Vietnam War veteran, 83, wears his dress blues to stand guard over his Marine buddy's casket
Honor.
Semper Fidelis.(always faithful)
are by what we do.We define who we
SS
Vietnam War veteran, 83, wears his dress blues to stand guard over his Marine buddy's casket after they made promise to each other in 1968 when they survived a mortar attack
Retired Marine Master Sgt. William H. Cox first met retired Marine First Sgt. James 'Hollie' Hollingsworth in 1968 during Vietnam War
The two men were hunkered down on New Year's Eve that year shielding themselves from rockets and mortars
They promised if they survived, they would keep in contact every New Year's Eve
For the next five decades, the lifelong friends spoke every December 31st
But Cox traveled from South Carolina to Georgia earlier this year to say goodbye to Hollingsworth, who was dying from a terminal illness
Hollingsworth made Cox promise him that he would deliver his eulogy and stand guard over his casket at his funeral, to which Cox accepted
A photo showing Cox keeping his promise to Hollingsworth has gone viral
By Regina F. Graham For Dailymail.com
Published: 14:29 EST, 16 November 2017 | Updated: 15:52 EST, 16 November 2017
An 83-year-old retired Marine kept a promise he made to a fellow officer while they were hunkered down in a bunker during the Vietnam War.
Retired Marine Master Sgt. William H. Cox and Retired Marine First Sgt. James 'Hollie' Hollingsworth were shielding themselves from rockets and mortars in 1968 as they were fighting in the Marble Mountains during the war on New Year's Eve.
The two men, who were strangers to each other, had decided if they made it out of the bunker and survived the war, they would contact each other every New Year's Eve.
For the next five decades they kept that promise - every New Year's Eve they would catch up.
Earlier this year, Cox traveled from Piedmont, South Carolina, to see Hollingsworth in Hephzibah, Georgia.
The 83-year-old made the trip so that he could say goodbye to his dear friend who was dying.
Honor: Retired Marine Master Sgt. William H. Cox (left) kept his promise to stand guard at his friend's funeral, Retired Marine First Sgt. James 'Hollie' Hollingsworth
For five decades, Cox (above in 2011) would speak to Hollingsworth on New Year's Eve after they became close friends during the war
While visiting, Hollingsworth asked his buddy to make him one last promise.
He asked him to stand guard over his casket and deliver the eulogy at his funeral, to which Cox accepted.
'I said, "Boy, that's a rough mission you're assigning me to there,"' Cox told Greenvilleonline.com.
Cox, who served in the Marine helicopter squadron VMO-2 with Hollingsworth, made sure to keep his final promise when the time came.
The 83-year-old put on his dress blues and stood guard over his friend's casket during his funeral service earlier this month. He also delivered a heartfelt eulogy for Hollingsworth - whom he flew numerous combat missions with during their time in the Marines.
Closing the eulogy, Cox repeated a phrase he would tell his friend during their missions: 'Hollie, you keep 'em flying, and I'll keep 'em firing.'
A photo taken of Cox standing next to Hollingsworth casket was shared to Facebook by his son, Bill Cox.
The two men flew numerous combat missions together, which resulted in Cox to consider Hollingsworth to be a 'brother'. Cox is pictured above in a photo taken in 2011
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...0859566880.jpg
'My 83 year old father, Master Sergeant William H.Cox, USMC, Retired, honoring one of his Vietnam brothers, First Sergeant James J. Hollingsworth (Hollie),' he captioned it.
'They made a pact to stay in touch, if they survived their tour, and they did. Both were door gunners, and dad was the only enlisted man in VMO-2 to be awarded the DFC in Vietnam.
'He has to use a cane most of the time now, but he insisted on not using it during his vigil at the casket and at the funeral.'
Since sharing the photo on November 5, the emotional photo has been shared thousands of times with many fellow Marines saluting the pair for their service.
Cox said that his bond with Hollingsworth as a Marine was 'different from any other branch of service' and that he considered him to be 'a brother.'
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Originally Posted by smoked turkey
