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November 07, 2008, 0:00 p.m. America lost one of its truly great heroes over the weekend. Col. John Ripley, United States Marine Corps (Ret.), a veteran of the Vietnam War, died in Annapolis at age 69. Unfortunately, this hero’s name is far less well-known than that of William Calley of My Lai fame.
We Marines love our heroes, and we all know their names: Dan Daley, Smedley Butler, John Basilone, etc. But among those who populate this select pantheon, none surpasses John Ripley and the legend of “Ripley at the Bridge.” John graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1962, receiving a commission in the Marine Corps. In October of 1966, he assumed command of “Lima” Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in Vietnam. During this tour he was wounded in action and awarded the Silver Star medal for valor. Aided by a U.S. Army officer, Maj. James Smock, John set up the explosives. He had to expose himself to enemy fire while swinging hand over hand along the bridge’s girder, with heavy loads of explosives slung over his shoulders. The odds against success seemed insurmountable. As John observed later, “the idea that I would be able to even finish the job before the enemy got me was ludicrous.” However, “when you know you're not going to make it, a wonderful thing happens: You stop being cluttered by the feeling that you're going to save your butt.” But John never lost his sense of humor. In his report, he observed:
According to John Miller, the author of The Bridge at Dong Ha, which details the battle and John’s actions, “a lot of people think South Vietnam would have gone under in '72 had he not stopped them” by destroying the bridge. No one has described John’s actions better than my friend, Gerry Turley, the senior Marine adviser during the Easter Offensive in his book of the same name. John’s actions constituted “an epic example of fortitude, extraordinary bravery and personal resolve to defeat the enemy by fulfilling the last order, even if it means losing [one’s own life].” For his actions at the Dong Ha Bridge, John was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for valor. On Saturday, November 8, I will join Marines throughout the globe to celebrate the 233rd birthday of the Corps. It has become a tradition to set a table with an empty chair to honor those Marines who are absent. I and many others will be thinking of John Ripley on this occasion. Semper Fidelis, my friend. — Mackubin Thomas Owens is a professor at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. He served 30 years in the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve, including service in Vietnam as an infantry platoon commander in 1968-69. He is the editor of Orbis. |
