One of the things I appreciate most about the military ball season is the way the military community honors those who have served. One of the most humbling experiences I’ve had was at a Marine Corps ball in California, early in my husband’s Navy career. We hadn’t checked our seat assignments ahead of time, but I fully expected to be sitting with at least one or two other couples we knew. Imagine my surprise when we were escorted to our seats, and I quickly calculated that we were at least forty years younger than everyone else at the table. I mustered all my manners and politely greeted each one, noting the ladies’ perfectly coiffed gray hair and glittering jewelry. I quickly warmed to them, as their excitement at attending the ball was infectious.
The ceremony began, and my husband gave the invocation from the podium. Then, a spotlight hit our table, and the Master of Ceremonies announced that we were honored to have in our presence remarkable veterans of the Korean War, members of THE Frozen Chosin. I didn’t know what that meant, but the entire room erupted in roaring applause and jumped to their feet. I followed suit, nearly dumping the table. The honored men stood, smiling and bowing and waving, while their wives dabbed their eyes. The ovation lasted for several minutes. My cheeks burned, and I blinked back tears as I clapped. Here I was sitting at the most honored table, and I had begun the evening with a bad attitude.
All night, our table was swamped with Marines nearly climbing over each other to meet these warriors. The Marines asked questions and truly listened to the responses. They were genuinely in awe of those who had gone before them.
When we arrived home, I looked up the Frozen Chosin to find that they were a group of Marines and Soldiers who defended the Chosin Reservoir on a Korean mountainside in November of 1950, during the coldest winter on record in over a hundred years. They trekked 78 miles on a 15 foot wide road to get to the Sea of Japan while under attack by Chinese troops. One regiment registered the temperature as -54° NEGATIVE-FIFTY-FOUR-DEGREES– cold enough that when they were served a rare hot meal, it could be frozen to their plates in the time it took for them to walk from the serving line to the table. From November 26 through December 11, 1950, the Marines and Soldiers held off the advancing Chinese army. In the battle, 836 Marines died and another 12,000 were wounded, largely suffering from frostbite and other weather related injuries. The Army lost 2,000. Chinese losses were estimated at near 35,000. The veteran members of the Frozen Chosin are revered for their courage and indomitable human spirit in the face of unimaginable conditions. The young Marines who swarmed our table understood the legacy that sat with us in a way I did not at the time.
I often come to a new place, to a new job, to a new role with limited perspective. I don’t always know the legacy that came before me. Too often I sit down at the table in pride and contempt thinking I would certainly do things differently. This attitude is unbecoming in me, and it actively dishonors those who have done the best they could with the circumstances they were given.
As we engage change in our families, our units, our jobs, and anywhere we hold influence, it serves us well to be respectful and honor those who have come before us. Did they make mistakes? Of course, and so will we. I was humbled to sit with those Korean War heroes for a night, but their influence lives on in the way I engage new tasks. I enter more quietly, with an open mind, ready to be positive as I build on the foundation my predecessors have laid. My prayer is that those who follow me would be as forgiving of the mistakes I will make as I lead by honoring the past while working today for our future.
Happy Birthday, USMC!