Zumwalt Will Return the Honor for Late Marine Who Escorted Remains

Military.com ^ | Aug 18, 2016 | James Zumwalt

[Freeport]

James Zumwalt is a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who served in the Vietnam war, the 1989 intervention into Panama and Operation Desert Storm. The son of the late Navy Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., he's also a best-selling author, speaker and business executive. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.

On Jan. 2, 2000, less than 48 hours into a new millennium, the U.S. Navy lost a 20th century hero and revered, visionary leader.

Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., 79, had succumbed to mesothelioma -- a lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure, incurred during his naval career. He died at Duke Hospital in Durham, North Carolina.

As a grieving family focused on making preparations for a funeral to be held Jan. 10, 2000, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Marine Col. Michael Spiro stepped forward to escort the remains home.

Spiro had served as Zumwalt's Marine aide, initially during the Vietnam war and later when the admiral was promoted to the Navy's top position as (the youngest ever) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in the summer of 1970.

Zumwalt had been most impressed with Spiro's professionalism and sense of duty. As CNO, the admiral was about to embark upon various programs that would shake up the naval service. He knew success turned on having a loyal staff in place to support his changes.

When Zumwalt asked Spiro to join him at the Pentagon, there was no hesitation on the colonel's part. Immediately accepting, Spiro knew by doing so, time spent working for Zumwalt's Navy was not time spent working in a Marine Corps billet to further his own career. Yet, driven by a sense of personal loyalty, Spiro answered the admiral's call. The two men developed a close friendship.

[5th MEB]

I remember it well, ratbastards even had cold beer machines in their shore billets.
As a Marine the only thing I ever gave the Navy credit for was the ride to a new duty station and their mess halls.
OOPS sorry, my bad.Their DINING HALLS.

[JoeFromSidney]

I spent several years in the Naval Reserve before joining Air Force ROTC at college (couldn't pass the NROTC eye exam). I spent most of my "Navy dressed"time in dungarees, chambray shirt, and white hat. I did have both the dark and the white uniforms, but rarely had the chance to wear them.

[Gaffer]

The only time I ever saw a beer machine in a transit barrack was at the Navy base in Keflavik, Iceland. I was there to help test out and assess the tropo link from there to the eastern HOFN site about 600 miles away where there was radar site to monitor Russian Bears coming in through the Bering sea (IIRC).

My team lost the toss and had to go to HOFN for two months. Our opposite team got to stay in HOFN with all the pretty Waves. :0)

[Gaffer]

I meant the other team got to stay in Kef with all the pretty waves. Only thing at HOFN were drunk lonely guys. :0(