San Marino Favorite Son Toasts Another at Memorial Day Ceremony

The audience was then addressed by Cody Heard and Glover Talt, recent graduates of San Marino High School. Heard has enlisted in the United States Air and Space Force while Talt – son of San Marino city councilmember Steve Talt – has enrolled in the esteemed ROTC program at Texas A&M University.
The inimitable Bob Dini sang the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful” in flawless fashion. Dini served in the United States Army as a sergeant and as the official vocal soloist for the United States Army Band in Washington during the administrations of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. During his service, Dini entertained the troops, performed concerts throughout the nation’s capitol and appeared on television and Armed Forces Radio, including his own ABC network radio show. A mainstay at San Marino’s Memorial Day ceremony, Dini has continued to perform at charitable and patriotic events.
The keynote address was delivered by Philip Hanf, who was recently promoted to the rank of major in the United States Marine Corps, where he is currently serving in the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines as executive officer and headquarters and service company commander at Camp Pendleton. A 2007 graduate of San Marino High School, Hanf commissioned into the Marine Corps in 2011 and has also served with Marine battalions in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Twentynine Palms.
During his address, Hanf referenced San Marino’s War Memorial, which was dedicated in 2007.
“A lot of these memorials are very similar to ours, most often bearing the names of those killed in the service of the nation, doing difficult, sometimes unimaginably violent and horrifying things,” said Hanf. “[These are] things they did for their country, their family, their homes, but most often for their brothers and sisters in arms who fought and died alongside them.
“So what makes this one special? The answer is that it is only as special as you and I make it. When I look at a memorial such as this, I don’t just see a memorial – I see a task. The task is a simple one: Learn who these names are. Learn their stories. Learn how they lived, how they died. Learn who each of these individuals was, and burn that memory into my brain the same as it is chiseled into the stone behind me.”
Hanf then named at least 20 places around the world where the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines had battled.
“I’m saying all this to make a point,” Hanf said. “When you join the military, this history is forced down your throat. You recite these names at boot camp and officer candidate school. You’re required to memorize the places we fought and the names of famous Marines.
One of whom was, sadly, all too familiar with many in the audience.
“One of the names on the is also on the wall behind me, that of 2nd Lt. J.P. Blecksmith, platoon commander of 3d Platoon, India Company, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, killed in action in Fallujah on 11 November 2004,” recited Hanf, referencing one of San Marino’s favorite sons. “It’s a name that I knew before I ever set foot on Camp Pendleton; a name that I knew before I ever joined the Marine Corps; a name that I have also seen on the walls of O’Bannon Hall at the Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, and Memorial Hall at the U.S Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Constant reminders all around me of the task – to know, to learn, and to remember this fellow Marine.”
Hanf repeated his challenge to the assemblage.
“So that’s the task that this wall behind me gives to you: find a name, learn about who that individual was, where they fought, and how they died,” Hanf said. “Keep their memory alive in whatever way you can, by learning their stories and seeking out those who knew them. Learn the history of the places they fought in, and died in. Remember, this memorial is only as special as we make it, and that only happens when we take up the task to us to ensure the names here do not become abstract and forgotten. It is a small task these names ask of you, but an important one nonetheless.”
Following what many consider the finest tradition at San Marino’s Memorial Day acknowledgement, veterans were then invited to share a memory of their time spent in America’s Armed Forces.
Cathy Ryan’s rendition of “Taps” capped the event though caused many tears to freely flow.”