Semper Fidelis
More than a motto, a way of life that distinguishes the Marine Corps bond from any other. It goes beyond teamwork – it is a brotherhood and lasts for life.
Latin for "always faithful," Semper Fidelis became the Marine Corps motto in 1883. It guides Marines to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other, to the Corps and to country, no matter what.
Becoming a Marine is a transformation that cannot be undone, and Semper Fi reminds us of that. Once made, a Marine will forever live by the ethics and values of the Corps.
There is no such thing as an ex-Marine.
"For 221 years our Corps has done two things for this great Nation. We make Marines and we win battles."
~ Gen. Chalres C. Krulak, USMC (CMC): 5 May 1977
Honoring and Remembering:
Sgt. Julian C. Chase
Lance Cpl. Steven G. Sutton
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which began in April of 2004, is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos and provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
Since 2001 we have lost
1994 American troops in Afghanistan and a total of 3024 American and coalition forces.
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The Marine Band performing
The Marines' Hymn at the Marine Corps War Memorial.
From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.
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Sgt. Julian C. Chase, 22, of Edgewater, Maryland
Sgt. Julian C. Chase, 22, of Edgewater, Md., died May 28 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. ~ DoD News Release
Julian Chase graduated in 2008 from Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington and enlisted in the Marines upon graduation. In an interview with the Washington Times in 2009 Julian said simply, that he "wanted to serve."
Military service has been a part of Sgt. Chase's family for generations. A great-great-grandfather fought for the Union at Antietam. One grandfather served in the Pacific during World War II; the other served in the occupation forces in Germany after the war.
Sgt Chase arrived in Okinawa in August of 2009. He was on his second deployment to Afghanistan.
Tom Chase, Julian's father, says his son's four year deployment would have ended in September. He described his son as an exceptional man who loved to have fun, but at the same time was dedicated and loving.
This was something that he always wanted to do. He was inspired to become a Marine when he was about 14 or 15-years-old when he was on rowing crew for Woodrow Wilson High School. And his crew coach was a Marine sniper. And that had a lot of impact on Julian.
In July Sgt Chase was selected for the Joint Fires Observer Course at Expeditionary Warfare Training Center Pacific. He graduated first overall from the course and returned to Okinawa to continue with pre-deployment training for his second deployment to Afghanistan.
Sgt. Maj. Kevin M. Conboy, sergeant major of 5th ANGLICO at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan stated:
Sergeant Chase was a great example of a Sergeant of Marines and a mentor to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.
Sgt. Chase's unit plans to visit his familiy and friends in Edgewater sometime this summer.
When Sgt. Chase told his father that he had been assigned to the infantry unit, his dad told him:
Remember you're my only son, you have to come back.
To which Sgt. Chase replied:
Someone's son has to do this.
Sgt. Julian C. Chase's service awards include the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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Lance Cpl. Steven G. Sutton, 24, of Leesburg, Georgia
Lance Cpl. Steven G. Sutton, 24, of Leesburg, Ga., died May 26 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. ~ DoD News Release
Steven Sutton graduated in 2007 from Lee County High School where at 6' 7" he was a standout football player.
Former football coach and current principal of Lee County High, Kevin Dowling remembered Sutton as a person whose calm demeanor and kind heart contrasted starkly from his massive frame.
He was just a good kid. Slow to anger — as big as he was you could understand how a kid his size could be overbearing or aggressive — but that just wasn't him. He had a kind way about him, was never any trouble and was the kind of student we strive to create here in Lee County.
Dowling said Sutton was the consummate teammate, a trait that he thinks likely served him well in the Marine Corps.
You've got to be a good teammate in the service because the person in front of you always has to know that, when the stuff gets rough, that you've got their back. He showed that kind of character and determination here on the football field, and I'm sure he carried that with him into the Marines.
He had been in the corps since 2009 and was promoted to Lance Corporal in October 2010.
In a moving tribute to Sutton, the Albany Hearld Editorial Board described how Leesburg went this week from celebrations over Lee County's American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips, to sorrow from the loss of an outstanding citizen.
In a nation where the word “hero” often gets misused to describe entertainers, politicians and sports figures, Lance Cpl. Steve Sutton is the true definition of a hero.
The death of a young man is nothing to celebrate. There is nothing that can be done to truly comfort his loved ones. It is a sober reminder of what our military personnel put on the line every day for a nation that usually is too preoccupied with everyday life to notice.
The death of this Marine, however, is something to publicly acknowledge, something to take to heart, something to appreciate deeply, and something to remember.
Rest in peace, Lance Cpl. Steve Sutton. America salutes you. We salute you. And we will never forget you.
Lance Cpl Steven G. Sutton's awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the NATO Medal.
Lance Cpl Steven G. Sutton is survived by his wife, Toni; his step-daughter; mother, Carol Ethridge; father, Gene Sutton; brother, Robert and sister Nikki.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, Ekaterin and me, JaxDem. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
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Any Soldier – (Marine, Sailor, Airman or CoastGuardsman) Provides detailed information on sending care packages or cards and letters to deployed service members.
Books For Soldiers - View requests for and send troops books, DVDs, games and relief supplies.
Fisher House – Provides a “home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.
Homes For Our Troops – Building specially adapted homes for our severely injured veterans at no cost to the veterans.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans – The VA estimates 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. There are ways to get involved or donate at the link.
Netroots for the Troops (NFTT) – This non-profit raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of care packages to American military in war zones.
Special Operations Warrior Foundation - Provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.
USA Together - "It's like craigslist for Wounded Warriors". Brings together injured service members who need assistance as they recover, with the people who want to help them.
Veterans Green Jobs - Helps transition veterans into their communities and find career opportunities in environment sustainable sectors of our economy.
Welcome Back Veterans - Committed to providing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment to our veterans and their families in a public/private partnership
Wounded Warrior Project - Their vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation's history.
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
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