"It's a Small World, After All"

Perhaps your young family endlessly sang this Disney classic. Mine did. It was a reminder that, despite our differences in culture and appearance, we are one as people of the world. Years later, Tom Friedman wrote The World is Flat in which he set forth our global economic interdependence. It had nothing to do with culture or appearance and everything to do with money.

Either way, for better or sometimes for worse, we are one people inextricably interconnected.

November 10, 2007 was a day that continues to remind me of the global village which Disney and Friedman acknowledged. Were I to write the movie trailer, I say that "it was a day of war and peace, love and hate, wealth and power, birth and death, honor and tradition, family and friendships spanning generations, with an all star cast."

My camera would then zoom in on the stars - My Granddaughter, Terry Tillery, Bill Negron, Tim Heck, and - reluctantly - me, all sitting around a table at Tun's Tavern in Philadelphia. The United States Marine Corps was founded at Tun’s Tavern on November 10, 1775. Hence, that day in 2007 was the Corp's 232nd birthday.

To mark the occasion, several survivors of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division were celebrating at a reunion in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Coincidentally, the day also marked 40 years since several attendees (me included) had arrived in Vietnam.

Others were busy that day as well.

In Hong Kong, 7,600 miles to the west, on that very day, my first Grandchild was born.

In Baghdad, Iraq, 7,300 miles to the east, on that very day, an American and a Marine Corps flag were being flow in my honor over Firebase Spiteful in Camp Fallujah - the definition of hell on earth for a new generation of United States Marines. I only became aware of this yesterday when the flags and accompanying citations arrived in the mail.

Margaret came first. Given the time difference, we awoke to the wonderful news. Most of our day was spent visiting Angel Fire, a stunning memorial near Taos created by Victor Westphall to honor his son David, a 4th Marine brother who was killed on our watch in 1968.

That evening we celebrated. Marine Corps Birthday rituals were followed to the letter. I rose to toast Bill Negron, our company commander on this his 71st birthday and Margaret on her birth day. I also read an email that I’d just received from 1st Lt. Tim Heck detailing the activities of his unit during the previous week at Camp Fallujah, Iraq. Bill, Margaret, and Tim each received a standing ovation.

After dinner, a raffle was held. The prize item was a Marine Corps baby quilt beautifully created by the wife of one of our group. In addition to the Vietnam service ribbons and eagle globe and anchor, the date and our unit markings were embroidered in. The winner was Terry Tillery. Terry wasted little time in quietly presenting it to Bill Negron in honor of his birthday. Several minutes later, Bill walked over and, without fanfare, handed the quilt to me.

“Here,” he said in a whisper. “Please give this to Margaret with love from all of us.”

The evening ended, but I had yet to see the actual conclusion of the day until yesterday. In the mail, I received a package from Tim Heck. Tim was a Georgetown neighbor during his undergraduate years. Each fall, as new students arrived to reside on our street, I’d ring several doorbells wearing my Marine Corps sweatshirt to let my new neighbors know exactly how it was going to be for the upcoming year. It was a stunningly effective strategy which gained me hours of additional weekend sleep.

Tim opened his door, gave me a quiet Indiana up and down and remarked,

“I’m going to be one of you.”

I was stunned. This was a first. “One of me,” I responded?

“”Yes sir, one of you. I’m in Naval ROTC. When I graduate, I’ll be commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the United States Marine Corps.”

My first reaction was to ask the poor misguided soul if he was in full possession of his faculties. There would soon be a war going on and Tim wanted to be an infantry officer.

“Semper Fi, brother” were my only words.

“Semper Fi, sir,” he responded.

Tim and I became friends and have stayed in touch. He loves the Marine Corps and thereby, by extension, loves me. I love Tim as well. It’s one of the reasons that the United States Marine Corps is older than the country itself.

Yesterday, a package from Tim arrived. It included a Marine Corps flag, an American flag and two documents. The first document was a formal citation that read:
This Flag was flown over Sierra Battery Gun line at Camp Fallujah, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08.1
Presented to:
Jack McLean
It included appropriate seals and signatures. I was, needless to say, blown away.

The second document was a memo to me, Cpl. Jack McLean C/1/4, on the unit’s letterhead from Gunnery Sergeant M.D. Hamby, Position commander of Firebase Spiteful, Camp Fallujah, Iraq. It reads as follows:

Subj: For Your Loyal Service to the Marine Corps

1. The enclosed flags were flown in your honor by First Lieutenant Timothy G. Heck of Battery S, Fifth Battalion, Tenth Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team Six, aboard Firebase Spiteful, Camp Fallujah, Anbar Province, Iraq on November 10, 2007.


2. The flags were flown with the ideals of General Lejeune’s original birthday message animating our thoughts and actions. The Marines of Spiteful Battery are currently carrying on the legacy set forth by the Marines that have preceded us on the battlefields both here and elsewhere and the warrior ethos you have passed on to us. The Marines here are the successors to the legacy of Chapultepec, the walls of the Peking Legion, the wheat fields of Belleau Wood, the volcanic sands of Iwo Jima, the frozen expanse of the Chosin Reservoir, and of your own battles in the DMZ.


3. We hope these flags will be a small token of our appreciation for the heritage and standards you have established for us. The Marine Corps is in good hands as a result of your work.


4. May the Marine Corps enjoy many more birthdays as our legacy for honor, courage and commitment continues to be built daily by the Marines of Spiteful Battery.
   
   Semper Fidelis!
   
   Semper Fidelis to you as well, Gunny, and to Tim and to Terry.
   
   To Bill, Margaret, and the United States Marine Corps, Happy Birthday!

Thank you for visiting.

Jack