United States Marine Corps Major General Robert Flanagan (retired) began Saturday night telling how he was thanked for his service by three people when he stopped for coffee at a McDonald’s in Georgia.
That thanks came on his journey from his home in northern Virginia to Fannin County where he was the keynote speaker at the annual Marine Corps Ball.
“You don’t get that in northern Virginia,” he told the crowd gathered in the David E. Ralston Hall on the University of North Georgia/Blue Ridge campus.
Flanagan served as a Naval aviator, squadron commander, and ultimately commanding general of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. His honors included the distinguished Service Medal and Bronze Star Medal.
He told the Marines and their guests gathered for the Corps’ 250th birthday celebration of five battles that shaped the Corps, its tradition of service and the values its members hold. While not all resulted in victories, they produced lessons learned that remain the foundation to this day.
Flanagan revisited the histories of New Providence in 1776, Belleau Wood in World War I, Wake Island the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and Iwo Jima in 1945.
It was for their heroic actions in Belleau Wood “the Marines reputation drew to international acclaim,” Flanagan said.
Wake Island brought memories of a handful of Marines with minimal air support holding Japanese forces at bay for two weeks before the “inevitable” surrender occurred. Yet, even in defeat, the heroics of the Marines and Navy personnel made them “instant heroes” in the eyes of the American public, Flanagan said.
Iwo Jima brought “hard lessons written in blood” during the 35 bloodiest days of fighting in Marine Corps history. The Corps suffered 6,800 deaths and 19,000 wounded. There were 25 Medal of Honor recipients, and the iconic photo of the United States of America flag being raised on the island instantly became the symbol of American victory.
The final memory relived by Flanagan was of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Approximately 26,000 Marines faced a Chinese force of 120,000.
“Combat has changed, Marines have not. In times of need, Americans called on their heroes, the United States Marines, and we never let them down,” Flanagan said.
Marines always maintain the core values of “honor, courage, commitment,” and Flanagan added his “own, marksmanship.”
He said, “Be good citizens. Stand up for what is right.”