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Combat relationships bring us closer as we age

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By COL. DONALD J. MYERS

A Mind of My Own

Published: April 25, 2009

Last week, my wife and I headed north to Arlington National Cemetery for the final farewell to a close friend.

General David M. Twomey was my commanding officer at Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. in the early '70s and later he was my commanding general in the Second Marine Division at camp Lejeune, N.C.

As a colonel, he was without a doubt the finest colonel that I ever served with or under. He listened to his junior officers and responded to them.

As an example, when he commanded the barracks in D.C., we completed a successful season of hosting and performing before thousands of people at the parades at the post and at the marine War memorial in Arlington.

We also performed before about 10 half-time ceremonies for the National Football League from the West Coast to the East Coast and many places in between.

As the Operations Officer, I was responsible for planning and coordinating these events. When the new season was about to start, I informed Col. Twomey we were about to have our first practice and he reached for his hat. I asked where he was going, and he responded that he would watch the practice.

Now, one must remember that he was a colonel and I was a major. I said, "Colonel, we have about half of the troops who are brand new and recently graduated from boot camp and are new to the command. You will remember how they looked at the end of the season last year. They will not look like that now and you will become upset, and then I will become upset, and the troops will become upset. Stay in your office and after a few days, I will call and you can then look at what has happened." He was such a leader that he allowed me to do my job and stayed in his office.

Years later, I was the commanding officer of the same barracks and allowed my officers and enlisted men to do the same. Col. Twomey had showed me what it was to allow subordinates to lead and develop.

As the Commanding Officer of 8th & I at Marine Barracks in D.C. and the Commanding General of the Second Marine Division, he developed five four stars to include two commandants and a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, at least five three stars and several one and two stars.

That is not including those who probably rose to high rank from his command of an infantry battalion and an infantry regiment along with the Recruit Training Regiment at San Diego.

I am not personally aware of any other officer who has had such an impact with the development of future leaders in the Corps.

As I attended his service, I learned about another comrade who went to his reward: Charles Lyman. Charlie was in my company at the Naval Academy and a brilliant individual. What took most of us a significant period of time to understand, he grasped in seconds.

He was one of a kind and it is difficult to think that he will not be at our next reunion.

I have been to many reunions over the years with my classmates from the Naval Academy and my troops from Vietnam.

Reunions for those who served in the military are truly special, especially when combat was part of the past. The relationships are comparable to a marriage.

The tighter the situation, the closer the relationships. As we age, they become even closer. "Saving Private Ryan" and "We were Soldiers Once" are two movies that seem to catch the mood of what it was like in close combat.

Thank God that we had and continue to have such people who face the tiger.

Donald J. Myers, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at dmyersusmc@aol.com.

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