Above and Beyond the Call - Weathered Pine

Some Marines became legends because they won battles. Others became legends because, in the worst moment imaginable, they looked at the Marines beside them and made a decision: If somebody has to pay this price... Let it be me. “Above and Beyond the Call” is a Weathered Pine tribute to United States Marines who received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary acts of courage, sacrifice, and devotion to the Marines fighting beside them. Different wars. Different generations. Different battlefields. But again and again, the same story: They were fighting for the man on their left and on their right. THE MEDAL OF HONOR The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest military decoration for valor. For Marines, the medal is awarded in the name of Congress and presented for acts of extraordinary bravery that go far beyond what duty requires. Some recipients survived the actions that earned it. Others did not. And behind every citation is something more important than a medal: A moment when a Marine chose to act despite knowing exactly what it might cost. DANIEL DALY AND SMEDLEY BUTLER Long before World War II, two Marines established almost unbelievable records of valor. Daniel Daly received the Medal of Honor twice, first during the Boxer Rebellion in China and again during fighting in Haiti. Smedley Butler also received two Medals of Honor, for actions at Veracruz, Mexico, and Haiti. They belong to an extraordinarily small group of Americans ever awarded the Medal of Honor twice. Their generation helped build the reputation inherited by every Marine who followed. WORLD WAR II Then came a global war. John Basilone became a Marine Corps legend for his actions on Guadalcanal, fighting through overwhelming attacks and keeping desperately needed machine guns in action. He survived Guadalcanal, returned home a hero, then volunteered to go back to the war. He was killed on Iwo Jima. Joe Foss became one of the Corps' great fighter aces in the skies over the Pacific. David Shoup led Marines under devastating fire at Tarawa and later became Commandant of the Marine Corps. Hershel “Woody” Williams fought through Japanese defenses on Iwo Jima with a flamethrower while Marines around him provided covering fire. Their stories were different. The willingness to move toward danger was not. KOREA The Korean War produced another generation of Marines whose actions became part of Corps history. William Barber and his Marines held their position during the brutal fighting around the Chosin Reservoir despite overwhelming pressure and bitter cold. Marines including Charles Abrell, Eugene Obregon, William Windrich, and Robert Simanek demonstrated the same willingness to expose themselves to extraordinary danger for the Marines around them. Some carried wounded Marines. Some covered withdrawals. Some threw themselves between their brothers and death. VIETNAM Vietnam added more names. James Anderson Jr. Oscar Austin. Douglas Dickey. Robert Jenkins. John McGinty. Howard Lee. Marines who fought through ambushes, attacks, explosions, and overwhelming enemy fire. Again and again, Medal of Honor citations tell stories that ultimately come down to something remarkably simple: A Marine saw another Marine in danger and moved toward him. Decades later, John “Johnny” Canley would receive the Medal of Honor for extraordinary leadership and courage during the Battle of Hue City. A NEW GENERATION The uniform changed. The equipment changed. The battlefield changed. The choice didn't. In Iraq, Jason Dunham covered an enemy grenade with his helmet and body to protect the Marines around him. He later died from his wounds. In Afghanistan, Dakota Meyer repeatedly entered a deadly battle to reach American and Afghan forces trapped under intense fire. And Kyle Carpenter, seeing a grenade land near himself and another Marine, moved toward the danger rather than away from it. Different Marines. Different wars. Same instinct: Not him. Me. ABOVE AND BEYOND That's what this song is really about. Not medals. Not statues. Not becoming famous. It's about what a person does when there isn't time for a speech. When fear is real. When the bullets are real. When the grenade is real. When another Marine's life depends on what happens in the next few seconds. Some survived. Some never came home. But all of them left Marines behind who lived because someone else refused to stand still. Above and Beyond the Call honors them. And every name represents countless Marines, service members, and families whose sacrifices deserve to be remembered long after the battlefield grows quiet. For the Marines who went toward the fire. For the Marines who carried someone else out. For those who gave everything. And for those who spent the rest of their lives carrying the memory. If somebody has to pay this price... Let it be me. Semper Fidelis.