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Forwarded by Jerry Keene
Just a note to pass along something that happened here in
San Diego, that didn't make the national news, but a story worth
telling, none the less.
San Diego is the sight of one of the two Marine Corps Recruit
training bases in the US. We call it MCRD (for Marine Corps
Recruit Depot) and they have regular graduations on the base
that bring out about 300 family and friends to see their "new"
Marine graduate from this training. These graduations are usually
held on Thursdays and the base is always crowded with proud
parents and brother and sisters amid lots of picture taking.
Well, there was supposed to have been a graduation on 9/13,
which, for obvious reasons -- the base was closed--the graduation
was put off until Tuesday 9/18-- one week after the WTC tragedy.
It seems that the base started getting calls from people
asking how to get to the base and what were the restrictions
for getting on to view the graduation and they thought the calls
were related to security concerns and prepared for and expected
the usual 300 or so people.
The 18th arrived and so did the people --1600 give or take
a few -- to watch these new young Marines graduate!!! After
graduation the new Marines are loaded on a bus and taken 5 miles
to the San Diego International Airport to catch flights to home
for a few weeks before they start their first assignments. When
the Marines walked into the airport-- everyone in the airport
broke into applause!! Some people gave them their places in
line and SOME even gave up their TICKETS!!!
This terrible tragedy has done one thing, for sure, and
that's brought this country together in a way that I haven't
seen in MY lifetime!
God Bless America!
Sally
CORRECTION
I recently received an email with a correction to this story.
I have posted the full text below but have withheld the name.
Sir,
I recently came across your website a few days ago and am
truly impressed. However, I did notice a slight mistake in your
"Motivation" section. The story "Marine Corps Graduation ceremony
gets full crowd " says that the graduation ceremony was delayed
due to the 9/11 terrorist attack. In fact, the graduation ceremony
for Lima Company, 3d RTB took place right on schedule; 14 September
2001.
I graduated on that day and I want to set the record straight.
We didn't hold a DI Dinner or a Family Day as was the norm,
and our emblem ceremony took place on an empty parade deck,
but by God, there was no way any terrorist was going to delay
our graduation! Indeed, there were (what seemed like) thousands
of people present at the graduation ceremony.
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