RUTHFULLY YOURS

These are the Jews of the United States Marine Corps.

In the popular mind, a Jewish Marine may sound exotic. In fact, Jews have their own chapters in the history of the Corps. In his book “Semper Chai!” Howard J. Leavitt explains the compatibility with a refreshing lack of nuance: “[M]any Jews were—and are—Marines, and the basic and lofty precepts and spiritual underpinnings of the United States, the U.S. Marine Corps and Judaism are one and the same, without any differences or conflict.”

In my life, Jews and Marines just go together. Maybe it started with my sister’s father-in-law, Harold Green. Having grown up in a family whose first song was “The Marines’ Hymn,” none of my brothers were surprised that when our sister gave her heart to a nice Jewish boy, he would be one whose dad—like hers—had been a Marine.

There are also the children of friends. When Bill Kristol’s son was graduated from Harvard two years ago, many of his classmates went on to law school or hedge funds. Lt. Joseph Kristol deployed to Afghanistan, where he led Marines in the fabled 3/5 (3rd Battalion, 5th Marines) during combat in Helmand province. Another Ivy Leaguer who also exchanged Harvard Crimson for Marine Crimson is Lt. Matthew Blumenthal, son of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.).

Then there’s the Ledeen family. Among my most memorable evenings was a farewell for Marine Lt. Gabriel Ledeen, who was shipping off to pre-surge Iraq. That night we brought our three young daughters to his mom and dad’s house, so they might remember the pride and anxiety of families whose sacrifices enable ours to sleep safely at night. Gabriel Ledeen is no longer on active duty but has been followed into the Corps by a brother who is: Lt. Daniel Ledeen.

Indeed, my experience has been such that I once put this question to a Jewish colleague who had also served in the Corps: “Why is it,” I asked, “that every Jew I know seems to be a Marine, the father of a Marine, or the son of a Marine?”

He didn’t skip a beat. “Well, we quickly found out that controlling all the levers of international finance wasn’t enough. We needed an elite fighting force to defend it.”

Being Jewish in the Marine Corps certainly brings its own perspective. In an article for Commentary magazine, Sam Jacobson wrote of his experiences as an infantry platoon leader in Iraq. At one point, his men—hoping he might get them out of some unpleasant duty—invoked Moses, beseeching their young lieutenant to lead them out of bondage.

Another time, a fellow officer spotted his religious preference on his dog tags. “I didn’t know you were Jewish, Jacobson,” he said. “It’s good that it says it here. That way when you’re captured, al Qaeda will know to arrange for kosher meals.”

Alas, some of these good men have not lived to make the return trip home. One was Mark Evnin. His mom, Mindy, told me that back when Mark was graduating from high school, the other moms at her book club were talking about this son’s going off to Columbia or that daughter’s heading out to Stanford. She proudly announced, “Mark’s going to sniper school.”

Cpl. Mark Evnin was killed in action in Iraq early on. His eulogy was delivered by his grandfather, Rabbi Max Wall, a former army chaplain who had served with the U.S. forces that liberated Europe. That sad day Rabbi Wall said of his grandson: “When he finally got permission to put on the uniform of the Marine Corps, it was the most wonderful thing in his life.”

Another Jew in uniform who laid down his life in this war was Sgt. Alan Sherman, a father of two boys he loved more than life. When he was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, his brother described the great gift this Marine had bequeathed his sons: “He left them his honorable name, as a hero and a loving father.”

No Jew who has earned the eagle, anchor and globe believes himself any better than any other Marine. He may, however, be permitted a special affinity for a brotherhood that calls itself the few and the proud. As these Marines and their families kindle the first lights of the Hanukkah menorah, even those of us who do not share their faith gladly join them in giving thanks for righteous men willing to risk all to deliver us from oppression.

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