Jim Crawford Rest In Peace Semper Fi

Colonel James F. (Jim) Crawford, United States Marine Corps Reserve (Ret.) of Atlanta died February 2, 2021 at the age of 79. He was the son of the late James D. Crawford and Iva M. Huckaby Crawford. Jim was born in Washington, DC and spent his formative years in northern Virginia. He graduated Augusta Military Academy and Wheeling University.

Shortly after beginning a career in business, he abruptly decided to attend officer’s candidate school, becoming a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He required one surgery to get in the program and a second surgery to stay in. He volunteered and served in the Republic of Vietnam for which he was personally decorated for valor in combat. Colonel Crawford retired from the United States Marine Corps Reserve, following twenty-nine years combined active and reserve duty. He also retired from Reliance Electric and Nortel Networks. 

Jim coached more than thirty-five seasons of youth sports and last coached football at Marist School. Coach Crawford considered his time at Marist the best of his coaching career. He enjoyed being with highly motivated coaches and exceptional athletes, a number of whom later competed at the collegiate level. Jim was a leader of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. He was a member of Peachtree Presbyterian Church where he chaired and served on several committees. Jim was an elder, an usher and taught Sunday school and confirmation classes. He secured properties for Habit for Humanity. He was a pious man who loved his family and country. Jim was a devoted husband, proud father and proud grandfather. He strived to live life in a manner that commemorated his forty-four Marine classmates killed in Vietnam.

Jim is survived by his wife, Betty, to whom he was devoted. He is also survived by daughter Pamela (Wally) Neill, son Michael Crawford, stepson Austin (Stephanie) McDonald, stepdaughter Michelle (Stephen) Adams, and eight grandchildren, Jack and Morgan Neill, Elle Crawford, Eloise, Hudson (who Jim called Gator) and Alden McDonald, and Liam (who Jim called Hootie) and Tinsley Adams. He is also survived by half-sister Virginia (Jim) Smith, brothers-in-law Johnny (Dianne) Isakson and Andy (Nancy) Isakson along with five nieces and nephews.

A memorial service and reception will be held at a later date at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. Colonel Crawford will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1001 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30342, www.choa.org or Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, 1235 South Clark Street, Suite 910, Arlington, VA 22202, www.vvmf.org.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/atlanta-ga/james-crawford-10043386

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Just picked this up from Dave Moynihan. Jim was one of the best Marines I’ve worked with and for. He’ll definitely be missed by us all but we are comforted knowing Jim’s now fully in God’s hands. Will continue to pray for Betty and family as they adjust. 

SF

Rod Urban

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Jim was a very personable individual... a real Southern Gentleman. He served as S-3 during LTCOL Mark "Big Bird" Lipscomb's tour as CO 2/24. That was the first time 2/24 was MCCRES'd at CLNC.

Jim moved to ATL and was a real fixture in the BGEN Dick Trotter FSSG and impressed all who knew him and served with him.

How many of us Marines fondly remember getting our USMC Birthday telephone call every year without fail from Jim wishing us a " Happy Birthday Marine"!!

We will miss him at our Birthday Luncheons here in Atlanta.

REST IN PEACE

S/F

Will Holahan

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I received the following text msg from Jim's wife Betty..."Jim is home with hospice. Did not recover from last chemo. COVID then staph infection. Had to take out his (chemo) port and part of artificial knee. Over 3 weeks in hospital. Has never done well with chemo. Sorry for the bad news. I am heartbroken."

For those DET-4 Marines who are 2/24 alumni Jim was a 1302 MOS but served as BN S-3 for LTCOL Mark "Big Bird" Lipscomb when he was CO 2/24. COL Byron Hill was XO at that time.

Please keep Betty and Jim in your prayers.

Semper Fi,

Will

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Class of 67

 

"In Class of '67, former Marine lieutenant Jack Wells delivers a moving and fitting eulogy to the forty-three lieutenants who were in Marine Officers Basic Class 6-67, and who died in Vietnam. Another classmate died years later in Lebanon. As the war escalated, the number of Marine officers sent into battle increased dramatically. The highest eschelon of Marine commanders were greatly concerned about the high casualties, but with the war raging, and with Marines never backing away from a fight, or trying to protect their men, the casualties continued to climb. This book is a memorial to those men who made the ultimate sacrifice for their men and country. As Wells introduces each of the forty-four, readers will be moved by the enormity of loss:"

The Book on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0071PSSEW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://www.quantico.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/518371/6-67s-legacy-lives-on/

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/06/17/hard-hit-marine-unit-from-vietnam-war-celebrates-50th-reunion.html#:~:text=In%20the%20fall%20of%201967,twenty%2Dsomething%20Marine%20second%20lieutenants.&text=Before%20Christmas%2C%20the%20first%20of,18%2C%201967.

Thomas Tracy Rest In Peace and Semper Fi

We are sorry to tell you that Master Sergeant Tom Tracy died on January 1, 2020. He was an outstanding Marine and friend.

Tom was a long time member of MWCS-48 and 2/24 and served in numerous positions in the Squadron and Battalion. He led his troops with quiet authority and made sure that all his Marines were take care of and squared away. He was a great and reliable Marine. MSgt Tracy always set the example. Tom was an outstanding Marine Staff NCO and we will miss him.

Top Tracy in 2012 

Mess Night on 4/22/1979 Top Tom Tracy on the Right

Viper's pistol team photo was circa 1968 at Glenview

Tom is on the top far right.

Thomas Tracy

Chicago, Illinois

May 14, 1939 - January 1, 2021

Semper Fi, Top Tracy

Your Marine friends

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Tom also spent a good bit of time in 2/24 on Foster Avenue. He was a great and reliable Marine. 

Semper Fi

Al Jennings

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You can post your memories and photos by clicking on this link:

or you can email them to:

craighullinger@gmail.com

Please keep Betty and Jim Crawford in your prayers

I received the following text msg from Jim Crawford's wife Betty...

"Jim is home with hospice. Did not recover from last chemo. COVID then staph infection. Had to take out his (chemo) port and part of artificial knee. Over 3 weeks in hospital. Has never done well with chemo. Sorry for the bad news. I am heartbroken." 

For those DET-4 Marines who are 2/24 alumni Jim was a 1302 MOS but served as BN S-3 for LTCOL Mark "Big Bird" Lipscomb when he was CO 2/24. COL Byron Hill was XO at that time. 

Please keep Betty and Jim in your prayers.  

Semper Fi, Will William Holahan

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I am saddened by your email. Many fond memories of serving with Jim My prayers are with the Crawford family. 

S/F

Bob Raclaw 
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Please convey my sorrow at this news. Jim was always one of those human dynamos who would take anything on. He would always call many of us on the birthday and I miss that. We are praying for him and Betty in these difficult times.

Larry Anderson

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So sorry to hear this May God bless him and Betty

Frank Johnson

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I concur in Larry's comments.  My time with Jim was largely when we served together in the FSSG and I reported directly to him at least once during our annual Desert Ops in 29 Palms.  Thereafter he mentored me into at least 4 other billet opportunities to include 2 outside the FSSG. Always tough and exacting but fair. Recent New Years note this week from Betty relates that both she and Jim are struggling with significant medical issues and Sandy and  I are keeping both in our prayers.

Rod

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Heavenly Father, we (those called by Your Name) intercede on behalf of Jim and Betty in this NOW time.  Father you send your son Jesus, our Lord and Savior, to earth to redeem, reconcile, restore, and thru Jesus granted us resurrection power as Jesus ane we have become as one.  We therefore as one ask Holy Spirit to magnify thru the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus) Healing, Health, and Shalom (peace) to both Jim and Betty.  

The Word says we can bind and loose on earth, so with Christ we now loose the hold of this spirit of cancer off of Jim and bind the healing power of the Father thru the Son to Jim.  For by the blood of Christ shed by the stripes given and the blood shed on the cross, Jim has been healed.  We give thanks to you Lord for watching over your Word to perform it.  Thank you Lord.

Steve Eddington

Surprise Birthday Party - Singing Happy Birthday To Woz Outside His Hospital Window

Surprise Birthday!

A group from the Sarasota Military Officers Association of America went to visit MOAS 

Past President Ron Wozniak "Woz", who has been hospitalized for over two months 

with Covid-19.  We sang happy birthday to him from outside of his room. 

Linda Wozniak has been working hard on helping him work back to health.

Please keep both of them in your thoughts and prayers.

Semper Fi

Col. Frank Johnson

When I received the information about Col. Frank Johnson I notified the boys from 2/24 and they visited him and gave him a loud and resounding Oorah from the parking lot.




Picture 1

Sgt Maj Johnson, CWO5 Roussell, MSgt Foy, Sgt Maj Wilmot, Sgt Diaz, MSgt Zogg, Sgt Maj Pacynski




Picture 2

Sgt Maj Johnson, CWO5 Roussell, MSgt Foy, Sgt Maj Wilmot, Sgt Diaz, Sgt Maj Pacynski, MgSgt Holy

As for me I was home with Covid.

Semper Fi


José A. Santiago

Military Overthrow of the Government

A friend of mine was concerned about a possible military coup d'etat to take over the US Government. She was genuinely concerned and quoted a conspiracy theory where all the changes in DOD leadership could lead to an overthrow of the government.

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My response

Good conspiracy theory. Would make a good movie.

But all military men swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. We have a very long history of apolitical military - Most military men keep their political opinions to themselves, especially before they retire. And after a 10 to 40 year career staying out of politics, it is extremely unlikely that anyone would reverse that. And all their subordinates took the same oath and are trained to not follow an unlawful order.

Suppose some screwball General or Colonel or Master Sergeant decided he wanted to mount a coup to take over.  This has happened in numerous countries. He has to rely on his subordinates to follow his unlawful orders. They are trained to not obey unlawful orders and many of them would alert the command of the conspiracy.  

And what about all the other military officers not in on the overthrow?  Are they going to sit around and let it happen or are they going to bring in a much larger military unit to deal with the bad guys?  I am confident that they would intervene.

And our military is composed of people from the US - with both Republicans and Democrats, generally in sync with the larger society.

And what about the Secret Service, FBI, Homeland Security, Capitol Police, who also took an oath to the Constitution - are they going to be in on a coup?

We are of course talking about treason for anyone involved. A capital offense.  They would have to be crazy to take that risk.

So a military coup in this country is extremely unlikely - close to impossible. And it would not succeed.

But still makes good movies.

Oaths of Office

All officers of the eight uniformed services of the United States swear or affirm an oath of office upon commissioning. It differs from that of the oath of enlistment that enlisted members recite when they enter the service. And the oath of the President / Commander in Chief is also a little different.

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Everyone who joins the military has one thing in common or is elected to the office of President must swear-in by repeating the enlisted or officer or President Oath.

The Oath of enlistment is something that every service member must promise and adhere to for his/her entire military career. From the Oath, you can see that you will be defending the Constitution - not a person. Discipline and accepting orders is sworn to. You vow to face the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) should any disputes arise. 

The Oath of Enlistment (for enlisted): 

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." 

The Oath of Office (for officers): 

"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." 

Before you raise your right hand, make sure you understand what you are swearing or attesting to. The oath of enlistment should not be taken lightly, you will be bound by it for the next 4 to 6 years at a minimum.

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The Oath of Office for the President

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."^[2]

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Marine Corps Base Quantico --Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson willingly disobeyed a commander’s orders and even threatened to open fire on American troops when he saved the lives of at least 10 Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai Massacre.

Not only was Thompson never punished for disobeying orders, but he was later awarded the Soldier’s Medal for his courageous actions.

If the orders given that day had been lawful he could have faced court martial or even charges of treason under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The My Lai Massacre was not the first or the last time a military force would be misused or corrupted. This type of power abuse is what the UCMJ and Oath of Office were designed to prevent and also what allowed Thompson to do the right thing without punishment.

There is an important difference to understand when reading the Officers' Oath of Enlistment compared to the Oath of Office.

Both officers and enlisted service members swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, but in the Oath of Enlistment, service members swear they will “obey the orders of the president of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over [them], according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

Officers do not include this in their Oath of Office.

Instead, they swear to support and defend the constitution and “well and faithfully discharge the duties of [their] office.”

Why are the two oaths different and what does it mean that officers do not swear obedience to the president or higher ranking officers? This concept traces back to the intentions of the Founding Fathers who created our governing system with a separation of powers and series of checks and balances between the three branches. This ensures no single branch or person gains too much power and becomes corrupted. By swearing allegiance to a set of ideals and laws, our military is not bound by the orders of a single person, but are dedicated to the defense of the people and their way of life.

Despite disobeying orders and even threatening to open fire on American troops, Thompson’s actions prevented further war crimes and defended the lives of noncombatants in Vietnam. This is the purpose behind the Oath of Office allowing for the disobedience to unlawful orders.

The obligation and responsibility to act against unlawful orders is not exclusive to officers. Article 90 of the UCMJ states that service members are only obligated to obey lawful orders. This gives authority to small unit leaders and even riflemen to use their judgment to serve honorably and disobey orders when they do not uphold the moral standards of our service. Not only does this act as a safeguard to corruption and abuse of power, but it also develops a sense of responsibility and leadership at all levels of command.

If this is the case, however, then why is the distinction made between the two oaths when both enlisted and officers are not obligated to follow unlawful orders according to the UCMJ?

Officers, especially at higher ranks, have a unique position of authority and influence within the organization that could be taken advantage of for political gain. Swearing loyalty to the Constitution instead of the president or any other person means that officials cannot manipulate officers in order to gain control over the military and become dictators.

The intent is to ensure our military fights in defense of the people and their way of life instead of being misused for political gain. Article 90 of the UCMJ allows for legal disobedience of unlawful orders for both enlisted and officers.

The officer’s oath acts as another safeguard against power corruption by not swearing obedience to the president or other officials, but rather to the Constitution. As a result of these two, our military is capable of having people like Thompson, who can correct situations where the military is being misused without fear of punishment for their actions.

Giving the individual Marine responsibility for judging orders as right or wrong keeps our service members accountable and helps keeps our honor clean as a professional warfighting organization.

https://www.quantico.marines.mil/news/news-article-display/article/611510/the-difference-between-oath-of-office-oath-of-enlistment/

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Obeying or Disobeying an Unlawful Military Order

The Uniform Code of Military Justice spells out what is a lawful an unlawful order. You obey the lawful order, you disobey the unlawful order. If your senior Cpl or Lieutenant or President order you to kill or torture a prisoner, you do not do it. If you do you can be tried and convicted. If they order you on a very dangerous and likely suicidal mission, you obey it as long as it is lawful.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/subtitleA/part2/chapter47&edition=prelim

References:

https://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/swearing-in-for-military-service.html

https://www.quantico.marines.mil/news/news-article-display/article/611510/the-difference-between-oath-of-office-oath-of-enlistment/

https://marineparents.com/marinecorps/mc-oath.asp#:~:text=%22I%20do%20solemnly%20swear%20that,officers%20appointed%20over%20me%2C%20according

https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/LLI/MLD/Fidelity/Oath%20of%20Office%20Historical%20Guide%20to%20Moral%20Leadership.pdf?ver=2018-09-26-095744-147#:~:text=10%20Officer%20and%20Enlisted%20Oath,president%20of%20the%20United%20States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_office_of_the_president_of_the_United_States

Semper Fi

 

Click to Read the Story:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/star-spangled-mystery-what-became-lost-iwo-jima-flag-raising-n581741

OOORAHH! Lee Marvin Video - 24th Marines

Marvin left school at 18 to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on August 12, 1942. He served with the 4th Marine Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II.^[6] While serving as a member of "I" Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, he was wounded in action on June 18, 1944, during the assault on Mount Tapochau in the Battle of Saipan, during which most of his company were casualties.^[7] He was hit by machine gun fire, which severed his sciatic nerve,^[8] and then was hit again in the foot by a sniper.^[9] After over a year of medical treatment in naval hospitals, Marvin was given a medical discharge with the rank of private first class. He previously held the rank of corporal, but had been demoted for troublemaking.^[9]

94? Jim Homan Marine Corps Ball US Consulate St Petersburg Russia with Dan Mead

 

 

  

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Photos from Danang, Vietnam, Tet New Year Celebration. A little different today then back in our day.

Danang is Fireworks Festival city. Lunar New Year’s Eve Fireworks is a great celebration.

Which is the way I remember it. We watched the Tet Celebration for 1970 from the top of Hill 327 looking over DaNang and south to Chu Lai.  You could see many tracer rounds fired up from positions up and down the coast, with multiple explosions. Very impressive. The rounds were going up, mostly. They just don't make fireworks celebrations like they did back in the good old days.

https://chinesenewyearblog.com/danang-lunar-new-year/

Click to read the article and view more photos:

https://pierretrowbridge.com/celebrating-tet-new-years-in-vietnam/?doing_wp_cron=1609438817.9648399353027343750000

This time-lapse photo shows a Douglas AC-47 "Spooky" at work on the outskirts of Saigon. The sheet of red raining down from the night sky represents only one of every five bullets fired from the gunship’s miniguns. (U.S. Air Force)

https://www.historynet.com/strange-gunship-operations-in-the-vietnam-war.htm

The New Years celebration in Vietnam in 2021 is much nicer and better than the ones during the Vietnam War.

Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men (and Women)