One Good Deal After Another (continued)
A Marine Prayer
by Captain John C. Cregan
Echo Company, BLT 2/26
"We moved on to new challenges, each one of us wounded in different ways, deeply aware that you had given us all the opportunity to be better men."
Let us pray. Almighty God, we reflected over these months and years on the battle of LZ Margo and how we were all tried by fire long ago in a crucible of suffering and loss.
We remember especially our brothers whose young lives came to such an abrupt end during those desperate days. We once again commend them to your loving care for all eternity and pray for the continued consolation of their families.
As the blood of our brothers flowed on the slopes of LZ Margo so too did courage and strength and the highest values of our Corps shone brightly in those dark moments. As we reflect, we are reminded of the unbreakable bond of brotherhood that you forged in our hearts, a bond so enduring and powerful that only a Marine can fully comprehend it.
We moved on to new challenges, each one of us wounded in different ways, deeply aware that you had given us all the opportunity to be better men.
With hearts filled with thanksgiving for your gift of life, we again face an uncertain future, realizing more than ever that our country needs us to stand with conviction for all that is good and just and true. We turn to you again and implore you to fill us with your wisdom and the dedication to work always for the common good of all people. As we seek your will in all things, keep us always faithful.
May we always strive to be better men and to use each precious moment of life for your greater honor and glory. May we continue to give and not to count the cost. Increase our faith and make us always strong and constant in our hope. As we go forward, we turn to you the source of life and love and ask you to bless our every endeavor.
God bless each one of us. God bless our Corps and our country. We ask this all in your name for you are Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Monsignor John Cregan retired from the Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel and then began another life of service. In this photo he gives a message of remembrance on the 50th anniversary of the battle of LZ Margo. Photo by Brian Cylkowski.
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Editors note: Captain John Cregan was skipper of Echo Company, the last unit to climb LZ Margo's rocky slopes before North Vietnamese mortars raked the exposed Marines. His company was shredded and his life was changed forever.
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Determined to continue and strengthen a life of service after retiring from the Marines as a lieutenant colonel, he began a new vocation in 1987 as a Catholic priest.
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More than three decades later, Monsignor Cregan continues to serve, bringing comfort and perspective to his brothers from long-ago times when he, and we, were young and living on a knife's edge.
