Since war came to the West on September 11, 2001, only a handful of Ephs have read these words. Are you among them?

My Home Is in the Valley Amid the Hills

Each morning I watch the sunlight drifting down through the pines, scattering the clouds from the mountain sides, driving the mists from the glens.

Each night I see the purple lights as they creep up the slopes of the Dome and the shadows as they fall on wood and stream.

My home is among young men — young men who dream dreams and see visions; young men who will carry my banner out into the world and make the world better because they have lived with me in my valley amid the hills.

Among my sons who have left me, some have caught the poet’s fire, and their words have touched men’s hearts and have bought cheer to a weary world.

…

And some, in answer to the call of country, have gone out to battle for the common rights of men against the enemy. Some of them will not return to me, for they have given all they had, and now they rest at the foot of a simple cross or lie deep below the waves. But even as they passed, the music of the chimes was in their ears and before their eyes were visions of the quiet walks beneath the elms

Whether apart in solitude or pressing along the crowded highways, all these who have breathed my spirit and touched my hand have played their parts for the better, for

I am ALMA MATER:
I am WILLIAMS.

This 1926 eulogy, written by Professor of Rhetoric Carroll Lewis Maxey, comes from page 136 of Williams College in the World War, a beautifully arranged remembrance of those Ephs who served in freedom’s cause during the Great War. To Williams students today, World War I is as far away as the War of 1812 was to the generation that Professor Maxey sought to inspire. What will the great-grandchildren of today’s Ephs think of us? What will they remember and what will they forget?

1st Lt Nate Krissoff ‘03, USMC died a year ago yesterday. Since that time, we have maintained a link at the upper right to our collection of related posts, as sad and inspiring as anything you will ever read at EphBlog. Yet, tomorrow, that link comes down. Time leaves behind the bravest of our Williams warriors and Nate’s sacrifice now passes from News to History, joining the roll call of honored heroes back to Colonel Ephraim Williams, who died in battle during the Bloody Morning Scout on September 8, 1755.

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1st Lt Nate Krissoff ‘03, USMC died a year ago today. National Public Radio covers the story of his father’s enlistment in the Navy Medical Corps. Listen to the audio. It includes a revealing reference to Karl Rove and closes with words to make every father cry. Entire article is below the break.

UPDATE: Former Marine Tony Fuller ‘89 sends this link. Read the whole thing.

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Dr. Bill Krissoff, father of 1st Lt Nate Krissoff ‘03, USMC, has joined the Navy.

Former East Grand Rapids resident Bill Krissoff never figured to be in a position to look President Bush in the eye and ask a favor.

But there he was, sitting in a room in Reno with Bush and several other families who had lost soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.

His son, Marine Lt. Nathan Krissoff, had been killed in a December 2006 roadside bomb explosion in Iraq.

Months later, Krissoff came to a carefully considered decision: He would honor his son by leaving a flourishing orthopedic practice, a comfortable life, to join the Navy as a combat surgeon.

But his application for an age waiver was mired in paperwork.

Bush went around the room and asked if there was anything he could do.

“I said, ‘Yah, there is one thing. I want to join the Navy medical corps and I gotta get some help here,’” recalled Krissoff, 61, a 1964 graduate of East Grand Rapids High School who now resides in California near Reno.

Three days after that August meeting, the Navy called. His waiver had been granted.

Krissoff was commissioned a lieutenant commander Nov. 18, after which he expects to attend officer development school in January. Attached to the 4th Medical Battalion, he is on course to join a combat surgical team. He hopes to serve in Iraq.

Krissoff and his wife also appeared on a CBS Morning segment. CBS News picked up the story from People magazine. A scan of the article is below. The Krissoff’s other son is also a Marine officer.

His wife, Christine, 56, has made peace with his choice as well. But it doesn’t mean she won’t miss her husband.

“I am not fine with the amount of time he’s gone. But none of the wives of the military people who serve are going to be fine with it.

“That’s just part of the deal.”

His mother, East Grand Rapids resident Sylvia Krissoff, 88, said she was “shocked” when she learned what he planned to do.

Then it started to make sense.

“I think, for him, it really is great. It’s really an extension of his love for Nate and, in some ways, carrying on for what Nate would have done.

“Nate would have been so proud of him.”

As are we all. As the Marines he saves will soon start addressing him, “Welcome aboard, Doc.”

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From a reader:

The Ephmen of Williams Swimming and Diving dedicated their 2007 championship season to Nate when they proudly wore their conference shirts emblazoned with the simple words on the back: “Semper Athlete.” (”Semper,” obviously for the Marines, and “Athlete,” one of his favorite terms for any of his teammates.) Nate would be proud of “his boys”: each of the 24 Williams conference team members had a hand in dominating the NESCAC competition. By the time it was over, the Ephmen had scored 2,019.5 points — surpassing the tally of their nearest competitor, Amherst, by more than 50% (711.5 points).

Front picture below the fold. Previous posts here.

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First Lieutenant Nate Krissoff USMC ‘03 died in action exactly 6 months ago today. How many Ephs remember him? How many will remember him a year or ten from now? How many remember the sacrifices of Ephs like Myles Crosby Fox ‘40? Not enough.

But Ben Doob ‘02 will remember. He delivered this beautiful eulogy at Nate’s service. I was crying by the end.

Read the whole thing.

And remember.

A temporary bronze plaque honoring Nathan Krissoff ‘03 should be placed in Thompson Memorial Chapel in time for the June 10th Annual Alumni Memorial Service.

The traditional protocol, which the college is to be highly commended for following, is as follows:

Only Ephs who have fallen in battle get their names inside the Chapel sanctuary.

With the excpetion of Ephraim Williams himself, the following information is listed for each fallen Eph:

Name
Class Year
Place of Death
Date of Death

Nate’s temporary bronze plaque will read

Nathan M. Krissoff ‘03 Iraq December 9, 2006

{Ephraim Williams has the actual battle listed instead of the geographic location of his death, and, obviously, he has no Class Year.}

Facing the back of the Chapel, up on the left back wall is a large stone scroll with the names from the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The right back wall is currently empty.

Nathan’s bronze plaque will be placed on the right back wall. If other names need to be added, each will get his own plaque to be placed on the wall with Nathan’s. When all of the names are known, the plaques will be removed. A stone scroll to match the other wall will be put up, and the names permanently placed in the stone scroll. The temporary plaques will be given to the families.

There was a memorial paddle for Nate Krissoff last month.

On Dec. 24th there will be a memorial Paddle held on the Truckee River with a paddle on a class 2-3 section from East Verdi to Mayberry Park in west Reno. If you would care to join us in commerating Nathan’s life and love of the outdoors you are encouraged to meet at Mayberry Park at 9am and we will be putting in at below the Mogul Diversion Dam on the Old Lincoln Highway in East Verdi at 10am.

Flow on the Truckee River at this time is about 400 cfs and the water is COLD. Please dress appropriately, there will be food and drinks afterwards. PLEASE help us get the word out to any folks that you might think would care to join us.

Did any readers participate? Tell us about it.

A tribute to Nate Krissoff from Seth Borland ‘03, his swim team co-captain.

I still remember when Nate Krissoff ‘03 first called me “baby.” A few minutes earlier while scavenging the cheese selection at the “meet the president” party during First Days, another freshman swimmer introduced me to Nate. We had your typical get-to-know-you conversation, discussing our backgrounds, where we were from, and where we lived on campus.

He was from Reno, I was from Pittsburgh. He went to a prestigious west coast boarding school, I went to a small east coast private school. He lived in Fayerweather, I lived in Williams Hall. Though we had little in common we clicked, and for some reason I didn’t falter when he called me “baby.” It seemed natural, and without thinking too much about it, I also began using the word.

Rest below the break.

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From a reader:

It been a while since I first emailed you, but I’ve been meaning to write
for a while. I’d like to express my gratitude for your offering Ephblog as
a place to remember Nate Krissoff, and to share stories and pictures. I
hope you have heard this from many other people, but I’d like to say thank
you as well. At his services, a number of people I spoke with mentioned the
site, the things written there, and how much they appreciated it. Somehow
the more I see and read the more it helps, and I think a lot of Nate’s
friends feel the same way. Any way to keep his memory alive and to honor him helps ease the pain. Thanks for all you have done.

I never had the honor of knowing Nate, but I knew many Marines like him, Marines who would unthinkingly lay down their lives so that my daughters might live safely through the darkness of this long war. By helping keep Nate’s memory alive, I thank both him and all our other warriors for their sacrifices and service.

And so I ask again for more memories of Nate. With each passing day, those memories grow ever dimmer. Share them with us. Did you have a class with Nate, live in the same dorm, swim with him for Williams, spend time with him in the snack bar? If so, tell us about it. However brief and unimportant the interaction might seem to you, Nate’s close friends and family will appreciate, in the decades to come, recalling every time that Nate touched another’s life, both at Williams and elsewhere.

Thanks to Todd Gamblin ‘02 for suggesting that we add a link to all posts which refer to 1st Lt Nate Krissoff, USMC ‘03. We have added the link, which retrieves every relevant post. The link will stay until the Williams Memorial for Krissoff. I believe that this is scheduled for January, but I don’t have further details.

Those interested in the outlook of Marines like Krissoff during the holiday season may enjoy “A Soldier’s Christmas,” reprinted below.

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More coverage of the funeral of 1st Lt Nate Krissoff ‘03, USMC.

When terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, former Reno resident Nathan Krissoff put his life on hold to protect his nation.

A Truckee native, Krissoff died Dec. 9 from wounds sustained in a roadside bombing in Iraq’s Anbar province. The first lieutenant was 25 and a Williams College graduate who put his international affairs career on hold to join the military.

“He would not and could not stand idly by,” Marine Corps Capt. Michael Dubrule said Saturday during a memorial service for Krissoff in Reno. “The Marine Corps was a place where Nate could give back to his country and make a difference. Nate did make a difference.”

The standing-room only crowd filled Nightingale Concert Hall on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, where Krissoff was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart. The 90-minute service included “God Bless America,” the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and the Jewish mourners’ kaddish — a solemn prayer. Law enforcement motorcycles escorted the hearse carrying the flag-draped coffin to Mountain View Cemetery.

During the memorial at UNR, Krissoff was remembered as a charismatic leader and a “modern-day knight” dedicated to protecting the Constitution. The names of presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower were mentioned in remembering Krissoff.

After college and while working in Washington, D.C., Krissoff interviewed with the CIA but was told by the agency he was “too young,” says a memorial service program handed out Saturday. “… Being deeply affected by the events of 9/11, he decided that he wanted work on the front line in the Global War on Terror.”

Commissioned as a second lieutenant in August 2004, Krissoff was with the 3rd Marine Division, where he served as a counterintelligence officer. And Gov.-elect Jim Gibbons noted to mourners Saturday that Krissoff was sent to Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Acting on intelligence not long before his death, Krissoff helped save the life of an older Iraqi man from insurgents, Gibbons said. Stories like this from Iraq “rarely” make it into the mainstream media, said Gibbons, a combat pilot in the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.

The Marines credit Krissoff with coming up with “pinpoint intelligence” information against “an enemy that hides behind civilians.”

This resulted from fact-gathering “up close and personal and often in the most dangerous places,” said Dubrule, the Marine captain who read comments from soldiers serving with Krissoff.

“Nate knew the danger, and he stepped in readily. His efforts helped save the lives of Marines, sailors, soldiers and innocent Iraqis.”

Krissoff was the son of Dr. and Mrs. William Krissoff and attended Roy Gomm Elementary School and Darrell Swope Middle School in Reno. He later attended Stevenson prep school in Pebble Beach, Calif., where he was a standout athlete.

He graduated from Williams in Massachusetts, where he earned a political science degree and was captain of the men’s swim team. He landed a job with an international studies institute in Washington before joining the Marines.

“I think the thing that is most telling about his character is the fact that this is a young man with a whole lot of options available to him, and he wasn’t looking to learn a trade or a skill,” Dubrule said after the memorial. “He wanted to serve and give back to his country. That should be pointed out whenever you talk about Nathan Krissoff — that he was there for the right reasons.”

Condolences to all.

Todd Gamblin ‘02 writes:

We are also planning to make him a shadowbox with a folded flag, all of his medals, his Williams swimming and polo caps, a plaque, and other mementos.

The news report is accurate, and the concert hall was standing room only. The procession to Mountain View mortuary was also incredibly packed. As Nate’s father said to me, the overwhelming response is entirely due to Nate, and I think the number of people who came to his service does him more justice than anything I could say here. A remarkable number of swimmers (including myself) made it out on short notice. To give you an idea, one swimmer came all the way from China to see Nate. Two others, after missing the last flight out of New York on the 22nd, took a late flight to Sacramento and drove the rest of the way overnight.

The Krissoffs were heroically composed during the services, and don’t ask me how, but they knew everyone by face. They recognized me even though I don’t believe we ever met while I was at Williams. I hope that the overwhelming support made them at least somewhat happier in
knowing what kind of son they had. I was proud to be there to help
with what I think was the best send off we could have given Nate, and
it was totally deserved.

Other comments welcome.

AP coverage of the funeral for Nate Krissoff.

A former Reno man who suspended his career to enter the Marines after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was praised at his memorial service as a “modern-day knight” who made a difference.

Nathan Krissoff, a native of Truckee, Calif., where his father is an orthopedic surgeon, died Dec. 9 from wounds received in a roadside bombing in Iraq’s Anbar province. The first lieutenant was a Williams College graduate who put his international affairs career on hold to join the military.

“He would not and could not stand idly by,” Marine Corps Capt. Michael Dubrule said Saturday during a memorial service for Krissoff in Reno. “The Marine Corps was a place where Nate could give back to his country and make a difference.”

…

The standing-room only crowd filled Nightingale Concert Hall on the University of Nevada, Reno campus Saturday, where Krissoff was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart. Law enforcement motorcycles escorted the hearse carrying the flag-draped coffin to Mountain View Cemetery.

I have been unable to locate any pictures from the event. Are any available? We would be happy to post them here.

During the 90-minute memorial, Krissoff was remembered as a charismatic leader and a “modern-day knight” dedicated to protecting the Constitution.

After college and while working in Washington, D.C., Krissoff interviewed with the CIA but was told by the agency he was too young.

Old editions of the Record are not on-line so I can’t easily document that, back in the day, campus radicals actively protested when the CIA came to campus to recruit. The lowlight of these activities came when these students performed a “citizen’s arrest” of the recruiter.

That all seems a long time ago.

Commissioned as a second lieutenant in August 2004, Krissoff was with the 3rd Marine Division, where he served as a counterintelligence officer.

Gov.-elect Jim Gibbons noted to mourners Saturday that Krissoff was sent to Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Acting on intelligence not long before his death, Krissoff helped save the life of an older Iraqi man from insurgents, Gibbons said.

See here for the full story.

Stories like this from Iraq rarely make it into the mainstream media, said Gibbons, a combat pilot in Vietnam and both Persian Gulf wars.

The Marines credit Krissoff with coming up with pinpoint intelligence information against “an enemy that hides behind civilians.”

This resulted from fact-gathering “up close and personal and often in the most dangerous places,” said Dubrule, the Marine captain who read comments from soldiers serving with Krissoff.

Are those comments available anywhere? Many Ephs who could not make the service would like to read them.

“Nate knew the danger, and he stepped in readily. His efforts helped save the lives of Marines, sailors, soldiers and innocent Iraqis.”

Krissoff was the son of Dr. and Mrs. William Krissoff and attended elementary and middle school in Reno and Stevenson prep school in Pebble Beach, Calif.

He graduated from Williams in Massachusetts, where he earned a political science degree and was captain of the men’s swim team. He took a job with an international studies institute in Washington before joining the Marines.

“I think the thing that is most telling about his character is the fact that this is a young man with a whole lot of options available to him, and he wasn’t looking to learn a trade or a skill,” Dubrule said after the memorial.

“He wanted to serve and give back to his country. That should be pointed out whenever you talk about Nathan Krissoff - that he was there for the right reasons.”

Indeed. If any EphBlog readers were at the funeral, we would appreciate knowing your thoughts on the service.

A picture of Nate Krissoff and the man he helped rescue.

1st Lt Ballard provides the background.

As we’re still prosecuting targets related to this particular raid, there are a lot of specifics I can’t get into.

Several groups have the habit of kidnapping individuals with the intent of influencing tribal/religious/political groups. Others do it for revenge. Our hostage was abducted for the second reason. Like thousands of other Iraqis, He had accepted compensation from Coalition Forces for damages to his home that were incurred during the second battle of Fallujah. Unfortunately for him, the bad guys found out about it.

We had reliable intelligence leading us to specific residences. In one of these residences we found four males. As our orders were to detain all military aged males (MAMs) on sight. As Nate began the on scene interrogation, one of those MAMs showed significant signs of torture and deprivation.

Long story short, the other three MAMs had kidnapped the first MAM several days earlier. His decapitation was scheduled to be videotaped later that same morning.

Nate’s skills were crucial during the process. The intelligence/evidence that Nate obtained were critical to insuring the effective legal prosecution of the other 3 detainees. It also lead us to finding several weapons caches utilized by this same “bad-guy” group.

If the war in Iraq is ever to be won, it will be done so via one helped Iraqi at a time.

1st Lt Dan Ballard, USMC, has kindly shared some picture of Nate with us. We will be posting them over the next few days. This is Nate outside their command post in Fallujah.

The sign features the motto for Marine Reconnaissance Battalions: “Swift, Silent, Deadly.”

The Transcript obituary for Nate Krissoff covers familiar ground.

Krissoff graduated from Williams in 2003. He majored in political science and was the captain of the swim team in his senior year. He also played on the water polo team and was an accomplished whitewater kayaker.

“He was a laid-back, happy kid who really seemed to have things in good balance,” Williams swim team coach Steven Kuster said Tuesday. “I pictured him over there feeling like he was really doing what his calling was.”

Indeed.

Also, kudos to the College for providing Nate’s rank and service on its homepage link and for flying the flag at half-past for two days. These are thoughtful gestures, generously offered.

I didn’t see David’s specific request for a picture so I didn’t take his picture with the mountains and lawn; I took a picture that tells a slightly different story.

From the College:

Campus Flags at Half Staff

The College flag will fly at half-staff this Thursday and Friday in memory of Nathan Krissoff ‘03, USMC, who died last weekend while on active duty in Iraq. Information is available at http://www.williams.edu/home/focus/krissoff/

from Beatrice M Miles, Facilities

Kudos to the College for this thoughtful gesture. I don’t know if there are enough people who knew Nate still on campus to make it worthwhile to have a brief gathering by the flag today or tomorrow. The College will almost certainly be organizing a full scale memorial service for Nate in 2007, the better to allow time for his family to be present. But, in the meantime, it still might be nice, especially given the warm weather, to gather tomorrow and say a few words. Perhaps someone will mention this to Chaplain Rick Spalding.

Request: Could someone please take a picture of the flag at half-mast, maybe from somewhere around West to capture the full sweep of the lawn and the mountains beyond? We would like to post this picture for all the Ephs away from campus.

Service details from the family of 1stLt Nate Krissoff ‘03, killed in action in Iraq last week. (Related posts here.)

Thanks to everyone for their love and support during this difficult time.

To commemorate Nathan’s life, a formal service will be held at Nightingale Concert Hall, University of Nevada Reno, the 23rd of December 2006 at 10 am. Graveside military honors will follow at the Mountain View Cemetery. A reception will be held afterward at the Hidden Valley Country Club.

We have reserved 13 double rooms for the 22nd and 23rd at the Peppermill, to be confirmed shortly, for Marines and guests coming from the Stevenson, Middlebury, Williams and DC communities. Since attendance is encouraged, travel reimbursements will be arranged as needed.

If coming earlier or staying later, or not included in the above groups, reserve a room as soon as possible at the following recommended locations:

1) The Peppermill Hotel Casino (800) 648-6992
2) The Atlantis (800) 723-6500
3) The Grand Sierra Hotel (800) 648-5080

Sincerely,

The Krissoff Family
4325 Caughlin Parkway
Reno, NV 89509

More details below.

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An article about Nate Krissoff’s ‘03 time in high school (hat tip: WSO).

Most things came easily to Nathan Krissoff.

He was an accomplished student, athlete and musician, said his friends, who attributed his successes to his tremendous focus and discipline.

Krissoff, a 1999 Stevenson graduate and first lieutenant in the Marine Corps, died Saturday in Iraq’s Al-Anbar province while serving as a counterintelligence officer. He was 25.

His death was caused by an improvised explosive device, or IED, his family said. The Department of Defense has not officially stated Krissoff’s involvement when he was killed.

IEDs are the unexpected weapons of this war. Want to better understand what Marines are facing? Start with Michael Yon, the best war reporter of his generation.

A boarding student while attending Stevenson, Krissoff’s family lives in Reno, Nev., and has a house in Carmel. While at Stevenson he competed in water polo and swimming, earning all-league honors and serving as captain of the swim team.

“He was a very special kid in many ways, not just intellectually, but musically, athletically and in his involvement in the community,” said Rob Klevan, who coached Krissoff and directed him in the Stevenson orchestra. “He was just one of those gems… I’ve been teaching a long time, and he stands out.”

Stevenson is flying its American flag at half staff in honor of Krissoff.

Does Williams still fly an American flag in front of Baxter/Paresky? If so, the College should also put the flag at half mast, at least until the funeral.

Peter Jamison, a high school friend, remembered Krissoff as a hard worker with a lighter side.

“Nate had a really quirky, dry sense of humor that I really appreciated,” said Jamison, who now lives in Vermont. “He was very focused on things he did. He was an extremely disciplined person, but not in a way that came off as uptight. He always seemed relaxed.”

Jim Fannin, Krissoff’s junior varsity water polo coach at Stevenson who remained close to him, described Krissoff as a hard worker, a stand-up citizen and a community leader.

“He always had a great attitude,” said Fannin. “He was not a guy you ever really saw down.”

A member of the U.S. Junior National Kayak team, Krissoff went on to earn a degree in International Affairs from Williams College in Massachusetts, where he competed on the swim team, then spent a year living in Europe before joining the Marines in 2004. He was deployed to Iraq in September with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion.

Over time, we will be gathering more information about Nate’s service. Marines in reconnaissance battalions, called “Recon Marines,” are the elite within the elite. One Bullet Away by Dartmouth graduate Nathaniel Flick describes Recon well.

The Krissoff family released a statement that said the Marines “were his first priority… He was a tremendously loyal son, brother and American who made the ultimate sacrifice for the defense of his country.”

The funeral is planned for Monday in Reno.

More details as we get them.

The Williams hompage is now reporting the news on Nate Krissoff’s death. The link reads “Nate Krissoff ‘03 killed in Iraq”. Although this is a small point, better that it were “1STLT Krissoff, USMC ‘03 KIA”. Every Marine killed in action wants his branch of service made clear. Krissoff’s identity as a Marine is more important than the particular country in which he died. His rank should be included as well.

This may seem a quibble. Certainly the needs of the College, in terms of identifying Nate’s class, are important. The webpage design limits the number of characters available. Yet there is no doubt in my mind that Nate would want the four letters “USMC” included somehow.

I will make this suggestion to the College. Will they listen?

A statement from the family of Nate Krissoff ‘03.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our eldest son, 1st Lt. Nathan M. Krissoff USMC. Commissioned in June 2004, Lt. Krissoff deployed with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion in Okinawa, Japan in September, 2006. Lieutenant Krissoff was the battalion’s counterintelligence officer. He routinely took part in patrols throughout al-Anbar Province. During his deployment, we were able to speak to him frequently by satellite phone. In every conversation, it was apparent that his Marines were his first priority. He consistently and courageously led them from the front. Through good and bad, he reminded us that the media could not possibly capture the complete picture — the heroism he witnessed among his Marines nor the satisfaction and pride they shared in protecting and defending civilians to create a more stable Iraq. His commitment to his family, the Corps and his country never wavered. He was a tremendously loyal son, brother and American who made the ultimate sacrifice for the defense of his country.

Please send all questions or emails to Austin Krissoff at akrissoff _at_ hotmail dot com. Services will be held the week of the 18th, to be confirmed at a later date. A contact list is being made.

Condolences to all.

How many of us noticed this news item from Iraq?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20061209-10

Dec. 9, 2006

Marine killed in Al Anbar

Multi-National Corps - West PAO

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - One Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died today from wounds sustained due to enemy action while operating in Al Anbar Province.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.

There is no reason for any Eph to have read this particular story, to have given a thought to this specific Marine, another warrior fallen in a long and bloody conflict, a nameless soldier who will never see another sunset, who will not celebrate another Christmas.

Recall the poem engraved inside the war memorial atop Mt. Greylock.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

That young Marine is now among the honored dead, having given his life so that my young daughters might sleep safely in their beds tonight.

Yet others are ready to take up the torch thrown by that Marine. How many of our readers know that two Williams seniors will be commissioned as officers in the Marine Corps this spring, will take their place as leaders in the most storied fighting force of the last 100 years? Perhaps they will swear their oaths as Jonathon Dailey ‘91 did 16 years ago, in Chapin Library, in front of an original copy of the Constitution. Repeat after me.

I, David Kane, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.

These words, whether uttered by me or Jon Dailey ‘91 or Preston Parrish ‘41 or Myles Crosby Fox ‘40, link soldiers across the generations, back to Colonel Ephraim Williams and beyond. The wording changes but the solemn pledge to honor, duty and sacrifice — to serve a cause larger than yourself — remains constant.

And, if these Marines do swear their oaths at Williams on graduation weekend, perhaps the College will record the event, will take a picture to mark the occasion. Perhaps the College will place that photograph on the cover of the Alumni Review, as it did with Dailey’s.

But if Williams does honor these new Marines, will Professor Mark Taylor complain as he did about the photograph of Dailey? Will he insist that the College is wrong to glorify military service, that a picture of a Marine Corps commissioning ceremony — even if it features an Eph, even if it occurs at Williams — has no place in a College publication?

Perhaps. And if not him, then some other faculty member, if not publicly, then privately. The depth of antagonism among a certain segment of the professoriate against all things military is hard to appreciate unless you have experienced it firsthand.

When I first argued against Taylor about this a decade ago, the issue of military service and risk was mostly theoretical. The end of history was upon us and the notion that military Ephs might be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice was faintly ridiculous. But times have changed.

That Marine who died in Iraq, unnoticed by all of us amidst the hectic bustle of our overflowing lives, was an Eph (not an Eph who appears here or anywhere in EphBlog). He gave his life for us, for our families and our future, for our very freedom. What does Mark Taylor now think about what belongs and does not belong on the cover of the Alumni Review? Kipling said it best:

You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.

For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country,” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
But Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

Indeed he does. Kipling’s Tommy captures the essential tension between the military and the wider society which it serves and protects. The argument between Mark Taylor and the Marines of Williams is one small example of that conflict, a dispute made all the more poignant when Death calls in a marker.

It has been 30 years since an Eph gave his life in the service of his country. May the next such sacrifice by decades away as well.

Condolences to all.

How can members of the Williams community best remember First Lieutenant Nathan Krissoff ‘03, USMC, killed in action in Iraq on December 9, 2006? I recommend writing down memories of Nate. Details below. (Related posts available here.)

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