The Brotherhood Of The Marines
This entry was posted on October 19, 2007 11:50 AM and is filed under Heroes.
Guido Farinaro was born on January 5th, 1949 in Bethpage, New York. He went to high school in Mineola, New York and after school; at the age of 18, he joined the Armed Services and served his country as a Marine. On July 30th, 1968, at the age of 19 he died from a snipers bullet wound in Quang Nam, South Vietnam and became a casualty of the Vietnam War.
Guido's name is on panel 50W, line 37 of the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.
Guido served his country for less than one year and was the very first casulity under the command of a very young 2nd Lt. Peter Pace.
On the day that General Peter Pace retired as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the first Marine in history to hold that position,) he remembered Guido Farinaro.
General Pace said, "Not unlike the first girl you kiss or the first man you kill in combat; the first man you lose in combat will stay with you forever!" Up until the day he retired, General Pace kept a photo of Guido under the glass on his desk, to remind him of the sacrifices Marines make every day.
I cannot imagine what goes on inside the head of our troops, since the beginning of our nation, when it comes to dealing with loss of a comrade on the battlefield. Honestly, I hope I never know.
General Pace recently attended an assembly at the high school that Guido attended before he joined the Marine Corps. He told the students about Guido, who to them, was only one of the alumni whose names are etched into the memorial outside the school.
The Marine Corps is a Brotherhood of fighting men and women. Some civilians consider it a cult.
The most astonishing part of this story is what happend a few days ago. On October 1st, 2007, the day he retired from service, 40-years after joining the Marine Brotherhood, General Pace visited the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Wall.
After finding the name of Guido Farinaro, General Pace left a note that read; For Guido Farinaro, USMC. THESE ARE YOURS - NOT MINE. with love and respect, your platoon leader, Pete Pace. his collar tab with the 4-stars of a Full Marine General are pinned to the note.
Now you decide for yourself ... are the Marines a cult or a Brotherhood?
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October 27, 2007 2:51 PM
Ryan Jazak wrote:
It is truly astonishing to see the brotherhood of the Marine Corps. The commitment to every Marine that each one spills blood with, is something that the civilian world will never understand. I get to catch a glimpse of this brotherhood everytime I visit my brother. He explained to me how sometimes he needed to "Jack up" some of the younger Marines for doing things that could possibly get them or another Marine killed. Yet, after the discussion was over, they would all take a bullet for each other. I can't begin to fathom what that would be like. It gives me goosebumps knowing men and women like that are protecting the Red, White, and Blue.
After Erics first tour in Iraq, he would visit Bethesda Naval Hospital whenever he had the opportunity, just to stop in and keep some of these badly wounded Marines company. He would often tell me that although he flew in Helicopters and was usually in the thick of things, he had the utmost honor and respect for the Marines on the ground. "Those guys were in hell, and let me tell you, Satan was shittin his pants."
At the Colonels wedding, all of us there could see the respect and love that each one of those Marines there gave to each other. Those Marines job was to protect the Colonel at all costs while in Iraq, and that meant giving there life for his. But you and I both know the Colonel Joe, and I feel HE would have gave his life for them, no questions asked. Yet they joked around like brothers, and the Colonel treated them like they were his sons. A true testament of respect and love, no matter what ones rank is.
Cpl. Neil Schalk from Wisconsin was seriously injured in Iraq and can no longer return to active duty because his hands were so badly messed up from an IED. This young Marine wants no sympathy for what has happened to him, he knew it was his job and if he could he would be back in a heartbeat. I remember him lobbying for return to active duty after his release from the hospital, he kept telling his superiors that he still has his trigger finger, and let me tell you, a Marine with just his trigger finger, is the deadliest weapon on earth. Now Neil raises money for various Marine Corps Organizations by running marathons and triathlons to help his brother Marines. Check out www.marineparents.com and read about the great things that Neil and the rest are doing. They work in conjunction with The Heart of a Marine Foundation to help families of injured Marines get lunches and various other things while they are at hospitals where their Marine is recovering. Neil continues to give back even after his injuries have drastically changed his life. If you check out Marine Parents website and look to the right side at the Purple Heart Family Support logo, those are Neils hands in the picture. He lost 1/3rd of his right hand and his left one doesn't really work anymore. Countless surgeries are in his future. Marine for life.
Cult? No, its a Brotherhood.
Ryan Jazak
Proud brother of GySgt. Jazak USMC
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