MCB HAWAII -- Wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of his brother, Darryl Malone stood with families gathered to honor the fallen of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Tuesday.
His brother Lance Cpl. John Malone was one of 10 service members killed during the unit’s 2009 deployment to Afghanistan. Darryl Malone and his mother attended the ceremony wearing buttons and a homemade shirt with the fallen machine gunner’s photo.
“Everybody knows he was a great man,” said Darryl Malone. “He was a peacemaker. He couldn’t wait to come home, but he knew he was out there for a good cause. He knew the risks that he might not come back.”
Families attended the ceremony at the Pacific War Memorial following a memorial service sponsored by 2/3 at Hangar 101.
It was important to the unit to invite family members to spend time in Hawaii, said Maj. Rafael Candelario, executive officer, 2/3.
“It’s an opportunity for [family and friends] to come out here and hear from their son’s, husband’s or brother’s co-workers about how [their loved one] performed their duties in combat,” Candelario said. “We can’t replace their son, brother or husband, but we did love them. This is a way for us to honor them when we could not all be there at home to honor them.”
At the Pacific War Memorial, representatives from the unit presented family members with an individual brick identical to the one at the memorial and a glass globe. Mark Ellinger, whose son serves with the Island Warriors, made the globes especially for the families. It features an Operation Enduring Freedom coin and a replica dog tag swirled in red, white and blue glass.
Velma Torres, whose son, Cpl. Christian GuzmanRivera, died August 2009, said having these memorials for those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice is important.
“It makes you feel good that he’s honored,” Torres said. “Simply knowing he’ll be in U.S. history forever like this is good. More people will be born and more people will die, but his place in history is here.”
What was shared aboard MCB Hawaii is just one of several ways she is grateful how her son will be remembered. In her son’s hometown of Homestead, Fla., he was posthumously named an honorary firefighter by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department for his dream of one day joining their ranks. A Library of Congress exhibit will also feature interviews with GuzmanRivera’s colleagues and his personal effects.
Addressing families before the unveiling of bricks, Lt. Col. Patrick Cashman, commanding officer, 2/3, said friends and family of the fallen carry on as everlasting memorials. He and Candelario agree the fallen had short, but important lives.
“There’s never a time where the Marines who lost their buddies will forget [them] at all,” Candelario said. “This is a formal way to recognize the sacrifice they made for us. They were out there and they had our back. We counted on them.”
Seeing the memorial and having the support of the battalion was wonderful, said Bill Badger, whose son Lance Cpl. Travis Babine, was one of the fallen. Feeling the welcoming aloha spirit of the unit was a great comfort, Badger said. Receiving the glass globe and brick was unexpected. He said the tokens would go in a place of honor for his son.
Badger, who served in the Army for 25 years, said his son gave his life doing exactly what he wanted to do.
“He didn’t have any other dreams or aspirations before being a Marine,” he said. “He wanted to be a rifleman and be the essence of what you think of when you think of the Marine Corps.”