My heart is heavy today......,.

[suncat05]

I have been off sick with this flu bug that has been making the rounds here in south Florida. But this past Saturday I learned that my cousin Chuck had passed last Friday at the Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii from complications from prostate cancer.
He was a retired Master Gunnery Sergeant in the USMC. He was a 4 tour veteran of Vietnam, a survivor of the battles of Khe Sahn, Da Nang, his platoon being ambushed and being wiped out except for him and one other Marine, and the final evacuation of Saigon.
He was also a participating Marine in the rescue of the crew of the USS Mayaquez from the North Koreans.
He found God after retiring from the Marines. And he became a preacher, and was resolute in his belief in his faith. He was rough around the edges, but he was a good man. I and many others are going to miss him.
I had been trying to contact him via phone since we last spoke several weeks ago. His wife, also a retired Marine, called me last night. She told me that she is still in Oahu, but returning to the big island soon. She explained to me what had happened, that basically he had let it go too long, and it killed him. He was 65, would have turned 66 in June.
He was the last one on my Mom's side of the family that I still actively communicated with. I don't get along with the rest of the 'outlaws', we just don't "geehaw" at all.
I loved and respected him, even though we did not always agree on everything. Right now, I am kind of feeling like I'm the last one standing.

[Catfan73]

So sorry for your loss Suncat. He sounds like a good man who served his country in more ways than one.

[kingcat]

Sorry to hear about your loss. And he served God..no greater purpose in life.

[truecatsfan]

Prayers for your family Suncat.

[BigBluePappy]

Sorry to hear about your loss. And he served God..no greater purpose in life.

This says it so simply and wonderfully I hope you don't mind me using it. +1.

[Darrell KSR]

So sorry for your loss, Suncat. God bless.

[CGWildcat]

Sorry to hear of your loss Suncat. Prayers for you and family.

[suncat05]

Sorry to hear about your loss. And he served God..no greater purpose in life.

Amen.

[suncat05]

A long, long time ago, when he was a young Marine and after his first tour in Vietnam, he came home on leave and stayed overnight with my "ex-battleaxe" and me in our little humble apartment. He was 3 years older than me, and a lot more mature than I was at that time. And I was considering joining the service at that time because the economy here was going into the toilet. I was very curious about what it was like in Vietnam. Mostly because, you know, sometimes, when the bad guys are shooting at you, well, they get lucky and hit you. Or your buddy next to you. So I asked him if it bothered him or scared him that they were shooting at him and trying to kill him. He looked at me like I was from Mars or someplace, but his response just didn't make much sense to me. He said "I am a United States Marine! Bullets cannot hurt me!" It wasn't until years later when I was in the Army and I was working jointly with USMC MP'S on post that I figured it out. Marines are just eat up with that bullyang. Yeah, I get and respect the warrior mentality, I had it when I jumped out of perfectly good airplanes & helicopters. But I also knew that bad guys shooting at you and trying to kill you is a situation that you want to stop ASAP. So there was that difference in ideas that ultimately told me that the Marines wasn't a good career move for me. And it just made me not want to be exactly like that.
Or spend all of that time in a hospital at the NAS Millington outside of Memphis recovering from all of his wounds from the time when his platoon was ambushed near La Trang and everyone died except for him and another Marine. He was awarded the Navy Cross for that.
I always respected him and loved him. He was genuinely a good man. Especially later in life. Just another example, I guess, of two people trying to get the job done but having different ideas on how to accomplish the mission.

[KSRBEvans]

Sounds like a great guy, suncat. Sorry for your loss.

[kingcat]

It seems on a personal level he was right. Against all odds, bullets did not kill him.
And come to think of it, neither did anything else in reality. The vessel dies but not the life.

Thanks for sharing his story with us. And your own. God Bless.

[jazyd]

Sun, my prayers are with you on this. Sometimes cousins are more like brothers. Remember your good times with him, sounds like the type guy who would want that. He is a jarhead, would want you to be proud of him, remember his passion and duty. Never leave a brother behind, he is gone physically but not mentality or spiritually for you.

He would probably say...Semper Fi

[PedroDaGr8]

I'm truly sorry for your loss Suncat. Sounds like we lost a good one in his death. They don't make too many like him, no matter the era. The world is a slightly lesser place for his loss.

[suncat05]

All of you guys here are just amazing people, from your sympathies & compassion, to the depth of perception that you all have. Thank you all!
And yes jazyd, he was the brother I did not have.

[bigsky]

Overcoming what he went through and "becoming a good man" is a lifelong challenge. Not for the exceptional of course, but for most, whether it was WWII, Korea, VietNam, the Gulf and subsequent wars, the combat Veteran faces lifelong challenges.

“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” Ronald Reagan

"We know that pride in his accomplishments will never replace the man we lost, but the pride of his city and his state is all we have to offer".

[suncat05]

I agree, bigsky. My belief is that after he found God and actually became a preacher of "the Word", and finally found true love with his wife Maraia, that his world finally came together and he was able to achieve that tranquillity that we all strive for. He was devoted to God, his wife, and helping other veterans have their needs met through the VA.