Five weeks ago, our lives changed forever. Nothing can change that.
Nothing can erase that day. It was a night of chaos and carnage that gave way
to a day of beauty and courage. I don’t want to forget that night, I couldn’t
even if I wanted to. We owe it to Ripp, Josh, Joshua, Billy, Rog, Mason and
David to remember that night. But, we owe it to them to remember not just the
tragic but also the good and heroic. And what better way to honor the events of
March 18th and the men of Hawthorne than to reflect on what it means
to be a Deadwalker.
Most normal people would
recoil at the prospect of joining an organization nicknamed the Walking Dead.
That or they would think it’s just a fan club of the TV show where they could
hunt zombies. Like many of you, when I received word I was coming to 1/9 I went
to the two sources of all information, Google and Wikipedia, to learn the
history of my new unit. After reading the history of the unit and discovering
the unit called themselves the Walking Dead, I found the name a bit morbid and
chalked it and the Grim Reaper logo up to the infantry obsession with skulls.
And two years ago, like many outside our unit, I would have thought it odd to
call someone a good Deadwalker. But, after March 18th we know there
is honor and deep meaning in wearing the title of Deadwalker.
So what does it mean to lay claim
to the name Deadwalker? What sets us apart from other people? Other units? For
the guests who aren’t familiar with the unit’s history, our name came from the
time those who walked before us spent in Vietnam. After a particularly
difficult and brutal battle we had suffered the worst day for the Corps in
Vietnam both in sheer numbers and in percentage of casualties. One Viet Cong
General reportedly stated that we were never going to win and were essentially
walking towards our death and burial and called us the Walking Dead. That
nickname was even broadcast over Vietnamese propaganda radio by the infamous
Hanoi Hanna encouraging us to go ahead and die. We embraced that name, but not
in the way they expected. They had no clue what made up a member of the Walking
Dead. Even death itself cannot defeat a Deadwalker.
Today we remember seven
men who embodied everything it means to be a part of the Walking Dead. As you
have heard from many others today, these seven Marines weren’t just great
Marines, they were outstanding young men who had much to offer the world. They
had already made a positive difference here in the unit as well as their communities
back home. These men looked death in the face on the night of March 18th
and just grinned because they knew death wasn’t getting the final say in their
lives.
Death will always lose
when it is up against infantry Marines that are willing to argue with each
other that they are the best potential date for Taylor Swift. Death doesn’t
stand a chance against the sarcasm of these Marines. Death’s darkness can’t
overcome the illuminating smiles and powerful sense of humor of these men.
Death can’t bully men who refuse to succumb to peer pressure. Death can’t
recover from men who will do anything to save their brothers and put others
above their own safety in a time of need. Death’s grip isn’t strong enough to
compete against the beauty of a simple memorial of rocks and chevrons created
by brothers in arms. The fear of death will always be overwhelmed by lives that
inspire thousands of people in communities around this country to come out and
pay respects to their fallen sons.
Men such as these change lives
for good and are the shoulders that the Corps stands upon. We take men such as
these for granted because we expect great things from them. Men like Ripp,
Joshua, Rog, Billy, Josh, David and Mason defeat death because they show us how
to live. Their bodies are buried, but their lives will continue on and their
impact will multiply as we live lives that honor the way in which they changed
our lives for good.
We call this battalion the
Walking Dead and the men Deadwalkers not because they are walking around awaiting
death or because of a morbid sense of humor. No, we call ourselves Deadwalkers
because we walk through death with no fear. We show death it is nothing in the
face of such men. Time and again, death has tried to defeat this battalion.
Time and again, death has lost because we live lives inspired by men such as
Josh, Billy, Mason, Joshua, Ripp, David and Rog. Lives that inspire others to
live well. Lives that death can’t extinguish. So the next time the Battalion
Commander ends a formation with his familiar call and response, don’t look at
it as cheesy false motivation. Answer his call with pride that you are part of
this storied unit and that you are willing to honor the lives of these seven
and all those before you who proudly bear the name Deadwalker.
And here is a photo of the memorial that I alluded to in the remarks:
No comments:
Post a Comment