A CHORUS OF WHISPERS
By Robert Andrew Wehrle
Onetime Captain of Marines
United States Naval Academy
Class of 1972As my wife and I made our way up the stairs to Memorial Hall, the hushed echo of our steps reminded me of a cathedral, as it always does. Upon entering the hall my eyes went immediately to Farragut's blue and white "Don't Give Up the Ship" battle ensign and the power of those words nearly overwhelmed me, as it always does.
We were there to participate in a medal award ceremony and there were chairs set up for an audience. The Class of '58 was celebrating its 40th reunion and Major Richard Alexander, a retired Marine, was to be awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for actions that occurred in Vietnam over thirty years before. Alexander’s award came about as a result of Congressional action to facilitate late award submissions. Colonel Bruce Ogden, also a retired Marine, out of the Class of '53, had participated in the same action as Alexander and wrote the recommendation. I volunteered to draft the citation when Ogden told me Alexander's story. Subsequently, Alexander asked us both to participate in the award ceremony, Ogden to pin the medal and I to read the citation.
When the appointed time arrived, Admiral Larson, the Academy Superintendent, and a classmate of Major Alexander, graciously welcomed his assembled classmates. As the Admiral spoke, my eyes roamed the upper reaches of the hall, taking in the tall ship battle murals and coming to rest on the portrait of a Marine. With a start I realized I was looking at a portrait of Major General John A. Lejeune, USMC, a member of the class of 1888, and one of the most revered Commandants of the Marines. From his vantage point he looked down on the entire assemblage with a stern glare.
Admiral Larson finished his welcoming address and called upon Colonel Ogden to make some introductory remarks. Colonel Ogden reminisced that some thirty years ago he and Major Alexander had been members of the first Marine artillery battalion to bear the brunt of a major VC sapper attack. He said quietly, "They hit us pretty hard that night," and his voice broke. And that was the only indication of the savagery that he and Alexander experienced that night so many years ago. After a brief pause to collect himself, Colonel Ogden introduced me and invited me to read the citation.
As I stepped to the podium, I was acutely aware of Major General Lejeune's presence as well as the assembled Marines who had gathered along with Alexander's classmates for the ceremony. I felt a deep sense of kinship and their silent, approving presence, as I stepped to the podium to read the award citation:
"The Secretary of the Navy takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY AND MARINE CORPS COMMENDATION MEDAL to
Major Richard H. Alexander
United States Marine CorpsFor service as set forth in the following CITATION:
For heroic achievement in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam while serving as Logistics Officer, 2d Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division. During the attack of a Main Force Viet Cong Sapper Company on the battalion’s position on the night of 20-21 June 1966, Major (then Captain) Alexander displayed remarkable courage and presence of mind under intense, close combat conditions…By his initiative, courageous actions, and unfaltering devotion to duty, Major Alexander reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
The Combat Distinguishing Device is authorized.
For the Secretary of the Navy,
/s/ C. C. Krulak
Commandant of the Marine Corps"Colonel Ogden pinned the medal on Major Alexander and Alexander was rewarded with a warm round of congratulatory applause from his classmates and fellow Marines. Then it was his turn to speak. Major Alexander dedicated his medal to the Marines he served with in Vietnam and told the story of the other two Marines who were decorated for their bravery during this battle. One Marine, Private First Class Edward A. Claybin, lost his leg when a grenade detonated between his legs during the initial stages of the attack. He was subsequently shot in the back, exposing his spine, and also shot in the knee. While trying to regain his feet to fight on, he was struck in the face with another grenade that failed to explode. Finally, as fellow Marines moved in to continue the fight, Claybin crawled forward to throw himself on another grenade; fortunately, this grenade also failed to explode. PFC Claybin was awarded the Navy Cross his heroic actions. The other Marine, Lance Corporal Clifford D. Glenn, was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery.
Alexander also spoke emotionally about another Marine whom he has thought of every day since that battle. During the battle, Alexander supervised the successful ground evacuation of a critically wounded Marine. During the wild melee surrounding this effort an inexplicable and powerful emotional bond formed between Alexander and the Marine. Alexander and the attending Navy Corpsman rejoiced when they succeeded in getting the Marine safely to a secure landing zone.
A few days later, Alexander was absolutely devastated when he found out that the Marine he thought he had helped save died of shock during the helicopter evacuation. The Marine's death obviously haunted Alexander and forced him to ask daily, "Why not me?"
Then Major Alexander spoke with quiet pride about his paternal ancestors, his great-grandfather who reportedly fired the first shot at the battle of Gettysburg, his grandfather who served with distinction during World War I, and his father, also a Naval Academy graduate and WWII veteran, who told Alexander's next older brother on the day the Korean War started, "The Alexanders have always fought our country's battles; I don't expect to see you here at dinner tomorrow night."
And Alexander remembered their fallen classmate and his personal friend, Captain Edward R. Browne, USMC, who lost his life in Vietnam. Alexander remembered vividly their last meeting and Browne's upbeat attitude. The hall echoed with the emotion in his voice and everyone present was reminded again of the ultimate price our call-to-duty all too often exacts.
When Alexander finished speaking, those assembled rewarded him with another round of heartfelt applause. And as Alexander embraced his old friend and comrade-in-arms Bruce Ogden, I am certain I heard an approving chorus of whispers from the young Marine Alexander labored to save, Alexander's ancestors, his fallen classmate, and Major General Lejeune, all adding their congratulations, "Well Done Marine."
