Semper Fidelis
This page is to give honor to these men in my
family who have served in the USMC
Click to Play the
Marines' HymnHymn
Semper Fidelis
This page is to give honor to these men in my
family who have served in the USMC
Click to Play the
Marines' HymnHymn
The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor
by Thor F. Carden
October, 2000The first song I can remember hearing my mother sing is "The Marine's Hymn."
The Eagle, Globe and Anchor together are the symbol of the United States Marine Corps. For the Corps the symbols represent the broad context in which Marines are prepared to fight -- land, sea, or air anywhere in the world. All of my life I have had deep feelings when I see it. Those feelings have differed dramatically from time to time. My maternal grandfather was a Marine. Or perhaps I should say "is a Marine," for Marines never die. They live forever in the spirit of this elite, feared brotherhood of warriors. My mother's brothers were both Marines. As the daughter of an officer she sometimes participated in some of the pageantry surrounding certain events in the Corps. She owned a Marine Corps flag that had been carried by her father's unit. This was always flown at our house on Independence Day. I was proud to see that flag, but mine was borrowed pride. It was simply an imitation of what I saw in my mother.
During the Vietnam War, the Draft Board held a lottery. Based on birth date each young man was assigned a number which would determine in what order he would be called into military service. The low number I received signified early induction, but my brother was already in Southeast Asia which meant, by law, I could not be sent to the war zone until he ended his tour of duty. If I was not going to fight I did not want to be a soldier. When I joined the Marine Corps officer training program, three issues were addressed simultaneously: I got some help paying my college tuition, I delayed being mobilized until I could be sent to the front lines, and I made my mother happy, or so I thought.
Proud of my decision, I was very surprised my mother was less than pleased when she found that I had joined the Corps. I did not fully understand then the impact it was having on her for my older brother to be serving in Vietnam. She was somewhat relieved when she discovered I had entered a reserve officers' training program which allowed me to finish college while attending summer "boot camp," still she did not look forward to an additional year of worry when I took my turn in Vietnam.
When I first reported to training at Quantico, Virginia, the Drill Sergeant promised that we would not like the next several weeks, but that we would always remember them. This turned out to be fact. Our trainers were very tough on us, which forced us to come to rely on each other. We learned mutual respect as the rigorous training revealed our own weaknesses and the strengths of others. Those few short weeks changed how I felt about the Eagle, Globe and Anchor. Now the pride was my own, and I had added to it a feeling of fraternal "belonging."
Before my college graduation, the troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. The Marine Corps no longer needed me. It was with a deep sense of grief that I realized that I had missed "my" war. I remembered the stories my grandfather and uncles told about fighting the Japanese and other enemies of our country in exotic places around the world. I would never have a story like this to tell. Now it seemed that the eagle was mocking me, the anchor was holding me down, and the globe was a map of all the places I would never go. I felt regret.
But as I helped my older brother struggle to overcome the deep spiritual scars of his participation in that terrible war, I came to realize that perhaps God had done me a favor after all. I still remembered the words to "The Marine's Hymn" placed in my mind by my mother so long before. My feelings found expression in an interest in military history and enjoyment of war movies. The Marine Corps symbol made me feel nostalgic.
It was not a complete surprise when my son joined the Marine Corps. I was proud when he graduated number one in his advanced training class, but I could no longer enjoy war movies. All the young actors had my son's face. My wife and I became avid watchers of international news as we worried what hot spot might be our son's next destination. At last I understood how my mother had felt some twenty years before. Now the symbols made me afraid.
My son is out of active service now, and no longer in immediate danger. Four generations of our family have escaped unwounded and whole. Now I have many feelings when I see the Eagle, Globe and Anchor -- pride for all our family has done for our country; regret, just a little, because I was never tested in combat; nostalgia for the days when I was in top physical shape; and a sense fraternity with the other old Devil Dogs who can say "Semper Fi."
I am also fearful. I have three grandsons. They are going to want to test their courage.
Cpl. Andrew Thor Carden (my son)
Officer Candidate Thor Foy Carden (my husband)
Return to Welcome PageSite copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 Trish S. Carden (Please feel free to use this information but if you do please put a link back to this page)Disclaimer: The purpose of this Web Page is to share information for the purpose of research. I have not proved documentation of all genealogy material, nor have I kept source notes as I should. But I had lots of fun and met some great people along the way..
If you find any mistakes please contact the Web Page creator, Trisha Carden
