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| March 12, 2007 |
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My sister and brother in law lost their beloved 22 year old nephew in Baghdad this month. He was a Marine on special security patrol. He was very sick, running a high fever, but did not want to make a fuss since he felt called to always being on duty to protect his fellow Marine. Apparently he was so sick that he died back at the base, probably from congestive heart failure, but the autopsy results are not yet in. His father is angry and wants to know why his son did not get the medical attention he so desperately needed. And we all have to wonder if he died due to lack of sufficient support.
My dad was a Marine in World Wart II. He flew very dangerous missions in the South Pacific as a crew chief. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross and we always had a bumper sticker on our old Dodge that said, “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.” My 18 year old son, who never knew my father because he died young, has a bumper sticker on his Dodge truck that says “Semper Fi US Marine Core”. I just discovered this the other day. I am touched and proud.
Last weekend, I had the house to myself on a Friday night, while my stepdaughter and husband were out on a Daddy date. I was sitting on the bed watching the Public Television's Jim Lehrer News Hour, when they did the roll call of the military that lost their lives in Iraq that week. They silently show their photos with their name, rank, age and hometown. Ritchie Quill, my sister’s nephew appeared on the screen and I gasped then sobbed, overcome with emotion, the war came home to meet me that day.
Then last week, Jane Doroff, Director of Senior Nutrition, and I had the once a year privilege when we go to Portrait Artist Harvey Henningsen‘s studio to view the portrait photos he took of three of our Meals on Wheels clients. One of the clients was Jane’s 87 year old neighbor who has recently been on Meals on Wheels. Gary was also a World War II veteran, a navy man who was in combat in the South Pacific. Jane had the bright idea of bringing in a folded flag and in some of the photos Gary was holding the flag. Harvey put up on the screen a photo of Gary holding the flag over his heart with a look in his eyes that told you he was back “there” again on that boat in the Pacific. Once again I was overcome and did not hold back the tears. (See page 5 of this month's Sonoma Seniors Today to see this picture.)
When my son David has talked to me about joining the Marines, I have said that I would be very proud if he did, but please wait until this war is over as I could not bear to lose him.
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