Farewell Captain!
by Dave Gibson, Columnist
December 4, 2003
On November 19, 2003, this nation bid farewell to a great man, his name was
Capt. Martin D. Greenwell USN (ret.) and I had the privilege of calling him
my friend. Captain Greenwell served his country well during WWII, the Korean
War, and as one of this America's most ardent "cold warriors".
I came to know Martin Greenwell as my neighbor, when I was about 12 years old my parents bought the house next-door. As the years went by and I grew into a young man, I would sit and listen intently to the Captain's accounts of his military career...One would think he was reading from a Tom Clancy novel, but the stories were real and so was he.
His naval career spanned 33 years, during that time he received the American Defense Medal, the Pacific/Asian Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the China Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal (5 stars), and two Navy Commendations. He even has a glacier named after him!
He flew rescue squadrons in the Pacific, during WWII; participated in the Inchon Invasion, during the Korean War: and became commanding officer of VX-6 Squadron for the U.S. Navy's "Operation Deep Freeze", in Antarctica. He also headed up the war plans group for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and served as U.S. Navy representative to NATO forces in Iceland. Despite such lofty credentials, Capt. Greenwell always had time for a friend and remained a humble hero.
He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. As the raindrops fell, the band fell silent, and a lone bugler played "Taps" against a gray November sky. My eyes drifted between the solemn-faced young men who were carefully and precisely folding the flag which draped his coffin and the tombstones which surrounded his grave. As I read the names of the men and the wars in which they had given so much, I was overwhelmed and humbled by the very ground on which I stood. As the Captain's flag was handed to his grieving niece, my eyes welled with tears. I was overcome with emotion not just by the sadness of a lost friend, but because I knew that he was safe and will forever be surrounded by heroes.
I am richer for having known him, he was the model of an officer and a gentleman. He will be sorely missed, though his presence will forever remain. Farewell Captain...Farewell. ***
© 2003 Dave Gibson
COPYRIGHT © 2003 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.