Photo By Staff Sgt. Bruno Bego | Navy Captains James J. Ware (left) and Gilbert Bigelow, two retired dental officers,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The music and laughter could be heard from outside the Marston Pavilion here as service members in their dress uniforms filed in.
Sailors and Marines from 2nd Dental Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group came together Aug. 18 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Navy’s Dental Corps.
After guests settled in their designated places, a four-man color guard marched the colors into plain site to start the ceremony. The battalion’s flag dipped as the national anthem echoed throughout the ball room.
Then Lt. Cmdr. John J. Neal, a dental officer with 2nd Dental Bn., took center stage to explain the history of the Dental Corps.
“The Dental Corps was established a century ago when dental issues were very common,” he said. “The Navy relied on civilian dentists or hospital corpsmen to treat dental emergencies before the Dental Corps was established on Aug. 22, 1912.”
At that time, Congress authorized the president to appoint and commission dental officers. The Dental Corps was then born, and they have served in every military campaign ever since.
Among the hundred or so guests were Navy Captains James J. Ware and Gilbert Bigelow, two retired dental officers who were both present for the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon.
“During that time, the only medical officers there were these two dental officers who without hesitation started assisting wounded troops,” said Navy Capt. Francisco R. Leal, the commanding officer of 2nd Dental Bn.
The attack in Beirut claimed the lives of 241 service members and injured 60 others – making the incident one of the Marine Corps’ most traumatic events since World War II.
“These two men have played an incredible role in the history of the Dental Corps,” Leal said.
As the ceremony continued, the two retired officers had the opportunity to speak to crowd. Ware offered the dental officers in attendance words of encouragement, and Bigelow, with tears in his eyes, thanked the service members for fighting for America’s freedom.
The battalion’s command presented Ware and Bigelow with a token of appreciation for their actions in Beirut and their attendance at the ball. The commanding officer gave each one a framed picture of the Beirut Memorial, which is located in Jacksonville, N.C.
The participants proceeded to partake in a banquet, which was set up in a separate room. There they enjoyed a vast variety of food, and then spent the rest of evening celebrating the annual occasion with friends and colleagues.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.24.2012 12:43 |
| Story ID: | 93756 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 538 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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