The 6th Grade Bible and History classes gathered in the Senior Room to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday, which falls Nov. 10, within days of Veterans Day. Students prepared for the birthday celebration by researching various Marine histories and reporting facts. Teacher Mr. Marty Martin was in the Marine Reserves and was activated during Desert Storm. He invited two Marine friends from his church to attend the celebration and meet with students. Zach Dickens invited his grandfather, also a Marine to join them. David Peterson, grandfather of Zach Dickens, was an infantryman in Vietnam in 1967-1968. Of his experience he said, "Those jungles were no fun." Ken Taylor also served in Vietnam as Sergeant and Corporal between 1968 and 1972 as an aircraft mechanic. "After you rebuilt (a plane)," reported Taylor, "you had to crawl in the cockpit with the pilot for the first flight." Jerry Judy, a Marine Corporal, served in Special Ops. in Korea in 1952 and 1953. He said the Special Opps forces faced danger and formed a close-knit group. "You relied on that guy in back of you and in front of you. You have a lot of memories you wish you didn't have," said Judy. He suggested that every teen-age boy go into service for a year during peacetime to help them mature as men. Part of the coursework included learning "The Marine's Hymn," which students and Mr. Martin sang loud and proud along with the Marine visitors. Mr. Martin read with great pride and emotion the Marine Corps' Birthday Message issued in November of 1921 by Major General Commandant John A. LeJeune. The message includes these sobering thoughts: "From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security." Mr. Martin spoke of their honored guests: "The things they've seen, the things they'll never talk about, the sacrifices they've made...They'd never say they'd deserve honor. They think of the men who've never come home." Thank you, Marines and all veterans and service men and women, for sacrificing for our country and for freedom! | |
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