Posted: Monday, 22 February 2010 10:20AM
Semper Fi
Steve Corbett Reporting
Monday, February 22, 2010
Of all the significant news stories that broke during my vacation, the death in Afghanistan of Marine Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson is the most significant.
Johnson’s loss in combat trumps Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty’s entrance into the state Senate race, pending indictments in Lackawanna County, the continuing per-diem scandal on Capitol Hill in Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton’s entrance into the state Senate race, the Pat Patte sports betting investigation and another drunken Wilkes-Barre college student urinating on sacred ground.
Johnson’s loss tops all these stories put together. And all these stories are relevant to the way we live our lives. But Johnson’s youth and courage have disappeared forever.
Johnson will be brought home to Scranton and laid to rest at the end of the week. The city will likely come out for the wake and funeral as well we should. But I worry that we will take the wrong lessons form his death. I worry that we might use his loss to recruit other 19 year olds. I’m concerned that we will increase the clamor for war as a way to avenge the death of our fine, brave Marine.
Some of you believe that we must do just that – that we must recruit as many others from Scranton and elsewhere in our nation to head deeper into Helmand province and take out as many Taliban fighters as we can.
That’s the point of the war on terrorism, you say.
Kill ’em all.
Let God sort ’em out.
Believe whatever you wish because that’s the American Way. If Johnson died for anything, he died for our right to debate the merit of his death. Some of you believe he died for freedom.
Maybe he did.
Maybe he didn’t.
All I know is that another young warrior went to war and didn’t come home alive.
I also know that I plan to attend Johnson’s funeral to pay my respects to his memory, his family and our town and reaffirm my vow to learn whatever lessons, no matter how hard, that follow in the wake of his death and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I’ve attended funerals for three other young warriors.
Three young men from my community – two Marines and an Army soldier – died in Iraq during the time I lived in California. Three young men left grieving family members and friends to live whatever legacy remains amid the sorrowful dirge of their passing.
I thought of all three last week as I visited California and drove past the cemeteries where I stood and listened to the gunfire from rifles that saluted their sacrifice. I remember the young widow of one of the men standing at the grave of another young, dead Marine, holding the hand of her little boy.
I remember another day when I visited the grave of another young Marine with his mother as she stood on the new grass by her son’s headstone and screamed hysterically with guilt and pain.
“What did I do wrong?” she sobbed. “What did I do wrong?”
I told her that she had done everything right. And she had. But a mother’s love is never enough when a son or daughter goes to war. Nothing short of peace can save the lives of countless fighting men and women.
Now Scranton has another dead Marine whose name might one day adorn a street sign, a building or maybe even a school. Those who loved him can point and say they knew him when he was alive and well and ready for war.
Afghanistan will likely take more lives from our towns that pulse with life in the coal region. War has always depended on Northeastern Pennsylvania. That dependence likely will not change. Our young will continue to enlist for whatever the reason – and the reasons are many.
Some want to fight. Some want job training. Some want college money. Some want meaning in their lives. Some don’t know what they want.
I hope Johnson found something of what he wanted in his life during the short time he served in the Corps.
I believe he did.
Rest in peace, corporel.
Semper Fi.
Always faithful.
Always significant.
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