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Of Marines, an urn and a thoughtful deed

August 30, 2003

For those without relatives in the military, war news can become a blur of daily press briefings and TV news reports. For Teri Merickel, the conflict got up close and personal during a flight from Chicago. She walked aboard her United plane to San Diego behind a Marine captain who was with a young woman. The officer was carrying what appeared to Merickel to be a beautiful trophy in his arms. The two passengers were seated directly across the aisle from her. Merickel admired the "trophy" but didn't have a chance to ask what it was because another passenger quickly came back from the first-class cabin and invited them to come up to that section. After they moved, the passenger returned and took one of the empty seats. He started sobbing.

After a few moments he composed himself, apologized to Merickel and explained: He, too, was a Marine en route home from Iraq. He informed her that the beautiful "trophy" she had seen was actually carrying the remains of a fallen Marine. The wife of the deceased and the urn were being escorted home by the officer.

The story doesn't end there. Merickel soon learned that the fellow who had done this good deed was returning home to San Diego on a brief 26-hour turnaround for the first time in nearly a year.

His 9-year-old daughter had saved all her money to help buy a first-class ticket for her dad. But when he saw the grief-stricken widow and her Marine escort sitting in coach seats, he asked a flight attendant if he could give his seat to the woman, and if the captain could take the empty seat next to it.

When the plane touched down, the pilot announced that a fallen Marine was aboard. Everyone was silent and the passengers remained in their places while the widow and her escort disembarked. As Merickel said goodbye, she asked the Marine passenger next to her if he was going to tell his daughter he gave up his first-class seat.

He thought and then softly replied, "Maybe someday."

Readers write

Several women have railed privately about recent lawsuits filed by two young San Diego lawyers challenging "ladies night" discounts at local entertainment spots and, more recently, a Club Med vacation promotion that offered women lower prices than their male traveling companions. "Oh please!" writes a perturbed Jane Michael. If someone really wants to fight gender discrimination, she claims she can cite plenty of examples. "Women continue to make less than men and pay more for clothing, haircuts, dry cleaning, shoes, etc. So am I to assume I should sue all of the companies that manufacture or do business in these areas?" she asks. Not just women denounced the recent lawsuits: "I wondered how long it would take for these opportunistic legal guys to sue regarding travel promotions," remarks Paul Grimes of Point Loma. "I would hope that this cruel game they are playing on the pocketbooks of companies and consumers will end up in a frivolous lawsuit category, and they will have to start paying court costs" . . . Meanwhile, Julian High School appears to be a step ahead of the game. Ron Reina informs me that the girls' soccer team was coached this spring by a man, while the boys' soccer team was coached by a woman.

Out and about

Could a higher power have had a hand in guiding the committee overseeing renovation of the historic Mission San Luis Rey? They're offering a free Cleveland golf club to every entrant in their Sept. 22 golf tournament. So imagine their delight when the top three finishers in this month's PGA Championship all played with Cleveland golf clubs . . . No, the Sheriff's Department isn't going to the dogs – the dogs, it appears, are coming to it. The canines congregated by its front door the other day were on official business. They were "search and rescue" dogs awaiting their sheriff's IDs. Each posed in front of the personnel department camera, just like the deputies – with one humorous exception. Their handlers took turns standing on a chair behind the photographer coaxing and dangling doggie treats . . . Putting on the dog: Geree McDermott, a Solana Beach transplant to New Mexico, tells me there's a name for the goggles worn by the poodle espied with its head draped out a car window. They're called Doggles, protective sunglasses for dogs. And you thought Rover had everything!