For the 180 Marines and family members at Derryfield Country Club on Sunday, the 249th birthday of the United States Marine Corps was not just a remembrance of their comrades who gave their lives in service to God, this country and each other.
It was a celebration of the enduring commission that has shaped their lives.
“Most of us went into business because of what we learned as leaders — the discipline,” said USMC Cpl. Gary Gahan of Goffstown, who served in Vietnam and Cuba between 1963 and 1966.
“The best thing that I ever did was join the Marine Corps,” said Gunnery Sgt. Charles Boncore, 81, of Merrimack, who served for 21 years, including two back-to-back tours in Vietnam between 1963 and 1965. “It made me the man I am today. If I could go back in the Marines I’d do it now.”
It was a day for bonding and renewal of spirit and mission.
New Hampshire’s annual Marine Corps ‘birthday party’ started 41 years ago in 1983 when five Marines stood up at the Bedford Village Inn and sang the Marine Corps hymn on Nov. 10, in honor of the corps’ official founding.
‘Unique brotherhood’
Today, the sole member of that five-man group is Bob Benoit of Epping, who eagerly stated what the Marine Corps gave him: “Discipline. Focus. Brotherhood “ — intangible, irreplaceable things that have lasted his whole life.
“It’s a unique brotherhood and sisterhood,” said Paul Pouliot, a committee chair for the Marines’ Manchester Expeditionary Brigade, who joined the Corps in 1980 and served for seven years. “It’s one of those families where it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, somebody will reach out and help you. It reinforced a great love of country. It was about honor, loyalty, courage and service — and that service always continues.
“It’s a title that you earn that’s embedded in your soul. That’s why you never lose it. It’s about maintaining and living up to a higher standard. Expectations that I have for myself and my family,” said Pouliot, who owns a wealth management company. He said the Marine Corps created the discipline he needed to be a successful in small business.
On Sunday, before the birthday cake cutting began, Boncore recalled his days as a helicopter crew chief and door gunner, who later worked as a jet mechanic in civilian life.
“To me, Vietnam was days and days of boredom followed by a few hours of sheer terror,” including being shot down and having to wait overnight to be rescued. “All I had was a K-bar to dig a hole. I could hear the Viet Cong all around us.” He said his greatest fear at that moment was not the Viet Cong circling nearby, but the silent tigers stalking in the bush, who could sneak up and grab men’s necks during the night.
Today, Boncore is a member of a Marine Corps League in Naples, Florida, where he gives history talks about the Marine Corps and participates in flag raisings and ceremonies, including funerals and burials. His uniform shirt includes four rows of medals plus pins for being a rifle and pistol expert.
“Once you’re a Marine, you’re a Marine until the day you die,” Boncore said proudly.
“When you come out of Parris Island and Quantico, there’s an internal bond that exists between Marines from then on that starts in boot camp and continues,” said Warren Coughlin, a property manager from Hanover, who came with three fellow members of the same Marine Reserve unit.
Coughlin served in Operation Desert Storm, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan during his 30 years in the Marine Corps Reserves before retiring as a master gunnery sergeant. He said that friendships and camaraderie were the most important things he got from being a Marine.
Today he runs a Toys for Tots fundraiser for two months each year. The Corps “does a good job of preparing people from all walks of life to be good citizens and to give back to society,” he said.
Edward Cilley, a Marine and pastor of Emmanuel Church in Rochester, read the Marines’ Prayer.
“Keep me true to my best self, guarding me against dishonesty in purpose. …Give me the will to do the work of a Marine and to accept my share of responsibilities with vigor and enthusiasm. Grant me the courage to be proficient in my daily performance. … Help me to wear my uniform with dignity and let it remind me daily of the traditions which I must uphold.”
Pouliot, addressing the Marines from across New England who were gathered in the room, said, “It’s a call to duty that never stops.”
