Sawgrass Country Club members and guests celebrate U.S. Marine Corps birthday, honor other veterans

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Over 170 people recently came together at Sawgrass Country Club to celebrate the 243rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps and to honor other service branches of the military following Veterans Day.

Held Nov. 14 at the Sawgrass Clubhouse following the Nov. 10 birthday, the event was organized by Ponte Vedra Beach resident Quang Pham, who spent 13 years in the Marine Corps, seven of which were on active duty as a CH-46 pilot in the Gulf and Somalia, and six of which were in the Reserve. Pham was also a refugee from Vietnam who left the country shortly after Saigon fell in 1975.

Pham explained that he established the event after attending similar functions in California and Pennsylvania and deciding something should be held locally.

“I said one year we’re going to do it here,” he said. “Last year was the first time we had the Marine Corps birthday. This is the second year. This is special for Sawgrass and all of us.”

The event kicked off with a toast and tribute to fallen comrades, with Pham stating, “They’ve been gone, but they’re still here with us.” Pham then toasted to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, before proposing a final toast to the Marine Corps. 

Pham then played several different service songs to recognize the veterans in attendance. As each song began, veterans from that respective branch stood and sang along. 

Subsequently, Pham cut a celebratory cake and offered the first piece to the event’s guest of honor, Col. Gerry Berry. Pham then presented the second piece to the oldest Marine in the room and the third piece to the youngest Marine, Private First Class Dominic Lockwood, a recent graduate of Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island and a Jacksonville native whose mother, Donna Parente, works at Sawgrass Country Club. 

Following the cutting of the cake, Pham introduced Berry, who was his executive officer at basic school in Quantico, Virginia. Berry served 25 years in the Marine Corps, with two tours in Vietnam, and worked a civilian career in aviation. 

Berry was a CH-46 helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps during the fall of Saigon in April 1975. He was tasked with evacuating U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin from the U.S. embassy, an order that proved to be more complicated than he expected. He flew more than 18 straight hours during Operation Frequent Wind.

Berry shared a few other war stories and then concluded the evening by reflecting on war and its impact on the U.S. He referenced the song, “War (What is it good for)” by Edwin Starr, and asserted that the basis of the song is not true. 

“War forged this great nation, the greatest nation ever,” he said, noting the positive outcomes of the Civil War ending slavery and World War I and II making the world safer, among other examples. “We should think about our history. We should think about our glory. We should think about 250 years of heroism by these young Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. We should salute them. We should embrace them.”