Whitman Marine Corps veteran James Murphy recently took part in what has become an annual Christmas tradition – traveling to Arlington National Cemetery to decorate the graves of the nation’s fallen and veterans interred there for the holidays as part of the Wreaths Across America program.
He takes photos of the event to share with Express readers. Most of this year’s photo were taken on Saturday, Dec. 16, but he returned Sunday, Dec. 17 to visit the burial site of an old friend, who was buried there last June. Paul Starbile was a fellow Marine veteran who was awarded two Purple Hearts, and a Bronze Star during fighting at the Battle of Khe Sanh in Vietnam.
“We were members of the Boston Crusaders Senior Drum & Bugle Corps for many years back in the day,” Murphy recalled. Starbile is buried in Section 78-headstone 794.
He also sought out Travis Manion and Brendan Looney, who have have been the subject of several books. Both became close friends at the Naval Academy. One became a Marine, the other chose the Navy. One died in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. They are interred in Section 60.
Staff Sgt. William Joseph Callahan, USMC was a local resident, graduated from Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. (Section 60). Truman Crawford was the director of the Marine Drum & Bugle Corps at 8th & I in Washington, D.C. (Section 36).
“I just took a lot of pictures at Arlington National Cemetery,” he recalled. “It looks beautiful with the wreaths placed on the headstones. It’s a special place, words are hard to describe the range of emotions while walking the grounds of the cemetery. I really don’t think most Americans realize or they take for granted the sacrifices that were made. Just my opinion.
“I will keep doing this every December as long as I can,” he said.