 |
| MARINE CHAPLAIN HOLDS BIBLE CLASS IN JAPANESE WATERS, Religious News Service photograph collection, 1945. islandora:357605 |
A cake-cutting was scheduled in each state, with one slicing occurring at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, five blocks away from the Presbyterian Historical Society. The celebrations continued into the evening, with the 100th Marine Corps Birthday Ball kicking off at the Grand Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia — the same venue that held the inaugural Birthday Ball a century ago.
On this commemoration of 250 years of the United States Marine Corps, the historical society once again offers up archival images from the Religious News Service collection to honor those who have served.
Religious guidance, advice and reflection made available in the middle of Tokyo Harbor — that’s what Navy Lt. Bernard H. Boyd was able to provide to his fellow Marines during their service.
Before his enlistment, Boyd was a professor of Bible Literature at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. Though he was no longer standing at a podium in front of a blackboard, Boyd was still able to provide mentorship, discourse and encouragement all the same.
Navy Chaplain William Larsen served with a Marine regiment in Okinawa since the beginning of the military campaign. Not only did chaplains play a large role within the regiments themselves — the enlisted men being their first priority — but they also provided comfort to the people in the surrounding communities, by way of kindness, conversation and the unwavering belief in the universality of God’s love.
To be a chaplain is to offer comfort. More than a shoulder upon which to rest a weary head, and more than a figure reading aloud from the Bible, chaplains like Capt. Paul Toland of Boston provide emotional, spiritual and mental rest.
“Though far away from home during Holy Week,” the caption reads, “American servicemen of all faiths received spiritual comfort from their chaplains accompanying them.”
Marine Corporal Lanny Johnson’s letter to the Los Angeles Times detailing the great need of the Vietnamese went a tad viral. His correspondence, in which he asked for help with providing “practical things” like soap, clothing, toothbrushes and the like, was reprinted in newspapers across the U.S.
Johnson’s appeal “produced a flood of gifts from the U.S.”, the logistics of which were being handled by Rev. Harold Weatherly, the pastor of Cpl. Johnson’s home church in Pierre, South Dakota. From there, Marine, Navy, and Air Force transport units cooperated in flying the gifts over to Johnson in Vietnam.
Master Sergeant Catherine G. Murray had enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1943. Fast forward to Nov. 30, 1962, and Murray has become “the first enlisted woman Marine to retire from active duty when she completes nearly 20 years of service.”
Before enlisting, Murray was a civil service stenographer. After enlisting, she became a member of the motor transport team, driving “sedans and five-ton trucks for the Corps during World War II” while moving through 15 duty stations from London to Hawaii. Murray was later assigned to the Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, Virginia, where she was “instrumental in planning and writing many of the military examinations in use.”
Murray even served three tours of duty in Washington, D.C., serving as Secretary to the Director of Women Marines as well as at the Marine Corps Institute. She was retained on active duty when the Armed Forces demobilized, and was “fourth in seniority of the 30 active-duty women Marines.”
Murray earned many decorations, including six iterations of the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. Her retirement did not signal the end of her involvement with the Marine Corps, however. Rather, Murray continued to serve her country, becoming the first enlisted woman to join the Fleet Marine Reserves, where she served until 1972.
Upon her death in late December 2017 at the age of 100, Murray’s loved ones wrote of her tendency to wear a Marine Corps pin on her lapel or necklace around her neck as evidence of her immense pride in her service. Murray rests in Arlington Cemetery, where she is surrounded by her fellow veterans.
McKenna Britton, Communications, Presbyterian Historical Society, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)
Let us join in prayer for:
Kaeli McCartin, Operations Administrator Funds Services, Operations, The Presbyterian Foundation
Doris McCray, Director, Employer Services, Plan Operations, The Board of Pensions
Let us pray:
Almighty God, give us the courage to be partners with our brothers and sisters to promote peace and justice. We pray for peace in our country and among all nations. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment