Courage

Courage. Enduring for One Moment More. TBS 1-68: Who We Were , . Our class of 220 volunteers, ages 21 to 28, reported to TBS in mid 1967. , . We fully understood our service would be shaped by the war then raging throughout Vietnam. , . We hailed from 39 states and had attended 79 different colleges, academies and universities. Some of us held advanced degrees. , . Our classes were shortened to 20 weeks because we were urgently needed in Vietnam to replace the casualties suffered by our brother officers. , . We earned a full range of MOS's. 69 of us served as infantry officers., TBS 1-68: What We Did , Almost all of us served in Vietnam. The majority during and just after the infamous 1968 Tet Offensive. We were a part of the heaviest and most costly combat of that war., We lost 15 KIA and 11 medically retired. Many more of us were injured during combat in Vietnam with some wounds not fully documented due to the chaos and confusion of intense combat. After our Vietnam service, many of us still suffer from the effects of Agent Orange along with other injuries and wounds that continue to cripple and kill., Medals awarded can never be the full or accurate measure of combat effectiveness and heroic actions, especially during the friction of heavy combat. We have documented being awarded at least 15 Silver Stars, 22 Bronze Stars 8 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 87 Purple Hearts. Many of us wear Air Medals, Navy Commendation Medals, Combat Action Ribbons and numerous high level Vietnamese citations., After we fulfilled our service commitments, the majority of us returned to civilian life., Some of us chose to dedicate more to our Corps . Those who continued to serve became 3 General Officers (including an ACMC), 20 Colonels, 35 Lt Colonels and 11 Majors., We remain unequivocally proud of our service to our Corps and to our great nation. With this gift to you, who are the future of our Corps, we honor the sacrifices of our fallen and the courage of all who have served., We trust you to carry forward this shared legacy. , Semper Fidelis. , TBS 1-68: What We Learned , . We once stood where you stand. , . With this Courage Monument, we share with you some of the lessons learned in the chaos that is combat. , . You will need personal courage while enduring paralyzing fear to lead and instill courage in others. , . You can grow your courage by repeatedly achieving today what you could not possibly do before. , . Courage is like a muscle. It gets stronger with every challenge. , . Study your military trade well. At TBS and after. Like us, within weeks of graduation, you may need it in the crucible of combat.