Death of a Marine....

[ccheese]

Col. Van D. Bell Jr.

NETTLETON - Col. Van Daley Bell Jr.,
90, died Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at North Mississippi Medical Center in
Tupelo. Col. Bell was born Aug. 25, 1918, in Atlanta, Ga., to Van D.
Bell Sr. and Grace Hicks Bell. He grew up in Miami, Fla., and enlisted
in the Marine Corps in l936 at the age of 17. He honorably and bravely
served his country for 39 years, retiring with the rank of colonel from
the U.S. Marine Corps. After boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., Col. Bell
went to China and served with the 4th Marines during the Sino-Japanese
War. He spent several years in China and served throughout the Pacific
aboard the flagship of the Asiatic fleet, the USS Augusta, serving as an
orderly and bodyguard for Admiral Yarnell. During his China years, he
won the Asiatic Pacific and All Navy boxing championships. During World
War II, Mst. Sgt. Bell participated in the battles of Gaudalcanal,
Bougainville, Guam and Okinawa. After World War II, 1st Lt. Bell was
ordered back to China. He later served in the Korean War, where he
became company commander of A/1/7. Lt. Col. Bell served as the battalion
commander for the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, in Vietnam for two
consecutive tours. In l967, Col. Bell returned from Vietnam to serve as
inspector for the 2nd Marine Division at Camp LeJeune, N.C. He then went
to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was commanding officer of Marine
Barracks and Ground Forces Defense Commander for the U.S. Naval Base. He
later was Chief o f Staff for Landing Forces Training Command in
Coronado, Calif. In l973, he went to Okinawa as commanding officer of
Camp Butler. Upon returning to Camp LeJeune, he retired after 39 years
service in the Marine Corps, starting as private and retiring as
colonel.

His distinguished and highly decorated
service to his country made him among the most decorated and respected
Marines of all times. His decorations include two Navy Crosses (the
nation's second highest decoration), two Silver Stars, Legion of Merit
with Combat V, Bronze Star with Combat V, five Purple Hearts, Combat
Action Ribbon, four Presidential Unit Citations, four Navy Unit
Citations, Good Conduct Medal with two Stars, Yangtze Service Medal,
China Service Medal with Bronze Star, National Defense Service Medal
with Bronze Star, Korean Service Medal with four Bronze Stars, Vietnam
Service Medal with three Bronze Stars, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with
two Gold Palms and one Gold Star among others. He enjoyed attending
military reunions around the country. After retirement to Nettleton,
Col. Bell completely devoted himself to country living and raising his
two sons. He enjoyed fishing with them and gardening. He was a member of
the Nettleton United Methodist Church.

Marines all around the country are
diminished at Col. Bell's passing and he will be remembered for years to
come among America's great military leaders in the mold of the "Greatest
Generation."


Another hero gone....

Charles

[ccheese]

There's a story that goes with Col. Bell. It goes like this....

Sometime in 1966 after Operations Hastings a young Sgt, I will call Sgt
B, was returning from R&R in Thailand. He was standing in a long, and I
do mean long, line at the DaNang Marine operations terminal waiting to
check in so he could head back to his unit. The skipper had sent his
driver to pick him up and he was waiting. There was a young Marine
standing behind the elevated counter (he actually looked down on those
in the line), and he was shouting instructions for everyone to put their
paperwork in a certain order or he was going to send them back to the
end of the line. As young Marines in the line approached this loud
mouth, he would shout obscenities at him if his papers weren't in the
correct order.

Sgt B's blood began to boil. It was obvious by his youth that this
Marine (wearing only a green skivvy shirt and a utility cover) was
probably no more than a LCpl. Sgt B had made up his mind that he was
not going to have his paperwork in the "correct order" and he dared this
loud mouth SOB to say anything to him at all....except what was needed
to process his orders, or he was going to get a what they refer to on
the drill field as a "group tightener!"

Sgt B was about 8-10 Marines back in the line when suddenly this Marine
threw a Marine's paperwork at him and told him he was a dumb ass and to
go to the end of the line. All of a sudden someone from behind Sgt B
barged his way through the line of Marines almost knocking everyone
over. This "someone" reached across the wide counter and grabbed the
loud mouth by the skivvy shirt and pulled it toward him. The neck of
the shirt stretched all the way across the counter. In a loud gravelly
voice, the "someone" said: "Go get your officer and bring him back
here....NOW!"

The young Marine disappeared behind a door, but returned shortly with
another Marine wearing only a green skivvy shirt, but he had a silver
bar on his utility cover. The Lt. snapped to attention and asked this
"someone" if there is a problem. This was the first hint to everyone
that this "someone" must be a high ranking officer of Marines. In a low
Gravelly voice this "someone" said: "My name is LtCol Van D. Bell and I
command the First Battalion of the First Marines. I want this young
Marine to go get his kit, return here and get into my vehicle. You go
tell your personnel officer that I am transferring this Marine to my Bn
so he can get a taste of what all these Marines in your damn line go
through everyday. And if he isn't back here with his gear in no less
than 30 minutes, you will join him in my Bn. Do you have any questions
Lieutenant?" Obviously shaken by the ordeal, the Lt responded in the
negative and disappeared with the loud mouth. LtCol Bell calmly
returned to his position behind Sgt B in the line. You could have heard
a damn pin drop in that building until Sgt B started applauding and
everyone else joined in. LtCol Bell just smiled and winked at Sgt B.


A 'marines' marine !!!

Charles

[Njaco]

[Gnomey]

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

[Matt308]

Great post, Mr. C. Great post.

[Vassili Zaitzev]

[ToughOmbre]

TO

[RabidAlien]

to a great man.
to Sgt B.

[v2]

[diddyriddick]

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

[vikingBerserker]

Excellent post Charles.

[evangilder]

It's a shame they don't have more officers like that.

[Wayne Little]