Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
Two friends were reunited on August 28—two Marines rather—when Christopher Mudd was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Marine Mark Meirink was there not only to celebrate the occasion but to give his childhood friend his first salute as an officer. Mudd had asked Meirink to do the honors via facebook while the enlisted man was deployed in Afghanistan. Meirink lost his leg from an iad while in the foreign country. The two men attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart and Christian Brothers College High School together before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. So Meirink gave Mudd his first salute. And Mudd gave Meirink the traditional “Silver Dollar.” A tradition dating back to the 19th century, it is customary in the U.S. Marine Corps that newly commissioned second lieutenants present a silver dollar to the first enlisted soldier who salutes them. The coin symbolically
Acknowledges the receipt of respect due the new rank and position. Mudd said it also symbolizes the one dollar stipend given to enlisted men from officers long ago. Mudd has wanted to be a Marine since he was 11 years old. He said it was the way they presented themselves. “They held themselves a little higher then everybody else,” he said. “It is about being a part of something a lot bigger than my self. If I was going to join the military I wanted to be the best.” Mudd completed Officer Candidates School during two six-week sessions over the past two summers at Quantico, va. During the last three years the 21-year-old also graduated Cum Laude with his bachelor’s degree in Aviation at the University of Central Missouri (ucm). He is currently back at ucm working on his master’s degree in Aviation Safety. Mudd said most semesters he takes between 17 and 20 credit hours. In March Mudd will move on to Camp Barrett, 22 miles west of Marine Corps Base Quantico. For 26 weeks, Mudd will receive extensive classroom, field and practical application training on
