25 MAY 2019 – A few members of the Johnston County Marine Corps League Carry-On Detachment 1236 visited 7 different cemeteries throughout the town of Clayton to pay respect to the fallen. Memorial Day = In Memory Of, honoring those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Detachment Members and a few of their offspring placed American Flags on the graves of Veterans from every branch of military service and placed pennies on their headstones as well. A coin left behind on the edge of a gravestone implies to family members and friends of the deceased that someone else has visited and left a token of commemoration while paying respect to their loved ones.
While visiting one particular cemetery off of Castleberry Rd., we unknowingly met and was introduced to a Marine Corps Veteran Leonard O’Neal that fought in the Vietnam War from 1966-1970 and he shared his amazing story of survival when he was severely injured from an explosion and how everyone was treated when they returned stateside. You can’t make this stuff up and it was divine intervention that Leonard was put into our path today as we showered him with love and support, laughed and listened to his story while sharing ours as Marines do. It also turned out that it was his families land and members of his family that were buried in the cemetery and Leonard was actually a first cousin to two of our Marine Corps League Detachment members, brothers John and Chester Whitley. Semper Fidelis!
