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DUTY: Hero's devotion exceeded romantic image of career Marines
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Published: November 30, 2008
Likely, we all share one of the more recognizable images in American life, that of the career U.S. Marine -- the fearsome warrior ready for and most at home in battle, standing stoically at attention in full dress blues, brandishing a glistening saber in salute to his country. Or, the grizzly old retired Marine whose creased face reveals unspoken emotions and hardships imprinted by combat and the loss of close comrades. Though these images reveal layers of the Marine mystique, there is an essential core, duty: Duty to God, duty to country, duty to family and even duty to self and one's own personal potential.
I witnessed one Marine's abiding reverence to these values, in the life of my childhood friend, John Ripley. I attended the funeral of Col. Ripley at the Naval Academy on Nov. 12. I had been privileged to follow his unique career, and I can testify that John remained the humble, dutiful friend we all knew and loved growing up in Radford, Va.
For most Marines, however, Ripley is the iconic figure who became one of the most decorated members of the Marine Corps to serve in the Vietnam War. An excerpt from the Annapolis, Md., newspaper, The Capitol, on Nov. 8, describes the incident that led to Ripley's being awarded the Marine Corps' second-highest honor, the Navy Cross:
"In Roman legends, there is Horatius at the bridge. In Marine annals, there is "Ripley at the Bridge" -- the officer who, on Easter Sunday 1972, dangled under a bridge at Dong Ha for some three hours under heavy enemy fire, attaching 500 pounds of explosives so that the span could be blown up. His heroism kept a North Vietnamese force with 200 tanks and between 20,000 and 30,000 men from advancing on about 600 South Vietnamese."
According to reports, this single act stalled for days the lead elements of the entire North Vietnamese Tet Offensive that ultimately overran South Vietnam. When later interviewed, John said that when the order came to "hold and die," and he assumed that he would be killed, his job became much easier, since he no longer needed to worry about his safety.
This act, however, was only one of many instances of bravery during his two tours of duty in Vietnam and his 35 years of active duty. He received 15 medals for his combat service, is the only Marine ever inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger's Hall of Fame and is one of only two Marines to be honored by a diorama placed in the Naval Academy's Memorial Hall (depicting his act of heroism and entitled "Ripley at the Bridge"). The Marine Corps has renamed "Uncommon Valor," its marching hymn, "The Ripley March" in his honor.
His funeral, which included a 21-gun salute and a five-member Harrier jet "missing-man" formation fly-over, was attended by more than 2,000 friends, family members, midshipmen and fellow Marines. Gen. James T. Conway, the commandant of the Marine Corps, and John's sons spoke of John's spirituality, love of country and devotion to duty. The coffin was accompanied by a company of Marines from the Corps' oldest post, Marine Barracks, Washington, across the academy campus to the burial site. Each midshipman on campus, on seeing the funeral march, stopped, turned in its direction and stood motionless saluting the departed Marine until the entire procession had left his sight.
Chaplin Fr. Peter W. McGeory in his homily told of a gathering of several Marine generals in the Commandant's box for a Navy football game. While the senior staff and generals were socializing before the game, someone asked, "Where is Col. Ripley?" Someone pointed to a Marine kneeling in a far corner of the room. It was John, on his knees, feeding his wheelchair-bound and severely disabled wife.
This story represents the John Ripley I knew for more than 60 years; a person unimpressed by his own acts and unchanged by his stature, a common man who discharged his duty to his God, country, fellow Marines and family all throughout his life.
I am writing about my friend and his passing not to further praise his heroism, but to share two personally moving observations from my experience. First, I believe I witnessed the true genetic code of the U.S. Marines, a gracious respect for those they serve, obsessive attention to detail, an inseparable bond with their fellow Marines, and an unspoken faithfulness to duty, no matter the personal consequences. The reverence shown to my friend was a silent affirmation and salute to a man who faithfully discharged his duty to its fullest.
My second thought relates to our society and the blessings we experience by living in this great country, and the historic role of honor and duty in the creation of our liberty and prosperity.
One could argue that, more recently, our society has fostered a culture of expectations and a sense of entitlement, especially among our young people. We all must respond to our own call to duty to teach the next generation, by example, to acquire a renewed reverence to the honorable discharge of duty in all of its forms. It would do us well to adopt the motto of the U.S. Marines: Always Faithful -- Semper fi.
■ Dr. Richard Dean is president emeritus of Wake Forest University Health Sciences.
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