One thing that the Marine Corps does very well is honor its heroes. I want to tell you about one such man.
His name is David R. "Chip" Herr.
Chip is the only graduate of my school, Fort Worth Country Day, to die in battle. He fell on February 3, 1991 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Chip was known by his schoolmates as a "gentle giant." He was a smart, red-headed baseball and soccer player, loved by his teachers and classmates. After he graduated from FWCD in 1980, he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. When he graduated from W&L four years later, he was commissioned a second lieutenant, with orders to the Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. Upon graduation from the Basic School he was selected for flight school at Naval Air Station, Pensacola. He proudly received his gold Naval Aviator's wings on October 16, 1987 and was assigned as a UH-1 helicopter pilot with the III Marine Air Wing at Camp Pendleton, California. It was from Camp Pendleton that he deployed with his unit to Saudi Arabia after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
I remember where I was when I heard of his death. I was with my wife Debby at our apartment in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. I was myself a new lieutenant, struggling through tank school at Fort Knox. My mother called to share the tragic news. I cried for Chip. I cried for his parents, Connie and David. I cried because I was sad, and I cried because a fellow Marine had perished.
After I hung up the phone I walked to my bureau and stared at a wooden box that held my military insignia and decorations. The box had been a gift from the Herr family upon my commissioning and graduation from the Virginia Military Institute the previous May. When I called Connie to thank her for the gift, I remember how excited she was. She said that Chip had recommended that she get it for me and she knew I would love it. I treasure it to this day. It serves as a reminder of Chip and why he was so proud of his beloved Corps.
If Chip were with us today he would tell us all about the Corps.
He would tell us that he loved the Marine Corps because he got to serve with other Marines.
He would tell us that Marines place mission accomplishment above comfort, safety, or reward.
He would tell us that the Corps is a tough, regimented society of men and women consumed by a heroic mission. That mission is to win battles, and that it has done so for over 230 years.
Chip would tell us that Marines from Camp Pendleton have distinguished themselves in such faraway places as Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Okinawa, Peleliu, Khe Sahn, Kuwait City, and Fallujah.
He would tell you that if you weren't a Marine, you "just wouldn't understand."
He would love to tell us that the Marine Corps was founded on November 10, 1775 at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. The Corps, or "Soldiers of the Sea," were a new branch created as shipboard security and boarding parties for US Navy vessels fighting the British during the Revolution. These were men recruited from the wharves - tough men - fearless men and their ferocity toward their adversaries soon established them as a force to be reckoned with.
Chip would tell us that over the centuries the Corps has constantly had to redefine its mission. From the Quasi War with France to the War of 1812, from the Civil War to World War I, the Marine Corps has had to work very hard to justify its existence. It has done so on the battlefield and it has done so with valor. Two instances come to mind: the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918 (where the Marines earned the sobriquet Teufel Hunden, or Devil Dogs) and the Battle of Iwo Jima. You have all seen the famous photograph of the flag raising, but what you may not know is that there were more valorous combat awards handed out at Iwo Jima than in any other battle in American history.
Chip was proud of his service, and we will forever be proud of him.
As a Marine myself, I understand that the responsibilities I have to my fellow Marines don't end when they die. To the contrary, my responsibility is is to keep his memory alive, to honor the traditions and values that he held dear. It is my duty to never forget the patriotism, valor, and selflessness of he who fell in battle. It is my challenge to be worthy of his legacy. I believe that Chip's example is the standard by which we must measure our service to America.
I am proud of you, Chip. I am proud of who you were and what you meant to me. I never served under your command, but I know those who did loved you and respected you as much as we do. You are my brother.
Semper Fi, Chip. Semper Fi.
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