out of the blue, or is the a known behavior of Marines?

It sure was a joy to listen to those old timers talk to fellow veterans. My uncle, who just passed away, was a lifer in the Navy, and much respected by my father. Uncle's early Navy career was spent fishing bodies out of Pearl Harbor. Once uncle reminded dad that the Marines were just a small part of the Navy Department, and were found on most Navy ships, and dad would say that virgins in white dresses always require an escort when traveling. They would laugh and pat each other on the back. Funny how those guys could manage to insult each other and enjoy it so much at the same time. There was a certain understanding between them that I have seen nowhere else in life, and I'm very privileged to have seen it.

Anyway, if any of you USMC guys/gals know of this tradition, please let me know.

Semper Fi,

MarineBrat

[The bandit]

Sounds to me this is something your dad developed on his own to honor fallen Marines. What your dad did is not really not much different then what others have done to honor fallen marines. For an example see:

http://www.marine969.com/fallen_marine_program.htm


Semper Fi