Marines of “Ripley’s Raiders” Dedicate Memorial to Their Skipper
Marines who served with Col John W. Ripley begin to assemble for the memorial’s dedication along the trail in the Marine Corps Heritage Center’s Semper Fidelis Memorial Park in Triangle, Va., on March 2, 2012.
Photo by Ron Lunn
Former Cpl Charles L. “Chuck” Coggin, Platoon Leader, 1st Plt, Lima Co, 3/3, emcees the dedication of the “Ripley’s Raiders” memorial on March 2, 2012, in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, Triangle, Va.
Photo by Ron Lunn
On behalf of the Ripley family, Tom Ripley, one of the children of Col John W. Ripley and his wife, Moline, thanks the members of L/3/3 and all those who supported the memorial to his father.
Photo by Ron Lunn
The monument memorializing the leadership of then-Capt John W. Ripley, when he commanded Lima Co, 3d Bn, 3d Marines in Vietnam in 1967, is unveiled by two members of “Ripley’s Raiders.”
Photo by Ron Lunn
The welcome sight of the long-awaited monument to John W. Ripley was inspiring, in spite of the increasing rainfall.
Photo by Ron Lunn
Also on hand for the ceremony was retired Col Gerald H. Turley, who was the assistant U.S. senior advisor to the VNMC during the Eastertide Offensive in 1972. Neither then-LtCol Turley nor then-Capt Ripley had the authority to blow the bridge over the Cua Viet River on April 2, 1972, but it was the right thing to do, and the story of Ripley in action at the bridge became legend.
Photo by Ron Lunn
In addition to Col Gerald H. Turley, USMCR (Ret), right, and other guests at the dedication, was Norman Fulkerson, left, author of the book, “An American Knight: The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC.” Col Turley’s book, “The Easter Offensive: The Last American Advisors, Vietnam, 1972,” has become a classic on the rebuffed North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam in 1972.
Photo by Ron Lunn
Wearing their signature red caps, members of Lima Co, 3/3, who served together in 1967 under then-Capt John W. Ripley, unveiled their monument and gathered for a group photo while Ripley Raiders A. C. Boley (kneeling, left) of Salem, Va., and Robert Peugh of Dewey, Okla., held the “Ripley’s Raiders” banner. It was a mark of the esteem and respect they have for their former commander. During the war, they demonstrated that respect when many extended their tour just to continue to serve with Ripley.
Photo by Ron Lunn
On March 2, 2012, members of Company L, 3d Battalion, Third Marine Regiment gathered at Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va., to dedicate the “CAPTAIN J. W. RIPLEY LIMA CO RVN-1967” Memorial, honor their fallen comrades and remember their commanding officer.
John Ripley, even for a Marine, was a physical fitness animal. He was a “the-more-you-sweat-in-peace, the-less-you-bleed-in-war” believer who’d taken it to heart—and all the other muscles of his body—as an enlisted man and later as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. It gave him an edge on his exchange tour with the British Royal Marines on the Malay Peninsula, at the U.S. Army’s Airborne and Ranger schools and with the Navy’s underwater demolition teams. He had become jump-, scuba- and Ranger-qualified.
Ripley said, “Endurance: We confuse this with fitness … but mental endurance is like an extra bandolier. ... You lock-and-load and keep going.”
This is the same Ripley who also is etched into Marine Corps history and remembered by all Marines as “Ripley at the bridge.” On Easter Sunday, April 2, 1972, as the U.S. Marine advisor to the 3d Battalion, Vietnamese Marine Corps, he stood alone with his Vietnamese Marines at the bridge over the Cua Viet River at Dong Ha against an invading tidal wave of well-equipped and well-trained soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army.
Warrior and hero John Ripley was a man who kept his soul in shape. A staunch Catholic, he believed you do best when at peace with your maker. His was a quiet devotion that gave his Marine persona an extra shot of courage when needed. He was a man with deep and unshakable convictions who believed in his God, his country and his Corps—and the men of “Lima” Company.
Ripley was a sterling example of leadership, integrity and honor throughout his Marine career and, indeed, his entire life.
—R. R. Keene
(Read more in the April 2012 Leatherneck magazine article, “Captain John Ripley at the Bridge: ‘Please, God, Don’t Let Me Screw This Up!’ ”)
Subscriptions to Leatherneck Magazine are a benefit of being a Marine Corps Association & Foundation member. You’ll receive Leatherneck Magazine in print, have access to a number of other benefits and be supporting Marines. Membership begins at $35.00 annually. Join now.
MCA: 100 Years of Service
The Marine Corps Association & Foundation remembers the past and honors the present. Review the first one hundred years of MCA via historical photos and film clips of the organization that serves the men and women of the Marine Corps. Click here to watch the video.
Related Content
- RIDE THE THUNDER: A Vietnam War Story of Honor and Triumph. (Book Review)
- 3rd Annual John Ripley Memorial Race (Event)
- 4th Annual John Ripley Memorial Race (Event)
- Chesty Puller Statue Dedication Ceremony (Event)
- "Hold And Die"; Those Were Then-Capt John W. Ripley's Orders On Easter Sunday, 1972 (Video)
Today in USMC History
![]()
1927 - The 11th Marine Regiment arrived at Esteli, Nicaragua, for garrison duty.
Related Article: Nicaragua and the Short War Manuel By LtCol Richard J. Macak Jr. Marine Corps Gazette (Nov 1996)
Historic Leatherneck Magazine Covers
Leatherneck Staff Artist, Technical Sergeant Robert Fleischauer, felt that our July cover should be commemorative of the Fourth of July. Since the members of the missile units are probably the Corps' best rocketeers, he picked them to perform a standard Fourth of July action. Whether or not the "Honest Johnny" is useful as a combat piece is a matter for debate, but you can't beat it for morale." [July 1957.]
“The Join Up on the Nick” by Major Alex Durr, USMCR, a member of the History Division, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Va.
Hospitalman Daniel T. Bobic, assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, 3d Battalion, Second Marine Regiment, rappelled at the Jungle Warfare Training Center in Okinawa, Japan, in late April, 2002.
The oldest post of the Marine Corps, Washington, DC, is celebrating 200 years of excellence. Posed near the Barracks main gate were members of the official Color Guard of the United States Marine Corps (left to right): LCpl Joseph N. Keough, rifleman; Sgt Blake L. Richardson, Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps; Cpl Gerardo A. Guajardo, organizational color bearer; and LCpl Gregory A. Serwo, rifleman.
GySgt Verlando Frazier, East Coast Food Service Management Team, looked ready to dig into some of the new items included in MREs.
This photo by Sgt Earnie Grafton of Marines from Fox Co., 2/4 shows varied emotions as they greeted the coalition forces outside Kuwait city.
A fleet of trucks was needed to transport Dr. Felix de Weldon’s original model of the Iwo Jima flag-raising statue from the sculptor’s home in Newport, R.I., to the grounds of the Marine Military Academy at Harlingen, Texas. After the statue’s arrival, a nearly around-the-clock effort by skilled workmen was required in order to have the memorial reassembled and ready for dedication ceremonies on April 16, 1982.
In April this year (1981), two squadrons of AV-8A “Harriers” sailed for the Mediterranean aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau. Purpose of the cruise was to demonstrate the Navy/Marine Corps team’s capability to augment naval forces in any area of the World on short notice and to provide at-sea training for Marine Harrier pilots.
The cover of Leatherneck’s Bicentennial issue is an oil painting by the late Colonel Donald L. Dickson, USMCR. The painting depicts General George Washington’s Colonial troops at Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, Va., during the French and Indian War.
Sightseeing tours for the men of the Marine Barracks, San Juan, Puerto Rico, include a trip to the El Morro Fortress. San Juan is now retired as a Post of the Corps.
The Marines in Vietnam have found that the programs which work best are those which operate close to the people. Our July cover is a mixed media (acrylic and charcoal) by Art Editor James L. Hopewell. It catches the spirit of Marines who enjoy their relationship with the Vietnamese around them.
In Naples, Italy, Marines are responsible for the internal security of the Headquarters of NATO’s Southern European Command, while the elite Carabinieri Corpa provides external security. PFC Robert M. Mallard’s NATO shield was admired by a Carabiniere as the two men prepared to take up their side-by-side posts at the entrance of the imposing NATO Headquarters, which appears in the background of this cover.
"We've Fought In Every Clime And Place": Stamping out the Caco Insurrection in the Republic d' Haiti.
Marine patrol fired on while fording the Coco River.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: U.S. Marines And Miskito Indians: The Rio Coco Patrol Of 1928, published in the Marine Corps Gazette, November 1996.
Marine patrol fired on while fording the Coco River.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: U.S. Marines And Miskito Indians: The Rio Coco Patrol Of 1928, published in the Marine Corps Gazette, November 1996.
January 2002: The Marines engraved another mark in the rich history of the Corps when they came from more than 400 miles offshore to establish a forward operating base south of Kandahar in the war on terrorism. The Marine CH-46 helicopter on the cover, photographed by PH1(AW/SW) Greg Messier, USN, fought in the desert sand to land and resupply Marines such as the ones (inset) photographed by Sgt Joseph R. Chenelly.
January 2001: This firefight during the Frozen Chosin Reservoir Campaign of 1950 was painted by “Chosin Few” veteran Jack Cannon, who served with Company B, 1st Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment and resides in the warmer climes of New Mexico. The cover was part of Leatherneck’s 50th anniversary salute to the Korean War veterans.
January 1992: This cover photograph of runners during Marine Corps Marathon XVI in Washington, D.C., was photographed by Sgt Deirdre Hallett.
January 1991: This month’s cover by Ross Simpson captures the Marines’ waiting-but-ready posture in the Middle East.
January 1982: Participants in the Sixth Annual Marine Corps Marathon presented a colorful spectacle as they began the 26-mile, 385-yard run in Washington, D.C., November 1, 1981. The cover photo, by Tom Bartlett, was taken from a bridge overlooking Highway 50 about a half-mile from the starting line.
January 1981: Nearly 7,800 runners participated in the Fifth Annual Marine Corps Marathon held in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The oldest finisher was 78; the youngest was 10. Leatherneck staffer Ron Lunn pre-positioned himself near the Nation’s Capitol to photograph runners during their 14th mile of the 26-mile, 385-yard course.
January 1972: This month’s cover, by Marine Combat Artist Peter Gish, shows members of the New Corps sightseeing in the Old World. While on liberty in Athens, Greece, the 3d Bn, Eighth Marines, were able to tour the Erektheon Porch and Cariatides. The water color is from the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Art collection.
Originally Published December 1983 -- Something tells us that we could date the cover without knowing when it was published.
Originally Published December 1972 -- We're not sure what's more interesting, Santa or the old style gas pump.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Leatherneck Poll
Leatherneck FAQs
This November 1992 article in the Marine Corps Gazette looked at the uniform regulations of 1859 and the attempt to standardize uniforms within the Corps. Read the story and see more pics.
Recent comments
| freedom is not free | 1 day 26 min ago |
| true American Hero | 1 day 33 min ago |
| recruiting verterans | 1 day 9 hours ago |
| You should read the article | 1 day 19 hours ago |
| Marines! | 2 days 1 hour ago |
| Suicide | 2 days 3 hours ago |
| This is a very helpful website... | 2 days 4 hours ago |
| He has excellent points... | 2 days 5 hours ago |












.gif)



Comments
Post new comment