THE WALL OF FACES

There is a place
Not far from here
Where spirits walk
And heroes live
And honor still resides.

It is a wall
With names inscribed
Of those who served
When they were asked...
The brothers of my youth.

I go there still
To walk and think
About my life,
And what I've done since
And things that might have been.

There is a debt
I can't repay
Too many lives were spent.
And one man's life cannot suffice
To make their deaths worthwhile.

But there is hope
In the memory
Of those we leave behind
Who know the price that freedom brings
Who can carry on in kind.

I send you now
To touch a name
So the vision can be passed
Remember there is honor still
It is for you to see it lasts.

They are not dead
And have a wish
As all old soldiers do
The reflection you see before you now
Is their wish to live in you.

Bill,
I served with you at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital before we went to Viet Nam. I especially recall we got to play a game of golf. I whiffed the ball on the first tee. You were very gracious. I got to see and touch your name on The Wall in Washington DC. It was very moving. It has been many years, but your memory remains. Thank you so much for your service to this country and to the marines of 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, 1st Marine Division.
Bill Elinor
Memorial Day, 2023.

On the remembrance of your 75th birthday, and as 2021 nears, your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Semper Fi, Doc.

Dear PO2C William McCormick, Thank you for your service as a Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class with the 26th Marines. Semper Fi, Thank you for the lives you saved. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Sunday was the 56th anniversary of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Time passes quickly, but our world needs help. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

Thank you Doc McCormick for your courage and for your devotion to your Marines,