Welcome again to this historical day...
At 1400hrs,
lunch was concluded and all were invited
to proceed
to the Officers Club's
bar
where the "formal" program would be held.
The Navy
Nurses & Corpsmen
were seated together
in the front two
rows. Gunnery Sergeant
Garrison Gigg, USMC (Ret)
made opening
remarks
and served as MC for the remainder of the program.
After his
brief
remarks, he introduced
Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, USN (Ret).
Admiral Lopez
spoke eloquently about the important
humanitarian contribution the
Navy Nurses &
Corpsmen made not only to our men stationed in Korea but to
all Americans at home during the Korean War.
On behalf of the
United States Navy,
he
thanked them all for their loving, gentle, and patriotic service
during the war.
He agreed
that they were truly
" Quiet Heroes "
and that their dedicated work
should be made known to all Americans so that we as a nation
would never forget them. The Admiral's words were met with thunderous applause !
Colonel Ron Rook, USMC.
Chief of Staff
Quantico Marine Corps Base
spoke
next. Colonel Rook,
speaking
on behalf of the Quantico
Base
Commander
and the
U.S.
Marine Corps,
thanked the nurses and corpsmen for their gallant service in the Korean
War. He made it very clear that the Marines would always remember how fellow wounded
Marines were lovingly cared for no matter what the hour of day or night by cheerful
hopeful faces of the Navy nurses. Their nursing abilities were second to none ! He also
expressed gratitude for being present at such an historical gathering. Again thunderous
applause accompanied his last words.
After the conclusion of these
two heartfelt speeches, room lights were darkened
and a very special
slide 
presentation was 
played by its
creator,
David
Lee.
Entitled Our
Heroes, it gave all a glimpse of the world
in which these nurses lived
during
the
Korean War
by 
sharing their own personal 
photographs
and words
accompanied by
inspirational music.
It was fitting that the final image to
fill
the 
screen was that of a
soaring eagle with the words below it,
"
Thank
you, Quiet Heroes....You are the wind beneath our wings".
Following this was an
award-winning video entitled
Nurses of The Korean War.
It was written, directed,
and produced by a very special young lady named
Mary Chatigny. To learn how
she came to produce this wonderful work, please
click
here.
The formal program continues on the next page so please click here to continue......
©2000-2001 Chip Feise Location Photography All Rights Reserved