Shirley Langdon (Wilcox)

From www Ancestry.com

David Strickland

                            Below is extracted from a more cpmprehensive, though long ago-earlier written, memorial about Jay.   

                                                                              Arnold Jay Ferrari 1941-1968

His journeys end was clearly marked, and all could see. But a journey’s true-beginning is not so-clearly marked. And we cannot know by the warmth or cold of a journeys first embrace, that one, that final-one whose destination is our end. 

He was born a son of Napa, Class of 1960. But in death at Khe Sanh he became an Americas Son. And he became an Americas Son the same-hard-way that all so distinguished must, in a moment alone with Death, on a Battlefield.

Aweight with flagged dressed coffins, the burial caissons of war, forever roll….

Were his death in 1968 not so but it is, and so it is too that the circumstance of his death for which he is honored, becomes the testament of his life, but those who always knew him, they know that he was more. And so honored too are 58,495 others with whom his name is forever etched, but as their loved ones will forever reminisce, the others, they too were more.   

Riderless mounts will gait spiritedly in reminiscence of those whose absence is their presence….

From first light to death, his was the heart of a Marine, a Marine who sought to stand if even when standing alone, for the Ideals of “Right, Freedom, Honor and Duty”. And those who always knew him will recall a steel within him from boyhood, that when death should extract its event of him, he would be honored should his event have honored the “ideals”. 

…and volleys of armed salutes will pierce the living with the same, harsh, final sounds heard by those so saluted, but it is here, in these moments….

For other of America’s Sons and Daughters, their journey was briefer. But for this Marine, his journey out of childhood and make believe battlefields in the backyards of Napa, to death on the battlefields in Khe Sanh, were a journey too brief also.                                                                                                            

Whilst a bugler sounds a warrior’s final retreat, whilst with tender precision the Burial Flag is folded…..

He is now one with all Americas Sons and Daughters, with those of earlier wars then his, those who went freely to foreign battlefields for reasons more important to them than themselves, for reason from the heart. But for those Warriors, their purpose was clearer, their war was the war of those back home, and those back home welcomed their return with sweet embrace, and accolades of “The Greatest”

But his war and the war of Fifty Eight Thousand, Four Hundred and Ninety Five others of forever silenced voices, is Americas’ most desperate war. A war whose battlefields reached into the streets and campus of a homeland divided,

a homeland that parsed the youth of its future into those it would summon to fight, to die, and those it would defer to do neither. His war, their war, was Vietnam. The warriors of Viet Nam went when called, when others would not, and those who went sloughed through years of a war from which they knew their return home would not be welcomed.

…it is in these moments, that the truth, the final truth….

And listen if you will, but the Drums of History will never roll with the sweet sounds of Embrace or Greatest for the Warriors of Vietnam: Not for those who died because of it, not for those who lived in- spite of it, and not for those….those unable to do either. 

….that beneath the sod is cold and  once there, there is no more of growing old, will be so-resisted by all who gather at a cemetery,” who gather at the river”,  for a warrior whose moment alone with death came on a battlefield.

                                                       David L. Strickland May 29, 2017

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..                    

                                                                                Arnold Jay Ferrari 1941-1968

Poet Dylan Thomas wrote:  “Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight”. Well, in a mostly forgotten March, on a desperate and besieged battlefield in Khe Sanh, Arnold Jay Ferrari was indeed, a grave man near death:

Poet Thomas further wrote: “Do not go gentle into that goodnight”. Well. Only the sleeping go gentle, but those at Khe Sanh they did not sleep, they did not go gentle and Jay, armed only with raw passions rising and desperations rebellion, he sought to forge them as if a sword to blunt deaths reach: But if for naught, there he would stand, there he would fall, and there he would suffer deaths dimming of last visions crying for those he always knew, for home. 

Those of Class 1960 who always knew Jay, they knew he would not go gentle. And instead, in a month made infamous by the “Ides” of another, Jay did raise his “swords” of passion and rebellion in what would be his final effort.  

That is, once irreversible bound to a battlefield surrounded by 20,000 NVR’s and inundated by the infamous waves of mortars that were the daily way of war in Khe Sanh, Jay’s first thought was NOT to “go gentle”, but instead, it was conspire, to stand an effort, to weaken if he could, the deadly odds of life in Khe Sanh. But sadly, those at Khe Sanh lived literally under “bombs bursting in air” and Jay, Jay heard but could not see, the one that fell his way, “that final one, who’s destination is our end”

Only upon Jay’s death did many of Class 1960 then later learn of his earlier-made decision to volunteer for combat assignment to Viet Nam, not Hawaii: But few would know that his decision lay within him from boyhood. And still fewer might know of his final effort as it was told to me in 2006.   

Not surprised yet troubled by Jay “decision” I sought assistance for it that came in the persons of two Marines: a retired Korean War Staff Sargent and a then still active Marine Colonel with multiple tours of duty in Viet Nam and Afghanistan. Although a paperback book then in circulation described graphically the circumstance of Jay’s death, I sought something more of his short time in Khe Sanh. To that end, The Marine Colonel noted above, sought-out, located and communicated personally with a retired Bird Colonial who, as a Captain in Khe Sanh, had served as Jay’s CO. His recall of Jay came easily: First because of his dilemma regarding how to assign Jay. But more specifically the CO recalled of unusual requisition-submittals later attributed to Jay.

The dilemma: While senior in date of service and rank to a then existing senior noncom and gunnery sergeant, Jay lacked their hard combat experience. But because of Jay’s leadership and command skills, the CO assigned Jay as a junior gunnery Sargent.

The requisitions: As noted, Khe Sanh was hell made worse by relentlessly bombardments of mortar attacks. However, shortly---it had to be- after Jays arrival, the CO received notice of multiple requisitions for munitions and etc., had been submitted for disposition to his command, and would he report back on that. Those requisitions, as it developed, were each ordered by junior gunnery, SSgt A.J. Ferrari.

As told by the CO, SSgt, Ferrari was summoned to explain the requisitions, and, Jay’s explanation was, that his troops are under constantly incoming mortar attacks without relief. And he (Jay) was preparing actions against two of the offending NVR mortar placements….. Following that meeting with his CO, Jay was killed and his final effort was thwarted. But of his final effort, although not “Sherman-esk” in scope and orphaned of Jay’s presumed outcome, I nevertheless still choose to memorialize Jay’s  28 days unto death effort for what it was, “Jay’s March on Khe Sanh” ”. But I wasn’t there, you weren’t there, but one-marker alone of the DNA of Napa’s Class 1960 was there, Jay was there.   

 I learned of Jay’s death In 1969 from a Marine who had trained and served under Jay during the 1960’s, This Marine himself has passed away, but a few weeks only, before his own event, he entrusted-over to me a simple lead pencil over-paper frottage, he had made of Jay’s name, as Jay’s name is etched within the “The Wall”. Difficult moments for me: A hard moment for this Marine as he struggled for voice to memorialize his respect for SSgt, A.J. Ferrari while handing-over to another his last artifact of honor for Jay’s duty and sacrifice. I can do no better for Jay. 

2018 will mark the 50-year memorial of Jays Death in Khe Sanh. The “Memory Page” warns that as time tics on, life tics away. But it’s for certain that over the years since Jay’s death 49 years ago, life has been lived, life has been made, and our generations-edge has drawn closer for us all.  

                                       Rest in peace Jay, you have given over your life, your “Last full Measure of Devotion”.

……………………………………………................... David L. Strickland May 29, 2017 ……………………………………………………..

                                                 Arnold Jay Ferrari 1941-1968

Aweight with flagged dressed coffins, the burial caissons of war will forever roll….

riderless mounts will gait spiritedly in reminiscence of those whose absence is their presence….

and volleys of armed salutes will pierce the living with the same, harsh, final sounds heard by those so saluted….

but it is here, in these moments….

Whilst a bugler sounds a warrior’s final retreat…whilst the Burial Flag is folded with tender precision….

 It is in these moments that the truth….

 the final truth….

 that beneath the sod is cold and  once there, there is no more of growing old, will be so-resisted by all who gather at a cemetery,” who gather at the river”,  for a warrior whose moment alone with death, came on a battlefield.

                                                       David L. Strickland May 29, 2017

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David Strickland

As the Easter weekend evolves, many of Class 1960 will of course give thanks for, and recall of, family members and friends acroos their lives. But because of the date, I am reminded of a internet post by "Arlie LLoyd" wherein Arlie qutes another of Class 1960: "better me then a married guy". Presummably today, that "married guy" is thankfull for his family too, But as scyrcanisity will have it, that "married guy" would never know of that marine who 50-years ago willingly stepped infront of him, in the Viet Nam Combat-Line. And out of that, that "married guy" lived life, made life while that Marine who cut-in-line, would experiabce niether, nor would he flavor, through his own, that future he preserved for another.

That quote by Arlie LLoyd's memorialized the moment when that Marine, with humble selflesslness, reenforced his own self identity. 

Yesterday, March 31, 2018, makred the month and day, when 50-years ago, that Marine, SSGT, A.J. "Jay" Ferrari, was KIA in Khe Sanh Viet Nam. 

D.L. Strickland

Arlie Lloyd

     Thank you Mr. David Strickland for your rememberance, and honoring of one of our class hero's, Jay Ferrari. All that is written in your post is just a few truths written about Jay. There is much more we don't know about Jay. I remember Jay as he was those many years ago, walking onto Alameda Naval Air station for his weekend duty, as I was leaving. Oddly, I met him quite by accident like that, about three times. He looked so damned handsome in his dress blues, all spiffed up. We always greeted each other, as old friends do. I always wanted to get him to go for a ride with me on our plane, but we never did.

     Easter has come to mean allot to me, in my faith, and if our Lord has risen, He has promised that we will also. I hope to greet Jay once again when we may pass each other, coming or going in our journeys. I expect many of us will enjoy that moment as well. Take care, and again thanks for remembering our old friend.

Arlie