Photo By Cpl. Joshua Hines | Capt. Daniel F. O'Brien, company commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines,...... read more read more
Subscribe
“Eternal Father, grant we pray, to all Marines, both night and day, the courage, honor, strength and skill their land to serve, thy law fulfill; Be thou the shield forevermore from every peril to the Corps.”
These were the words spoke in prayer, Oct. 21, during a memorial ceremony held by 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2, in honor of Lance Cpl. Raymon L. Johnson and Seaman Edwin P. Gonzalez, two brothers-in-arms who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Johnson, 22, of Muscogee, Ga. entered the Marine Corps, Dec. 5, 2007, and graduated basic training from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., Feb. 29, 2008. Following basic training Johnson reported to the School of Infantry, Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he completed his training as a rifleman. Johnson then reported for duty with 1st Bn., 8th Marines, May 10, 2008, and was assigned to Company A, where he quickly became a squad leader, a position normally held by a Marine two ranks above his own. Johnson was an integral part of his platoon’s pre-deployment preparation.
Gonzalez, 21, of Miami, entered the Navy, Sept. 17, 2007, and graduated Hospital Corpsman training, or “A” School, at Great Lakes, Ill., April 11, 2008. Following Corpsman training, Gonzalez reported to Field Medical Training Battalion, Camp Johnson, N.C., where he graduated, July 2, 2008, in the top 10 percent of his class.
Upon graduation Gonzalez reported to 2nd Marine Division, and was assigned to Company B, 1st Bn., 8th Marines, where he was instrumental in training and preparing his fellow Marines and sailors for Operation Enduring Freedom.
The ceremony was held in the Musa Qal’eh district center, with its district prosecutor, Azsat, and Maj. Abdul Wahid, executive officer of 3rd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 215th Corps, Afghan National Army, in attendance, alongside Marines and sailors of 1st Bn., 8th Marines.
The ceremony began with the national anthem playing as two rifles with fixed bayonets were driven into sandbags. Helmets then rested on the butt stock of each rifle, and a set of identification tags hung from each pistol grip to form the memorial-stands in honor of the fallen brothers.
During the memorial, Capt. Daniel F. O’Brien, commanding officer of Company A, 1st Bn., 8th Marines, spoke of Johnson’s natural leadership and integrity.
“Lance Cpl. Johnson was a good man and a fine Marine. He was the kind of Marine who sought out responsibility, and never shied from his duty,” said O’Brien. “While this is true of many of us, Johnson had a special quality, a quiet confidence and a calm maturity that was remarkable in one as young as he.”
O’Brien went on to explain, “Lance Cpl. Johnson had a natural propensity for leadership which was recognized by his command, but more importantly it was obvious that it was recognized by his peers. He was the kind of Marine who led from the ranks. He knew what was right and he did it, but he was also able to compel those around him to do the right thing. That’s the kind of man, the kind of Marine, Lance Cpl. Johnson was.”
Lance Cpl. Timothy M. Rineer and Seaman Apprentice Stephen A. Suber with Company B, 1st Bn., 8th Marines, spoke of Seaman Gonzalez’ ability to heal as only a friend and a corpsman can.
“Seaman Gonzalez was an outstanding corpsman, he had a gift for helping people, even if it had nothing to do with medicine,” said Rineer. “He was the friend you could come to with your problems. He would always listen and if he could, he’d help you through it.”
“During work and after hours, Gonzalez was there for anyone who needed him,” said Suber. “If there is one thing that stood out about him the most, it was his love for his Marines. His compassion, true friendship and knowledge are the perfect example of a green side corpsman.”
As the ceremony neared its closing moments the battalion commander expressed his sorrow at the loss of both Gonzalez and Johnson.
“Both Seaman Gonzalez and Lance Corporal Johnson were great Americans. Their deaths are deeply felt by all of us who knew and served with them,” said Lt. Col. Dan T. Canfield, commanding officer of 1st Bn., 8th Marines. “They were brave, loyal, and determined young men who performed their duty with simple dignity, unselfishness, and grace. They will be sorely missed.”
In his closing statements, Canfield reassured all in attendance that Johnson’s and Gonzalez’s lives will not have been lost in vain.
“We will honor their memory by persevering in the face of adversity and accomplishing the mission that they made the ultimate sacrifice for,” Canfield added. “Not because of any words uttered here today, but rather because it is the right thing to do and if either Seaman Gonzalez and Lance Cpl. Johnson were here today, they would want nothing more and expect nothing less.”
Canfield went on to say, “They gave their lives in the simple, but sublime performance of duty as they understood it to be. They fought and died for their country, their fellow Marines and sailors of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, our brothers in the Afghan National Police and ANA, and the good people of Musa Qal’eh, defending all of us from tyrants.”
Canfield’s words resonated with the importance of our mission to bring security to the Afghan government in order to put an end to the continued loss of life in the struggle of the stabilizing country.
After the playing of “Taps,” the service came to an end, and all those in attendance paid their final respects honoring the sacrifice made by their fallen brothers.
| Date Taken: | 10.28.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2010 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 59008 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 1,316 |
| Downloads: | 10 |
This work, 1/8 honors fallen warriors during memorial ceremony, by Cpl Joshua Hines, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT