THE WALL OF FACES

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

lcpl. corkill: just wanted to say we will always remember you. Every year on the date of your death your old friend Ernie Preston cpl., usmc, would fly the Marine Corps flag in honor and remembrance;, last year his son took on that duty and will do so for the rest of his life, to honor and show respect for you and his dad. you see, Ernie left this world 02 may 2020. by now the two of you have resumed your friendship..... rest easy lcpl.Corkill, rest easy......SEMPER Fi

On Memorial Day 1966 (May 29, 1966), 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, were conducting squad- and platoon-sized patrols, sweeping villages just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Thua Thien Province, RVN. A platoon from Golf Company had just finished a couple days of patrolling in a village east of the Battalion temporary Command Post Headquarters located along Highway 1 just north of Hue. They radioed another Golf Company platoon relieving them of North Vietnamese Army activity in the area, referring to a fire mission they had called in that morning which resulted in several enemy killed. The other platoon rogered the intel and the relieved Marines moved on to Battalion CP. About the time they arrived, the Battalion net erupted with radio calls of contact. They could hear mortar and machine gun fire coming from the village. Evidently, a large group of NVA set up a giant, horseshoe-shaped ambush in and around the village. When the Marine platoon got in the middle of the kill zone, the NVA opened fire from three sides. The results were devastating. Twenty Marines and a Navy corpsman were killed. A reaction force sent to the scene found numerous NVA machine gun cartridges and different firing positions around the village, indicating a sizeable and strong force. After the ambush, the enemy slipped away during the mass confusion. The lost Marines included PFC David B. Brandon Jr., PFC Gordon M. Briggs, PFC James W. Briles, PFC Thomas W. Britton Jr., LCPL Robert A. Corkill, LCPL Richard E. Crowe, LCPL James R. Heath, LCPL Billy J. Holt, PFC David W. Johnston, SSGT James J. MacKenna, PFC R.B. Marchbanks Jr., LCPL Jerry L. Noland, PFC Ernest G. Paul, PFC Ronald Ralich, PVT Roy J. Richard, PFC Edward C. Sexton, SSGT Walter B. Stevens, PFC James H. Stewart Jr., LCPL Charles E. Walker, and CPL Kenneth W. Wickel; the lost Navyman was HM Aldon M. Asherman Jr. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Danny M. Francis (May 2019) at two1marines.blogspot.com]

Dear Lcpl Robert Corkill,
Thank you for your service as an Antitank Assaultman. Your were born on my dad's birthday. Say hi to him, his name is Sam. It is so important for us all to acknowledge the sacrifices of those like you who answered our nation's call. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

Semper Fidelis, Lance Corporal.