The Lone Ex-marine

No EX-Marines?
OK, show me THAT in the Marine Corps Manual; otherwise that's just another unfounded opinion!!!
Dick Gaines

I am neither a Marine nor a Former Marine, and would not presume to speak authoritatively to either regarding the customs and traditions of their service. But I recall the topic as being covered by the Guidebook for Marines with which every boot should be very familiar, as well as at least one other source.

When I was a syndicated newspaper columnist covering the 1991 Desert Shield/Desert Storm operations then ongoing in Kuwait and Iraq, I was additionally tasked with providing a short style guide for the 15 or so papers my boss operated, covering everything from preferred style and spellings, capsule descriptions of military rank structure, unit size, heirarchy and functions, and equipment descriptions and designations. Among those was the custom if not regulation that Marine is always capitalized when referring to the U.S. Marine Corps, and that those who served in that rganization in the past are better described as Former Marines- our custom was to use the upper case with both words- than as ex-Marines, as even the dead are still recognized by their Marine brothers as still being a part of their Corps.

My boss, the editor and publisher who had never served in the military questioned that, and like a good newspaperman, checked it out with an authoritative source: our flagship paper's religion editor, who had himself served as a Marine in Lebanon during an earlier visit there in 1958. He not only confirmed the preferred Marine viewpoint on the subject, but offered an example to illustrate the point, which I heard about later.

When in 1963 President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas and a Former Marine was charged but not convicted of that murder, Lee Harvey Oswald was himself shot to death the following day, and at his funeral there were no close friends or family members to serve as his pallbearers. A Dallas newspaperman immediately volunteered to perform that service for Oswald and was asked by one of his fellow newsies why he would do so. *Whatever else Oswald was, he was a Marine once. So was I. We take care of our own.*

And following that lead, other reporters and photogs also volunteered to carry Oswald to his grave. As in other things, Marines, and Former Marines, lead the way. That too is more a matter of Marine custom and tradition than regulation.

-archy-/-

Travel safely, friend. As the saying goes, don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.

I'll shake free for the weekend around 10 Friday night, and the drive down should take me around 12 hours, arriving around lunchtime Saturday, which should give me a little cushion should I encounter bad weather anywhere along the way. I'll be travelling via motorbike [Red Honda VF500] so if you should see a frazzled and windburned guardian angel, somewhat the worse for wear and overworked, she's with me.

Reckon I'll see y'all at the Courthouse around Non Sunday, unless anyone cares to arrange any earlier meeting to discuss the activities for that day's appearance.

Thanks for the kind thought. Y'all take care as well.

-archy-/-

I am blown away by your act. Only you know what your heart desires to fulfill. I will be there in Cleburne on Sunday with Whippet and our Lone Marine Archy. It is a long drive for you and we would love to have you, but the torch will burn none the less. Make sure this trip is right for you friend. Send me a private message if there is anything I can do for you.

Well, don't count chickens 'fore they hatch, and bad weather could either cause me to cancel or mess up my schedule. But I should hit town around Noonish Saturday. And if rain or other unpleasantness interferes, there'll be other weekends to follow as well. Indeed, somebody oughta be making plans for a welcom home parade for the troops, though they're not home yet. But Memorial Day may be truly memorial thios year, or if not, the 4th of July would be a swell time for a homecoming parade for the victors, even if they do secretly hate parades.

Of course, if Austin's Barbecue in Dallas was still in business, I might arrive in Cleburne a little later. I do miss that place.

I shouldn't need a thing once I arrive, other than a time and place to hook up with anyone wanting to make plans in advance of Sunday. But that's no big deal, and if not, I hope to see y'all at the Courthouse around Noon Sunday.

-archy-/-

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