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Major Ahmed Khalil honors Iwo Jima legacy at Fall River City ceremony
Summary
Major Ahmed Khalil, a U.S. Marine Corps logistics and foreign area officer, delivered a keynote at a Fall River City Memorial service that recalled the Battle of Iwo Jima and connected the island’s legacy to the service of today’s Marines. A Gold Star mother recited a poem and an Iwo Jima veteran attended the event.
Major Ahmed Khalil, a U.S. Marine Corps logistics officer and foreign area officer, delivered the keynote at a Memorial service in Fall River City, recalling the Battle of Iwo Jima and honoring those who served.
Khalil said the campaign in February 1945 helped “provide a vital staging area for a final push towards Japan,” and called Iwo Jima “a crucible” in which the Marine Corps’ legacy of “sacrifice and honor was etched into history.”
The address placed the wartime image of six men raising a flag atop Mount Suribachi in human terms. “It represents endurance. It represents loss,” Khalil said, and urged attendees to carry the Iwo Jima example “not just in words, but in deeds.” He closed the speech with “Semper Fidelis.”
The ceremony also recognized Walter Marks, introduced as an honorary member of the Marine Corps League detachment and described as an Iwo Jima veteran who served as a war-dog handler. Jane Van Geysen, identified as a Gold Star mother, read a poem she wrote after her son’s death that began, “Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that’s how I will remember you.”
Khalil’s remarks included biographical notes introduced earlier: he was born in Baghdad, served in support roles for U.S. and U.N. missions in Iraq, immigrated to the United States in February 2010, enlisted in the Marine Corps, and later earned a master’s degree from the U.S. Naval War College. The introducer noted Khalil’s deployments, staff billets and personal decorations, including a meritorious service medal and multiple Navy and Marine Corps commendation and achievement medals.
The program combined ceremonial elements — presentation of colors, pledge of allegiance, invocation, national anthem, rifle volley and taps — with the keynote and readings that centered on remembrance and the continuity of military service.
The service also included recognition of volunteers who support the memorial grounds and musical tributes, including a live bugler. The event emphasized honoring past sacrifice while acknowledging contemporary service members and families.
