Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point Celebrates Navy’s 249th Anniversary with Ball > Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point > Articles

MCAS Cherry Point –

The Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point community gathered Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, to celebrate the 249th anniversary of the United States Navy.

Sailors and civilians serving aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point celebrated the occasion with a Navy Ball hosted by the staff of Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point at the Havelock Convention Center in Havelock, North Carolina.

“Our mission – to keep the warfighter in the fight – is critical to ensuring that service members assigned to ‘America’s Air Station,’ Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, remain at the highest possible state of medical readiness” , said Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, Commander of the Cherry Point Naval Health Clinic.

“When the red phone on the 2nd Marine Air Wing Commander’s desk rings with the order to deploy troops, he will find his Marines and Sailors as medically ready as possible because of your commitment to excellent patient care,” Barbabella told the attending clinic staff . the ball.

The event’s keynote speaker, Mr. Wilbur D. Jones Jr., a nationally known historian, spoke to the crowd about his father who served in the Marines in World War I and the namesake of the clinic and the Medal of Honor, Pharmacist’s Mate Second class William. D. Halyburton, Jr. Halyburton was born in Wilmington, North Carolina and Jones grew up and lives there today.

“Progress and time have erased and exposed the battlefield. Yet, by reading Marine Corps records, we can partially reconstruct what happened, exposing the character of Hospital Corpsman Halyburton,” Jones said.
Jones continued his remarks, giving the audience a picture of the fierce battle that took place on May 10, 1945, on Okinawa Shima between Japanese forces and the Marines of the 2nd, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Halyburton would sacrifice his life that day to save a wounded Marine furthest from his position.

The evening’s formal program of events concluded with the official birthday cake cutting and singing of the Marine Corps Hymn and Anchors Aweigh.