Theresa.......Thanks for sending me the story in the Free Lance Star about the miltary funeral of Pfc. Lance Philips and the escort duty of Lt. Col Mike Strobel of Quantico. Not many people are aware of the Marine Corps escort duty or the duties of the Marine designated as the Casualty Assistance Officer which is provided to Marines Killed in Action. For those who have carried out such duties, it is an experience that will never be forgotten... I had such an occasion, many times over while serving as Inspector/Instructor of the Marine Corps Amphibian Reserve Company in West Palm Beach, Florida, during the Vietnam War. I would like to tell you what happened on one of those escort duties and some circumstances that went along with being the assigned Casualty Assistance Officer...the Marine who is required to meet with the family, personally, and inform them what is known about the death of their Marine. . It is also Marine Corps policy to make calls on families wherein their Marine was wounded or missing. There were terrifying minutes when a family member saw me get out of the Marine Corps sedan, in my Dress Blues and head for their door. If I saw them looking at me or they were standing in the door, I would do all that I could to let them know I was not making the worse kind of a call...from the waving of my hands and arms to shouting "It's Ok..It"s Ok!!" It was on or about the 30th of April 1966, when I received a call from Headquarters Marine Corps concerning the death of First Lieutenant Lawrence B. Knuth, of Boynton Beach , Florida. The telephone call came in about 2:00 AM...as they usually did after midnight.. It was a difficult call for me to receive since I knew Larry Knuth from a tour on Okinawa wherein he and I had did some diving together. I remember him telling me about his "farm"in Florida..but the details were vaguely remembered. Boynton Beach is just south of West Palm Beach. At the time I made this notification, I was alone. Subsequently, I never went alone, taking a Marine driver and Navy Corpman with me. In one instance, a young wife went into labor and in other cases some family members fainted..or as expected... became hysterical...so having a corpsman with me was often help that I needed...but I learned this only through experiences....none of which were ever the same.. I also attempted to get a member of the clergy to go with me...but there were a lot of reasons that this was difficult to do...and it did not happen often enough... Although a clergyman would have provided some support to me, and later to the families.. it was my duty to make the notification and provide whatever information was known at that time...and eventually make known to the family...the government benefits to be provided..This was also a critical and difficult thing to do. The timing was all important but it had to be done...The best expectation would be to search out a close family member who could be talked to...wherein death benefits could be explained..and decisions could be made..the initial one being as to where the funeral would take place...another one was whether an escort was desired..Escorts were not automatic in those days..but the offer was always made. On many occasions, I sat in the Marine Corps sedan for hours waiting for an appropriate moment to arrived..and make the benefits known.. In the case of Larry Knuth I still have the notes surrounding his death.. Killed in Action while on patrol against the Viet Cong. Died of wounds from an unknown explosive device. Vicinity of Phu Loc. Eventually, the family would receive a letter from his Commanding Officer containing information and specific details of the death. This was also a difficult task and one that I did far too frequently when I assumed the duties as a Battalion Commanding Officer in Vietnam in1967 and 1968. However, and I think many Marines would agree, as difficult as these two tasks are, the most difficult one is knocking on the family's door.

When I arrived at the Knuth dairy farm on Knuth Road, I drove into a circular driveway and could see that the back door, probably the kitchen door, was open .I knocked on the screen door and soon a lady, who I thought was in her 70's arrived. This turned out to be Larry's mother. As I was explaining the circumstances of his death..and at a point when I paused, she said, "Oh my, you poor boy. Can I get you some ice tea?" It was a difficult moment for me to explain. .even now.... when I realized she was genuinely concerned about my welfare.. at a time when I was relating to her the most dreadful circumstances having to do with her son's death. She told me that her husband had died some years before, but could I notify her three sons? The dairy farm was no longer in operation so I drove of to a large gladiola farm in the Everglades where her oldest son was the manager. He took the notification extremely hard..leaning on the hood of my sedan, pounding his fists and crying out Larry's name.. When he settled down, he said he would go with me to the other brothers. On the way he told me that he and the next oldest brother had served in the Navy during the Korean War. . We went to a fire station in Boynton where his brother Warren was on duty. Then the three of us drove to the Palm Beach Junior College where the youngest brother, Stephen was a student. When we arrived at the farm, we all sat around the kitchen table where I went over the death benefits..which is a poor choice of words...for that necessary moment...Mrs. Knuth told me that Larry had extended his tour for three months ..to wait for his fiancee to graduate from college and then to get married.. He was due home in three weeks. Mrs. Knuth said she would like me to escort Larry home. I made arrangements to fly to Treasure Island near San Francisco...where, at this time in the war, all the remains for both Army and Marine Corps were processed. The mortuary at Treasure Island was nothing like the way returning service men and women are treated today. It was austere at best and the atmosphere was depressing. I met an Army Master Sergeant sitting at a desk and told him I was the escort for Lt. Knuth. Much to my dismay, he said half smiling, which part of him? It turned out that Larry was standing very close to a well when the booby trap exploded. The blast was large enough to simply blow him apart..so his remains were contained in four bags. I was taken to the casket which had not yet been sealed. It would be a closed casket funeral for obvious reasons. There was a set of Officers Dress Blues spread out over the remains. However, I was able to identify that it was Larry. Later that day, I met with a senior Army officer and asked that the Master Sergeant be replaced or that I would notify the Commandant of the Marine Corps concerning the lack of sensitivity of a person in such a position. I returned home and the funeral was held in the First Baptist Church in Boynton Beach..The church was overflowing since the Knuth family was so well known in Boynton Beach. I'll never forget the eulogy given by his minister..He started off by saying.."The nicest thing you can say about a Marine is..that he is good Marine. Larry Knuth is a good Marine." Through out his remarks he referred to Larry in the present tense and to this day, I have reiterated many times... that the best thing you say about another Marine is that he is a good Marine. Before the service was over, I was given the opportunity to make a few remarks on behalf of the Marine Corps. Larry was buried beside his father in the Palm Beach Memorial Park. Marines, both active and reserves..in Dress Blues performed the ceremony..including the rifle salute and the playing of Taps. When the flag was folded, I presented it to Mrs. Knuth..as coming from a grateful Marine Corps and a grateful Nation... I remained close friends with the Knuth family until I left for Vietnam in 1967. We frequently had cook outs of barbecued beef for which Myron, the oldest brother was famous. He had two sons the same age as my boys. ..And it was always a pleasant occasion. Just before I left for Vietnam, and on the occasion of one of these cookouts, the brothers asked me to go out into the backyard with them because they had something to tell me. It turned out that the night before the funeral they had gone to the funeral home and opened up the casket to make sure it was their brother. They wanted me to know that they had done that and that indeed it was their brother. I told them there was no need for them to feel guilty or upset because the funeral director had called me and told me that you wanted to do that..and I told him that I had no objections, if that was your desire. Several weeks after the funeral, we had a ceremony at the Marine Cops Reserve Training Center to present Larry's medals to the family..not the least of which was the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. The Mayor of Boynton Beach presented the family with a proclamation concerning Larry's sacrifice.

I know that there are few Marines who can adequately explain how it is to get the death notification across or provide the escort duty for a fallen Marine. Those of us who have performed this stressful duty know in our hearts how it will change the family's life from that day forward. There were no manuals at that time which explained how the casualty assistance would be performed or the death notification procedures were to carried out. There were proper details set forth in manuals explaining the procedures for the burial ceremony...but it is getting to that point where only the individual Marine must exercise his judgment, provide comfort to the family and to some how make it known how much the Marine Corps appreciates the sacrifice made by all of the family. The most satisfying moment in all these stressful events leading up to presenting of the flag is when a mother or father turns to the Casualty Assistance Officer and says, "I'm glad my son was a Marine."

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.

Semper Fi oxoxoxo Frank.