The Marine Corps celebrated its 247th birthday on Thursday, marking more than two centuries of service and sacrifice.
ABC 10News reporter Madison Weil sat down with Jay Bibler, a Vietnam veteran who shared what being a Marine is all about.
“Well it’s obviously very special to us…being a Marine, representing the Marine Corps,” said Bibler.
Bibler spent more than 20 years of his life as a pilot in the Marines.
“It was a very special time. Not a good time but a special time and there are certain things you never forget,” said Bibler, showing 10News photos from his two tours in Vietnam.
While the snapshots are gently faded, the memories are as vivid and clear as ever.
“It’s always tough to lose a close friend,” he said.
Bibler recalls a day when their base was under attack.
“The force of the explosion came up to where we were…and once we stood up, you could feel that impact,” he said.
While he survived, one of his best friends did not.
“Dick Kerr was a special friend. You don’t really think about it happening to your friend…but it does.”
Bibler went on to fly a total of 564 combat missions. During one of those missions, his F-4 Phantom he was flying was gunned down.
“It was the Fourth of July 1968,” he said. "It wasn’t by another airplane…it was by a guy on the ground.”
Bibler and another officer on board had only moments to react.
“I told him to eject and I ejected after he did and the airplane flew off,” he said.
Miraculously both survived.
Bibler received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for valor in combat.
“Those are the two most important ones to me,” he said.
But if you ask Bibler what he’s most proud of at the end of the day? Simply: “Being a Marine. Being an honest, good Marine,” he said.
