September: Letter of the Month

I have a story I want to share with you. I think you will appreciate it. I have a dear friend; his name is Sergeant Gordon Ward. Formerly with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, he was one of the first to land on Iwo Jima, was shot, was rescued, and has some pretty incredible stories to tell.

As a matter of fact, until a year ago, when his health started to deteriorate, Gor­don spent most weekends down at the Marine Corps War Memorial, telling those stories to the tourists ... and anyone who wanted to learn some of the history of that battle. Last year he really started to suffer the effects of aging, and walking and breath­ing are not as easy as they once were. His health is declining. He sold his home, and he and his wife now live in an assisted living residence. His spirits were very low; he was frustrated at his state of decline and was missing his trips downtown.

Anyway, I realized the one thing that would bring him hope and the return of his pride would be a visit from Marines. I tried many different sources. Not one place I called panned out. I felt disappointed and had given up hope, thinking the only time the Marines would see Gordon again was at his funeral. On Memorial Day weekend, a Vietnam veteran and friend reminded me to try the Marine Corps League. I went to their Web site, clicked on “Contact Us” and told my story, asking if they might be able to visit Gordon. Within an hour I got a reply from the executive director, Michael Blum. He said he was forwarding my request to fellow Marines who were more local.

Shortly thereafter, I got an e-mail from one of his Marines asking if the Thursday after Memorial Day would be all right for a few Marines to stop by to visit.

I thought it would be a couple of Ma­rines and their two therapy dogs: Lance Corporals Gracie and Buster. The social director [at Gordon’s assisted living facility] decided to invite some of the residents and it was to be a surprise. First, Gordon’s wife and many of the residents were wheeled into a large social area.

The first MCL Marine arrived with the dogs. Then two more Marines arrived, then several more, all in their red “Ma­rines Helping Marines” shirts and their MCL covers. The leader of the group asked Gordon questions about his war experiences, and he gave very clear explanations of all of his experiences, from the two Navy corpsmen who lost their lives trying to save him, to shooting the Japa­nese, to watching the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi.

The residents were enthralled, as were the MCL Marines and the staff. One other resident announced that it was his Coast Guard ship from which the second flag was taken to raise on Mount Suribachi. I was near tears many times, just from the joy of knowing how much Gordon and his family were grateful for the recognition. As the social director said to me later, now all the other residents will see Gordon in a different light. I feel incredibly blessed that the Lord made this possible. The blessings were enormous.

Gordon was totally surprised, but he knew I had orchestrated the event because he knows how much I love him as a friend and as a Marine. I called and thanked each of those who participated in making this dream come true ... and the best thing is that those Marines will now stay in touch with Gordon and make visits to let him know that he is still one of them. Here is the link for the photos of the event: www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=430845&id=661845544&ref=pb.

You can also Google “Sgt Gordon Ward Iwo Jima” and find some excellent articles.

Susan Warren
Rockville, Md.