Burial at Sea

Remembrances of a Casualty Notification Officer
by Lt. Col George Goodson, USMC (Ret)

In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial.

War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic and was wounded there, Vietnam was my war.

Now 42 years have passed and, thankfully, I rarely think of those days in Cambodia, Laos, and the panhandle of North Vietnam where small teams of Americans and Montagnards fought much larger elements of the North Vietnamese Army. Instead I see vignettes: some exotic, some mundane:

• The smell of Nuc Mam.
• The heat, dust, and humidity.
• The blue exhaust of cycles clogging the streets.
• Elephants moving silently through the tall grass.
• Hard eyes behind the servile smiles of the villagers.
• Standing on a mountain in Laos and hearing a tiger roar.
• A young girl squeezing my hand as my medic delivered her baby.
• The flowing Ao Dais of the young women biking down Tran Hung Dao.
• My two years as Casualty Notification Officer in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

It was late 1967. I had just returned after 18 months in Vietnam.  Casualties were increasing. I moved my family from Indianapolis to Norfolk, rented a house, enrolled my children in their fifth or sixth new school, and bought a second car.

A week later, I put on my uniform and drove 10 miles to Little Creek, Virginia. I hesitated before entering my new office. Appearance is important to career Marines. I was no longer, if ever, a poster Marine. I had returned from my third tour in Vietnam only 30 days before. At 5'9", I now weighed 128 pounds - 37 pounds below my normal weight. My uniforms fit ludicrously, my skin was yellow from malaria medication, and I think I had a twitch or two.

I straightened my shoulders, walked into the office, looked at the nameplate on a Staff Sergeant's desk and said, "Sergeant Jolly, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Goodson. Here are my orders and my Qualification Jacket."

Sergeant Jolly stood, looked carefully at me, took my orders, stuck out his hand; we shook and he asked, "How long were you there, Colonel?" I replied "18 months this time." Jolly breathed, you must be a slow learner Colonel." I smiled.

Jolly said, "Colonel, I'll show you to your office and bring in the Sergeant Major. I said, "No, let's just go straight to his office.  "Jolly nodded, hesitated, and lowered his voice, "Colonel, the Sergeant Major. He's been in this job two years. He's packed pretty tight. I'm worried about him." I nodded.

Jolly escorted me into the Sergeant Major's office. "Sergeant Major, this is Colonel Goodson, the new Commanding Office. The Sergeant Major stood, extended his hand and said, "Good to see you again, Colonel." I responded, "Hello Walt, how are you?" Jolly looked at me, raised an eyebrow, walked out, and closed the door.

I sat down with the Sergeant Major. We had the obligatory cup of coffee and talked about mutual acquaintances. Walt's stress was palpable. Finally, I said, "Walt, what's the h-ll's wrong?" He turned
his chair, looked out the window and said, "George, you're going to wish you were back in Nam before you leave here. I've been in the Marine Corps since 1939. I was in the Pacific 36 months, Korea for 14
months, and Vietnam for 12 months. Now I come here to bury these kids. I'm putting my letter in. I can't take it anymore." I said, "OK Walt.  If that's what you want, I'll endorse your request for retirement and
do what I can to push it through Headquarters Marine Corps."

Sergeant Major Walt Xxxxx retired 12 weeks later. He had been a good Marine for 28 years, but he had seen too much death and too much suffering. He was used up.

Over the next 16 months, I made 28 death notifications, conducted 28 military funerals, and made 30 notifications to the families of Marines that were severely wounded or missing in action. Most of the details of those casualty notifications have now, thankfully, faded from memory. Four, however, remain.

MY FIRST NOTIFICATION My third or fourth day in Norfolk, I was notified of the death of a 19 year old Marine. This notification came by telephone from Headquarters Marine Corps. The information detailed:

• Name, rank, and serial number.
• Name, address, and phone number of next of kin.
• Date of and limited details about the Marine's death.
• Approximate date the body would arrive at the Norfolk Naval Air Station.
• A strong recommendation on whether the casket should be opened or closed.

The boy's family lived over the border in North Carolina, about 60 miles away. I drove there in a Marine Corps staff car. Crossing the state line into North Carolina, I stopped at a small country store / service station / Post Office. I went in to ask directions. Three people were in the store. A man and woman approached the small Post Office window. The man held a package. The Storeowner walked up and addressed them by name, "Hello John. Good morning Mrs. Cooper."

I was stunned. My casualty's next-of-kin' s name was John Cooper! I hesitated, then stepped forward and said, "I beg your pardon. Are you Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper of (address.)?"

The father looked at me-I was in uniform - and then, shaking, bent at the waist, he vomited. His wife looked horrified at him and then at me. Understanding came into her eyes and she collapsed in slow motion.  I think I caught her before she hit the floor.

The owner took a bottle of whiskey out of a drawer and handed it to Mr. Cooper who drank. I answered their questions for a few minutes.  Then I drove them home in my staff car. The storeowner locked the
store and followed in their truck. We stayed an hour or so until the family began arriving.

I returned the storeowner to his business. He thanked me and said,  "Mister, I wouldn't have your job for a million dollars." I shook his hand and said; "Neither would I."

I vaguely remember the drive back to Norfolk. Violating about five Marine Corps regulations, I drove the staff car straight to my house.  I sat with my family while they ate dinner, went into the den, closed the door, and sat there all night, alone. My Marines steered clear of me for days. I had made my first death notification.

THE FUNERALS Weeks passed with more notifications and more funerals. I borrowed Marines from the local Marine Corps Reserve and taught them to conduct a military funeral: how to carry a casket, how to fire the volleys and how to fold the flag.

When I presented the flag to the mother, wife, or father, I always said, "All Marines share in your grief." I had been instructed to say, "On behalf of a grateful nation...." I didn't think the nation was grateful, so I didn't say that.

Sometimes, my emotions got the best of me and I couldn't speak. When that happened, I just handed them the flag and touched a shoulder.  They would look at me and nod. Once a mother said to me, "I'm so sorry
you have this terrible job." My eyes filled with tears and I leaned over and kissed her.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION Six weeks after my first notification, I had another. This was a young PFC. I drove to his mother's house. As always, I was in uniform and driving a Marine Corps staff car. I parked in front of the house, took a deep breath, and walked towards the house. Suddenly the door flew open, a middle-aged woman rushed out. She looked at me and ran across the yard, screaming "NO! NO! NO!
NO!"

I hesitated. Neighbors came out. I ran to her, grabbed her, and whispered stupid things to reassure her. She collapsed. I picked her up and carried her into the house.. Eight or nine neighbors followed.  Ten or fifteen later, the father came in followed by ambulance personnel. I have no recollection of leaving.

The funeral took place about two weeks later. We went through the drill. The mother never looked at me. The father looked at me once and shook his head sadly.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION One morning, as I walked in the office, the phone was ringing. Sergeant Jolly held the phone up and said, "You've got another one, Colonel." I nodded, walked into my office, picked up the phone, took notes, thanked the officer making the call, I have no idea why, and hung up. Jolly, who had listened, came in with a special Telephone Directory that translates telephone numbers into the person's address and place of employment.

The father of this casualty was a Longshoreman. He lived a mile from my office. I called the Longshoreman' s Union Office and asked for the Business Manager. He answered the phone, I told him who I was, and
asked for the father's schedule.

The Business Manager asked, "Is it his son?" I said nothing. After a moment, he said, in a low voice, "Tom is at home today." I said, "Don't call him. I'll take care of that." The Business Manager said, "Aye, Aye Sir," and then explained, "Tom and I were Marines in WWII."

I got in my staff car and drove to the house. I was in uniform. I knocked and a woman in her early forties answered the door. I saw instantly that she was clueless. I asked, "Is Mr. Smith home?" She smiled pleasantly and responded, "Yes, but he's eating breakfast now.  Can you come back later?" I said, "I'm sorry. It's important. I need to see him now." She nodded, stepped back into the beach house and said, "Tom, it's for you."

A moment later, a ruddy man in his late forties, appeared at the door.  He looked at me, turned absolutely pale, steadied himself, and said,  "Jesus Christ man, he's only been there three weeks!"

Months passed. More notifications and more funerals. Then one day while I was running, Sergeant Jolly stepped outside the building and gave a loud whistle, two fingers in his mouth...... I never could do that..... and held an imaginary phone to his ear.

Another call from Headquarters Marine Corps. I took notes, said, "Got it." and hung up. I had stopped saying "Thank You" long ago.

Jolly, "Where?"

Me, "Eastern Shore of Maryland. The father is a retired Chief Petty Officer. His brother will accompany the body back from Vietnam...."

Jolly shook his head slowly, straightened, and then said, "This time of day, it'll take three hours to get there and back. I'll call the Naval Air Station and borrow a helicopter. And I'll have Captain Tolliver get one of his men to meet you and drive you to the Chief's home."

He did, and 40 minutes later, I was knocking on the father's door. He opened the door, looked at me, then looked at the Marine standing at parade rest beside the car, and asked, "Which one of my boys was it,
Colonel?"

I stayed a couple of hours, gave him all the information, my office and home phone number and told him to call me, anytime.

He called me that evening about 2300 (11:00PM). "I've gone through my boy's papers and found his will. He asked to be buried at sea. Can you make that happen?" I said, "Yes I can, Chief. I can and I will."

My wife who had been listening said, "Can you do that?" I told her, "I have no idea. But I'm going to break my a-s trying."

I called Lieutenant General Alpha Bowser, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, at home about 2330, explained the situation, and asked, "General, can you get me a quick appointment with the
Admiral at Atlantic Fleet Headquarters? " General Bowser said,"  George, you be there tomorrow at 0900. He will see you.

I was and the Admiral did. He said coldly, "How can the Navy help the Marine Corps, Colonel." I told him the story. He turned to his Chief of Staff and said, "Which is the sharpest destroyer in port?" The Chief of Staff responded with a name.

The Admiral called the ship, "Captain, you're going to do a burial at sea. You'll report to a Marine Lieutenant Colonel Goodson until this mission is completed... "

He hung up, looked at me, and said, "The next time you need a ship, Colonel, call me. You don't have to sic Al Bowser on my a-s." I responded, "Aye Aye, Sir" and got the h-ll out of his office.

I went to the ship and met with the Captain, Executive Officer, and the Senior Chief. Sergeant Jolly and I trained the ship's crew for four days. Then Jolly raised a question none of us had thought of. He said, "These government caskets are air tight. How do we keep it from floating?"

All the high priced help including me sat there looking dumb. Then the Senior Chief stood and said, "Come on Jolly. I know a bar where the retired guys from World War II hang out."

They returned a couple of hours later, slightly the worst for wear, and said, "It's simple; we cut four 12" holes in the outer shell of the casket on each side and insert 300 lbs of lead in the foot end of the casket. We can handle that, no sweat."

The day arrived. The ship and the sailors looked razor sharp. General Bowser, the Admiral, a US Senator, and a Navy Band were on board. The sealed casket was brought aboard and taken below for modification. The ship got underway to the 12-fathom depth.

The sun was hot. The ocean flat. The casket was brought aft and placed on a catafalque. The Chaplin spoke. The volleys were fired. The flag was removed, folded, and I gave it to the father. The band played
"Eternal Father Strong to Save." The casket was raised slightly at the head and it slid into the sea.

The heavy casket plunged straight down about six feet. The incoming water collided with the air pockets in the outer shell. The casket stopped abruptly, rose straight out of the water about three feet, stopped, and slowly slipped back into the sea. The air bubbles rising from the sinking casket sparkled in the in the sunlight as the casket disappeared from sight forever....

The next morning I called a personal friend, Lieutenant General Oscar Peatross, at Headquarters Marine Corps and said, "General, get me out of here. I can't take this anymore." I was transferred two weeks
later.

I was a good Marine but, after 17 years, I had seen too much death and too much suffering. I was used up.

Vacating the house, my family and I drove to the office in a two-car convoy. I said my goodbyes. Sergeant Jolly walked out with me. He waved at my family, looked at me with tears in his eyes, came to attention, saluted, and said, "Well Done, Colonel. Well Done."

I felt as if I had received the Medal of Honor!

A veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America for an amount of up to and including their life.'

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'

http://www.marinecorpsgazette-digital.com/marinecorpsgazette/200709/?pg=63#pg63

The Dollar Bubble

Don't Accept the ISM!

Back in 1948 when this cartoon, "Make Mine Freedom" was created, they understood what we need to understand today. To watch the 9 minute video at You Tube click here.

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

It might at first appear that it is not necessary to even address this commandment, everyone knows it's wrong to steal. However, it is necessary to address this commandment because the key premise of this commandment is currently under attack by the Socialist. The key premise of the commandment "thou shalt not steal"1 is that other's property rights should be respected. Socialist believe there should be no private property. They believe all property should be held in common by the state. Wealth and property is generated by human labor and each person is entitled to the fruits of his own labor. If there were no such thing as private ownership of property and property rights, then the commandment "thou shalt not steal"2 would have no meaning. To respect private property is the natural order of things.

When a primitive man spent many days sharpening a stone to put an edge on it and then lashed it to a stick to make an ax, he knew that ax was his. He also knew if someone tried to take it away from him after he had put his labor into its manufacture, that he would use that ax to defend his possession of it. When a man first cultivated a piece of fallow ground and cut irrigation canals in it, and planted it with a crop and removed weeds, he knew that the crop was his property because it was his labor that created the crop. He also knew that the land was his possession.

God's law "thou shalt not steal"3 did not establish private ownership of property. Private ownership of property is the natural way of things, and God's law recognizes the way God made nature and the way God made man. The law facilitates prosperous living and harmony between people. Communism or common ownership of property is not the natural way for man to establish a prosperous community. The Bible does not establish or defend private ownership of property because private ownership of property existed as man's natural state. At the time Moses gave the commandments there was no need to defend the private ownership of property. It is only since the 17th century that this unnatural notion of common ownership of property has come into existence.

A good example that is often given to illustrate why common ownership of property cannot lead to prosperity in a civilized society where resources are in limited supply, is an illustration known as "The Tragedy Of The Commons." The illustration clearly shows why communism has never worked. The village in the illustration had a common pasture and all the people of the village grazed their cattle on the common pasture. The more cattle a person had the wealthier he was. As the population of the village grew, the number of cattle also increased. At some point the pasture became so overgrazed that adding more cattle decreased the net productivity of the pasture. At some point it would better for all the people raising cattle on the pasture if the total number of cattle was reduced. However, if one particular person decreased the number of cattle that he placed on the pasture, this would slightly benefit each person who had cattle on the pasture, but it would be a significant determent to one person who decreased the number of cattle he placed on the pasture. Therefore, each person had no motivation to decrease the number of cattle he had on the pasture. The net result was that the pasture was overgrazed and as the quality of the pasture went down due to overgrazing, each person in order to try to help himself placed more cattle on the common pasture.4

Communism operates on the false assumption that each person will make sacrifices necessary for the good of the community. This basic assumption denies man's basic nature, that is, that man has inherited the sin nature of his father Adam and is basically greedy and will only look out for his own good. For any economic system to work, it must take into consideration the basic nature of man. Since we are inherently wicked each of us has a tendency to do as little as possible and to get by at the expense of others. God's command "thou shalt not steal"5 brings great prosperity to society because it takes into consideration man's basic nature and requires that each person provide for his own necessities through his own labor rather than expecting others to take care of him.

The problem of the tragedy of the commons is solved by dividing the community pasture into privately owned parcels and allowing each person to take care of his parcel, and pasture his cattle on his own land. Stealing is common today. The government which should enforce God's law by prohibiting stealing has become an instrument of oppression by attempting to redistribute wealth through social programs. The commandment is simple "thou shalt not steal."6 It's wrong for the rich and powerful to take the property of the poor. It is equally wrong for the poor to take the property of the rich. If it's wrong for one person to take the property of another, (that is, to take the fruits of a person's labor from him), it is equally wrong for a group of people to band together and seize the property of another. This is exactly what is done with the graduated income tax. The "rich" are taxed for the benefit of the "poor".

This lack of respect for personal property is basically wrong because it goes against the law of nature. I am willing to work hard if I'm allowed to keep the fruits of my labor, but if my hard work benefits others who are unwilling to work, I become unwilling to work hard. This is why in communist countries the slogan of the worker's is "they pretend to pay us and we pretend work." The socialist believe that the pie should be cut in many small equal pieces but God's law with it's respect for private property, motivates people to bake more pies. The net result is that everyone prospers, this is why the economies of the West, which have maintained Biblical respect for private property, have prospered more than the communist nations. Communism has not been unsuccessful, it has successfully accomplished its true purpose, that is, to enslave the vast majority of people under the authority of those who control the government. In theory, in a communist country, no one owns anything, in fact, those who control the government, own everything and everyone.

This lack of respect for private property on the part of the government through social programs and graduated income tax causes a lack of respect for others property at all levels of society. The "poor" who are unwilling to work to support themselves and their families are told that they are "entitled" to be supported by the “rich”. The “rich” in our society are defined as those who drag themselves out of bed every morning and go put in a hard day's work. These "poor" who benefit from the "rich" have come to believe that those who work owe them a living.

When people are given money or any property that they haven’t worked for, it not only destroys their incentive to work but also leads them to believe that they are entitled to live off of the work of others. The welfare state has created a general lack of respect for the property of others in our society. It destroys societies work ethic and creates and attitude that each person is entitled to whatever he can get out of anybody else, regardless of whether he’s earned it or not. When people work they contribute to society and society rewards them economically for their labor. Most people derive a great deal of satisfaction from their work. When we give people welfare which they haven’t worked for, it destroys their sense of self-worth. It is not surprising that people stripped of their sense of self-worth turn to the use illegal drugs and other antisocial behavior. To correct the social ills of our society one of the first things we must do is to stop government theft, through the redistribution of wealth and social programs. Respect for private property rights cannot be restored until the government stops stealing.

Theft will always exist because some people choose to live off the labor of others. In order to minimize theft in a society it must be punished. Many people believe that the Biblical punishment for theft is the cutting off of a hand. The Bible does not command that thieves be punished by having their hands cut off. The Biblical remedy for theft is restitution. Exodus 22:1-7 states:

If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood shed for him. If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. If a man cause field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn or standing corn, or the field be consumed therewith; he that kindleth the fire shall surely make restitution. If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it would be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found let him pay double.7

This passage is rather confusing. In some cases a thief must repay four or five times and in other cases repay double. It may be that an accurate translation of this passage indicates that restitution should always be double. The problem with understanding this passage is that some of the words such as sheep, and ox, etc. are improperly translated. An accurate translation of this passage indicates that two different Hebrew words are translated into the same English word and thus confuse the meaning of the passage. A proper translation of the passage would be:

If a man shall steal an ox (shor), or a sheep (seh), and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen (bakar) for and ox (shor), and four sheep (tson) for a sheep (seh).

The “shor” and “bakar” are types of cattle and are used in different parts of the scripture to signify the bull, the ox, the heifer, the steer and the calf. The “seh” and the “tson” are used to signify the ram, the eu, the lamb, the he-goat, the she-goat, and the kid. At times the word “tson” seems to signify the flock composed of any of these types of sheep or goats. Therefore, a proper translation of this passage is probably, “If a man steal a bull, he shall give five oxen for him”. If we go by the premise that restitution should usually double the amount stolen, that is return the stolen item plus one more, then it may be that five oxen are the equivalent of two bulls. If this is the case the uniform principle is that a thief should return the equivalent to what he had stolen, multiplied by two.8 Therefore, if a person steals $100 he should return $200. Why not just require the person that steals $100 to return the $100? If this is done there is no punitive effect. The person is only required to return what he has wrongfully taken. There is a valuable lesson in requiring a person to return twice what he has stolen.

The second part of verse three is extremely interesting, “if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft”.9 A person who steals, and has nothing with which to pay restitution, should be sold into slavery and be required to work as a slave until his restitution is paid.

In our society, the typical punishment for theft is imprisonment. Prisons were used in Biblical times by heathen nations. There is, however, no command in scripture to use prison as punishment for any crime. It should, therefore, not surprise us, that the current trend of building more prisons to house more criminals will not solve the crime problem.

Leviticus 6:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "If a person sins and commits a trespass against the LORD by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, 3 or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely--in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins: 4 then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, 5 or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering. 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest. 7 So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses."10

Notice first that the forms of theft discussed above are considered trespasses against God. Therefore as well as the restitution plus one fifth there was also the equivalent of a fine in the form of a sacrifice. All of the above deal with types of theft facilitated not by force but by dishonesty. With all such crimes there is a problem with proof. Such crimes are often nothing more then swearing contest in court. It is simply one persons word against the other. With such crimes the Bible is cautious about punishment. This may be because with such crimes there is a higher likelihood that the judge will believe the lying party, which would result in punishing the innocent part and rewarding the guilty party. It may be that the Bible is cautious about punishing such crimes because the only way the truth of the matter can be ascertained is if there is a confession, and a confession is more likely if the punishment is not too heavy. It may also be that punishing such crimes by requiring the return of the item stolen plus one fifth rather then returning double is because these types of thefts do not employ violence.

Chapter 10 from a book written by Charlie Fuqua

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