Talk:William J. Bordelon/@comment-74.124.44.27-20160831194807/@comment-24.242.171.234-20190917201654

I can believe the presenter started crying while speaking of Tarawa. William Bordelon was honored at a funeral Mass concelebrated by a bishop and 10 other priests, the presider being Father George Montague, younger brother of Charles Montague, who like Bordelon, was killed that morning on Tarawa, along with his best friend from Central Catholic High School, Gene Seng Jr. At the end of the Mass, the recessional was the Navy Hymn ("Eternal Father, Strong to Save"), and the last stanza was about the Marine Corps. I looked back at two retired Marine Corps general officers who were present, and both were brushing back tears. Bill Bordelon's cumulative grade on fitness reports for 22 months in the Marine Corps was 4.89 out of a possible 5.0. A classmate in high school said he expected to be reading about Bill someday. I asked if he had expected him to die a war hero. He said, "No. I expected him to become a four-star general and maybe Commandant of the Marine Corps." Ironically, the one Medal of Honor recipient for the Tarawa battle, Colonel David Monroe Shoup, who commanded the troops on the ground and was the only MOH recipient who survived the battle, DID become a four-star general and Commandant of the Marine Corps. J. Michael Parker